Lmst

Camera Wars
Priest Lake, Idaho (1985)

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Luby Bay at Priest Lake
Priest Lake, Idaho (1985)

#RickQuisenberry #RTQ #Photography #FilmPhotography #MinoltaXE7 #TravelPhotography #Idaho #PriestLake #HillsResort #DramaticSky #Lake #Sunset #PacificNorthWest #Mountains #Dust #NightPhotography

Better Living Through Chemistry | Picking Your Developers

Developing your film at home is both rewarding and frustrating at the same time and to add on an extra layer of complexity there is a lot of developers out there that you can use, especially in the black & white field. While certainly not as much as there used to be, there is still an excellent selection of developers to suit almost every person's need, without having to dive deep into building your developers from base chemicals. Ultimately every photographer has a different taste but if you're starting out with home development the choices may seem a little overwhelming so I'll be breaking down the different characteristics you may look for in your developing and what I feel are the best choices for each characteristic.

General Purpose Developing
While there is always a temptation to dive right into the exotic, I have found it best to get your feet wet with a bit of boring, the idea behind a good general purpose developer is that it doesn't do anything beyond developing your film and letting you explore what your films can do first before altering it through changes in exposure and development. These developers often come in large volumes and allow for development using a stock dilution to help maximise the number of rolls you can develop in a kit. The first one in this mix is the old favourite, Kodak D-76. D-76 along with the various clones available including Flic Film Classic MQ, Ilford ID-11, FPP's Dalzell76, and many others comes in either a 1 gallon or 1 liter volume and offers up use as a reusable stock solution or you can dilute it down to 1+1 or 1+2 into a one-shot developer. In all cases, this developer will handle a good 90-95% of your development needs and can even offer up some use for push and pull development. And there is almost a development time for every B&W film available today and even in the past.

Mamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 1:2.8 f=80mm - Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-200 - Ilford ID-11 (Stock) 6:00 @ 20CRolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Kodak TMax 100 @ ASA-100 - Kodak D-76 (1+1) 9:30 @ 20CNikon FE - AI-S Nikkor 35mm 1:2.8 - Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-400 - Flic Film Classic MQ (1+1) 9:30 @ 20CRolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Rollei RPX 400 @ ASA-400 - Kodak D-76 (Stock) 8:00 @ 20CKyocera Contax G2 - Carl Zeiss Biogon 28/2,8 T* - Rollei RPX 25 @ ASA-25 - Kodak D-76 (1+1) 8:00 @ 20C

Second on my list for a good general purpose developer is Ilford Ilfosol 3, despite the drawbacks this is an excellent choice when starting with home developing. The developer comes in a liquid concentrate that is easy to work with and takes little effort to pour and mix. You only have two dilution options 1+9 and 1+14 that will both produce similar results it all depends on how many rolls of film you have to develop. Ilfosol 3 can only be used as a one-shot developer and it oxidises far quicker than other liquid developers. That means that you will want to shoot all your film and then run through to bottle as quickly as possible. Alternatively you can use canned air to help displace any oxygen or use glass marbles to keep the volume up. You also have a tonne of options for developing film with most modern film stocks having a listed time.

Nikon FG - Nikon Series E 50mm 1:1.8 - Ilford Pan F+ @ ASA-50 - Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+14) 4:30 @ 20CHasselblad 500c - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Rollei RPX 100 @ ASA-100 - Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+9) 5:00 @ 20CPentax 645 - SMC Pentax A 645 35mm 1:3.5 - Ilford Delta 100 @ ASA-100 - Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+14) 2:50 @ 28CKyocera Contax G2 - Carl Zeiss Planar 2/45 T* - Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-125 - Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+14) 7:30 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G - JCH Streetpan 400 @ ASA-400 - Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+3) 5:00 @ 20C

And the third choice I have for general purpose developing is Adox FX-39 II, I first discovered this developer several years ago and it quickly became a fast favourite. This is another liquid concentrate that has only two dilutions available and is easily mixed into a one-shot working solution and in both cases they produce similar results so it all depends on how economical you want to be with your bottle. It also has a longer shelf life than Ilfosol 3, I've had one bottle go for a year and still was running strong by the time I drained the concentrate. The one thing that FX-39 II has that the previous two do not is a set of universal times for films exposed at box speed if there isn't a listed time. But don't worry, there is a lot of listed times available for the developer.

Rolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-80 - Adox FX-39 II (1+9) 7:30 @ 20CMinolta Dynax 600si Classic - Minolta Maxxum AF 28mm 1:2.8 - Agfa Silvertone @ ASA-400 - Adox FX-39II (1+9) 10:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)Nikon F5 - AF Nikkor 85mm 1:1.8D - Ilford Delta 100 @ ASA-100 - Adox FX-39 II (1+9) 7:00 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8 - Ilford Delta 400 @ ASA-400 - Adox FX-39 II (1+9) 9:30 @ 20CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 - Kosmo Foto Agent Shadow @ ASA-400 - Adox FX-39 II (1+9) 10:30 @ 20C

Sharpness
Sharpness is both overrated and highly valued in the photography field, it's a bit of a buzz word. That being said there are several excellent options out there to help improve your film's sharpness. While sharpness can holistically mean a combination of edge sharpness and tonal contrast, these developers are used strictly to increase the edge sharpness of your images. The downside is that it will also increase the visible grain. The number one choice from anyone in this field is Rodinal, these days you can get it under several different names, Adox carries the copyright for the Rodinal name but in Canada we have the best clone, Blazinal. Rodinal can be used one of two ways, the first as a standard developer using either a 1+25 and 1+50 dilution for one-shot or you can stand-develop the film in a 1+100 or 1+200 dilution for either 1 hour or 2 hours respectively. While many people would avoid using Rodinal with faster films, I find that it does work well with both slow films that are already sharp, mid-speed films in the same vein and even faster films.

Hasselblad 500c - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-200 - Blazinal (1+25) 7:00 @ 20CNikon F90 - AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D - Bergger Pancro 400 @ ASA-800 - Blazinal (1+25) 13:00 @ 20CHasselblad 500c - Carl Zeiss Distagon 50mm 1:4 - Rollei RPX 25 @ ASA-25 - Blazinal (1+50) 11:00 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF-S Nikkor 28-70mm 1:2.8D - CatLABS X Film 320 Pro @ ASA-320 - Adox Rodinal (1+25) 9:00 @ 20CMamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 45mm 1:2.8 N - Ilford Ortho Plus @ ASA-80 - Blazinal (1+50) 15:00 @ 20C

Next on my list for increasing the edge sharpness of your film is Ilford Perceptol. While not necessarily a sharp developer, it does an excellent job in increasing sharpness while keeping visible grain under control. Perceptol is mixed from powder into a stock solution which you can use as a reusable developer (4 rolls per liter) or as a one-shot diluted either 1+1 or 1+3. It isn't the most economical developer either way as it is only available in a 1 liter kit. This is also the developer that does wonders with almost every film that you develop with it, the one thing you will notice in some cases is that you will have a bit of speed loss with faster films.

Pentax K1000 - SMC Pentax 55mm 1:2 - Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-320 - Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 18:00 @ 20CRolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Kodak Tri-X 400 (400TX) @ ASA-320 - Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 12:00 @ 20CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 50mm 1:1.4 - Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 @ ASA-80 - Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 13:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)Pentax 645 - SMC Pentax A 645 35mm 1:3.5 - Ilford Delta 100 @ ASA-50 - Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 13:00 @ 20CHasselblad 500c - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Rollei RPX 25 @ ASA-25 - Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 10:00 @ 20C

On the rarer end of the spectrum there's SPUR HRX. SPUR is known for producing developers designed for increased sharpness and resolution and HRX certainly fits the bill. I mean there name is short for Speed Photography, Ultra Resolution and HRX is for High-Resolution X. Now the one thing that might turn people off of HRX other than sourcing the chemisty is that it's a two-part developer with a single dilution. So there's a bit of math involved by dividing the amount of concentrate in two. And HRX will hand down some amazingly sharp images but on faster films there is a speed loss and an uptick in visible grain.

New Mamiya 6 - Mamiya G 1:3.5 f=75mm L - Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-250 - SPUR HRX (1+17) 10:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)Canon EOS Elan IIe - Canon Lens EF 50mm 1:1.8 - Oriental Seagull 400 @ ASA-400 - SPUR HRX (1+13) 12:30 (Constant Rotation)Rolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 (Yellow-12) - Fomapan 100 @ ASA-100 - SPUR HRX (1+20) 11:00 @ 20CRolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - FPP Frankenstein 200 @ ASA-125 - SPUR HRX (1+17) 7:45 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)Zeiss Ikon Contax IIIa - Zeiss Opton Sonnar 1:1,5 f=50mm - Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-100 - SPUR HRX (1+20) 9:30 @ 20C

Fine-Grain
On the opposite end of the spectrum there's fine-grain developers. These are ones that are designed to reduce the amount of visible grain. Now in the past this has often resulted in a loss of edge sharpness but most modern developers are a balance of retaining sharpness while reducing the amount of visible grain. Number one on my list is Ilford Microphen. Microphen, a cousin to Perceptol does an excellent job with reducing grain while maintaining decent edge sharpness and controlling contrast. It can be used as both a stock reusable solution (up to 10 rolls) or as a one-shot developer in either a 1+1 or 1+3 dilution. This works incredible well in the stock dilution in cutting down grain on some of the worst offenders like Fomapan 400, Fomapan 200, and ORWO N74.

Rolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Rollei Retro 80s @ ASA-80 - Ilford Microphen (Stock) 9:00 @ 20CNikon FM - AI-S Nikkor 105mm 1:2.5 - Fomapan 100 @ ASA-100 - Ilford Microphen (1+1) 9:00 @ 20CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28mm 1:2.8 (Yellow-12) - Ilford Ortho Plus @ ASA-80 - Ilford Microphen (Stock) 9:00 @ 20CMamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 1:2.8 f=80mm - Lomography Berlin 400 @ ASA-400 - Ilford Microphen (Stock) 7:00 @ 20CNikon FM - AI-S Nikkor 35mm 1:2.8 - Fomapan 100 @ ASA-100 - Ilford Microphen (1+1) 9:00 @ 20C

Second is the obvious choice, Kodak Xtol. This is the second fine-grain developer released by Kodak and was the final developer to come out of Kodak. You can also find it in several clones including Adox XT-3 and Bellini Foto Eco Developer plus several others. If you do a high-volume of developing then Xtol and XT-3 come in 5 liter volumes. The one thing that stands out for Xtol is that not only does it cut down on the visible grain, it also helps retains some level of edge sharpness. Now recently there were some concerns over the quality of the Xtol developer coming out of Sino Promise, but now that manufacturing has switched back to a US based company there doesn't seem to be the same problem. In all cases you can use the developer in stock form as a reusable developer or dilute it to one-shot in either 1+1 or 1+2 dilutions with only slight changes to how the developer acts.

Nikon FM - AI Nikkor 28mm 1:3.5 - Fomapan 200 @ ASA-200 - Adox XT-3 (Stock) 6:00 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G - FPP Mr. Brown @ ASA-6 - Kodak Xtol (stock) 10:30 @ 20CPentax 645 - SMC Pentax A 645 75mm 1:2.8 - Kodak Tri-X Pan (TXP) @ ASA-1250 - Kodak Xtol (Stock) 12:00 @ 20CHasselblad - 500c - Carl Zeiss Distagon 50mm 1:4 - Fuji Acros 100 @ ASA-100 - Kodak Xtol (stock) 8:00 @ 20CRolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-1600 - Bellini EcoFilm (Stock) 11:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)

The final choice is an interesting one as it is the developer that Xtol replaced, Kodak Microdol-X. Today you cannot find Microdol-X new, but if you come across a sealed pouch of the stuff then it should still be good! Rather LegacyPro makes a perfect clone of Microdol-X called Mic-X. This can be used three different ways, first is in the stock form where it is a perfect fine-grain developer and reusable but at the cost of reducing some of that edge sharpness. Second in a 1+3 one-shot dilution it does increase edge sharpness and in the third form a 1+1 one-shot dilution it is a balance of both. But even in the stock form with a modern sharp film, you don't see much reduction.

Pacemaker Crown Graphic - Schneider-Krueznack Symmar-S 1:5.6/210 - Kodak Plus-X Pan @ ASA-125 - Kodak Microdol-X (Stock) 8:00 @ 20CMamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 1:2.8 f=80mm - Fomapan 100 @ ASA-100 - LegacyPro Mic-X (1+1) 9:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)Minolta Dynax 600si Classic - Minolta Maxxum AF 24mm 1:2.8 (Yellow-12) - Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-25 - LegacyPro Mic-X (1+3) 10:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)Canon EOS 3000 - Canon Lens EF 50mm 1:1.8 - Arista EDU.Ultra 200 @ ASA-200 - LegacyPro Mic-X (1+1) 8:30 @ 20CRolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 (Yellow 8) - Kodak TMax 400 @ ASA-400 - LegacyPro Mic-X (Stock) 9:15 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)

Compensating Developers
A compensating developer is such a loaded term which is why I'm putting it in the final spot for this entry. The main reason is that I have already talked about a tonne of different developers that can be considered compensating. Ones like Xtol and Microphen all are in this category. These are developers that will help cut down some of the negative impacts of both push and pull development which compensate for over and under exposure. They also work well with expired films and help reduce grain and cut down on overly contrasty scenes or films. At the top of my list for compensating developers in Diafine. Now Diafine can be hard to acquire today, but there are similar developers being produced, I do believe that Bellini Foto has one and Flic Film has teased at something similar. Diafine is a two-bath developer, meaning you develop the film once in Part A then develop the film a second time in Part B. There is also a standard set of times that if you expose the film at an ideal speed you can develop multiple rolls at multiple speeds at the same time. And the best part is that I've seen good results no matter what film I've used with Diafine. And if you do get your hands on the stuff it tends to last forever.

Minolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 24mm 1:2.8 - Eastman Double-X 5222 @ ASA-1600 - Diafine (Stock) 4:00 + 4:00 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4D - FPP XRay Film @ ASA-400 - Diafine (Stock) 5:00 + 5:00 @ 20CKonica-Minolta Maxxum 70 - Minolta Maxxum AF 50mm 1:1.7- Arista EDU.Ultra 100 @ ASA-200 - Diafine (Stock) 3:00 + 3:00 @ 20CNikon FE2 - AI Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8 (Yellow-12) - Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-250 - Diafine (Stock) 3:00 + 3:00 @ 20CMinolta Dynax 600si Classic - Minolta Maxxum AF 50mm 1:1.4 - Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-800 - Diafine (Stock) 3:00 + 3:00 @ 20C

Second on my list might raise some eyebrows but it's Kodak HC-110 along with the various clones including Ilfotec HC and LegacyPro L110. The one thing I like about HC-110 is that you can adjust how the developer can adjust to either help increase contrast or decrease contrast and even get into compensating territory. Now if you're running the stronger dilutions like A (1+15) and B (1+31) it acts more like a general purpose developer. But once you get into more dilute mixes like E (1+47), F (1+79), G (1+119) H (1+63), and even a special 1+90 with a fixed 18 minute time that will develop most B&W films when exposed at box speed. Now many people will turn there nose up at HC-110 these days because of the change of how the developer handles, it works well in Ilfotec HC that behaves similar to the original HC-110.

Minolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Svema FN64 @ ASA-64 - Kodak HC-110 Dil. H 16:00 @ 20CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Konica-Minolta Zoom AF 17-35mm 1:2.8-4 D - Lomography Potsdam 100 @ ASA-100 - Kodak HC-110 Dil. H 7:30 @ 20C>Rolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - JCH Streetpan 400 @ ASA-400 - Kodak HC-110 Dil. F 12:30 @ 20CKyocera Contax G2 - Carl Zeiss Biogon 2.8/28 T* - Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-400 - Kodak HC-110 Dil. B 4:30 @ 20CKyocera Contax G2 - Carl Zeiss Biogon 2,8/28 T* - Eastman 5363 @ ASA-25 - Kodak HC-110 Dil. G 22:00 @ 20C

And finally there is Zone Imaging 510-Pyro, this is one of my favourite developers to use when I want a good balance between edge-sharpness and fine-grain. Now Pyro developers are not for everyone as there is a lot of extras needed to get the best out of the developer and your negatives. But between all the available pyro developers, 510-Pyro is the easiest to handle. It has only one concentrate and is mixed 90% of the time at a 1+100 dilution. It is thicker than other pyro developers but does have an incredibly long shelf-life. Honestly, I have yet to find a film stock that 510-Pyro doesn't like.

Rolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - CatLABS X Film 320 Pro @ ASA-320 - Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 12:15 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)Rolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-80 - Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:00 @ 20CNikon FE2 - AI Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8 (B+W 092) - FPP BW Infrared @ ASA-200 - Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 7:00 @ 20CMinolta Dynax 600si Classic - Minolta Zoom AF 28-80mm 1:4-5.6 - Derev Pan 400 @ ASA-320 - Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 10:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)Rolleicord Vb (Type-2) - Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar 1:3.5/75 - Kosmo Foto Mono 100 @ ASA-100 - Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 7:00 @ 20C

Like anything related to photography it all comes down to personal taste. The best thing you can do is to get together a good collection of developers that will suit not only the film stocks you regularly use but also how you want your images to look. There is some wisdom in picking a single developer and film stock, I'm more one who has a set list of films to use for any situation and then picking the right combination. Now this comes from developing my B&W film at home and fine tuning my process, so it will be worthwhile to keep detailed notes so that you know what you like and what you dislike. You can check out all my past developer reviews to help get you started on your development journey.

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Film Retrospective | 100 Reviews Special

This is only the second time I've reached a significant milestone in my ongoing reviews, the magic number of one hundred. And to be clear, I've done one hundred film reviews, not reviewed one hundred separate film stocks. And that's because I've reviewed some rebadged films; sometimes, I knew it was a rebadge and then made a point not to go after that film stock again, notability ORWO films. I reviewed the four motion picture-specific films from ORWO as their Lomography rebadge. But in the case of Fomapan 100, I reviewed that first as KosmoFoto Mono 100 and then again as Fomapan 100. Agfa AviFoto 80 has been reviewed many times under Rollei Retro 80s, Rollei RPX 25, Adox HR-50 and Adox Scala 50. So today, I will look back at the last 100 reviews and make a top list of some of my favourites, similar to what I did at the 100 camera review mark but slightly different.

Top Five Favourite Films
It's always hard to choose just one! But in these cases these are films that are still produced and readily available. They are also ones that I will always grab when I need to get the shot! Both for my personal and professional work. And yes, these days it is mostly Ilford on the list, which is interesting because when I started reviewing film stocks, it would have been dominated by Kodak.

Ilford FP4+
When it comes to a go-to mid-speed film, Ilford FP4+ is that film. It offers up everything I look for in this speed range, with excellent tonality, great latitude, classic grain and excellent edge sharpness. I was first introduced to FP4+ when Kodak discontinued Plus-X and I wanted something similar, and FP4+ was that film, even has the classic ASA-125 box speed. It's my goto for outdoor events, portrait work, and general photography. Plus I can use it in all my cameras from 35mm up to 4×5 and larger. And it handles any situation I throw at it when it comes to lighting, natural, artificial, high-contrast, low contrast. And you can over and under expose it and push/pull in development when the situation requires such a process. And it responds to ever developer I throw its way.

Minolta Maxxum 9 - Konica-Minolta Zoom AF 24-105mm 1:3.5-4.5 D - Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-125 - Tetenal Neofin Blau (1+9) 9:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)Rolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-125 - 510-Pyro (1+100) 10:30 @ 20CMamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 45mm 1:2.8 N - Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-125 - Adox FX-39 II (1+9) 6:00 @ 20CPacemaker Crown Graphic - Fuji Fujinon-W 1:5.6/125 - Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-64 - Pyrocat-HD (1+1+100) 8:00 @ 20C

Ilford Delta 100
While of a speed similar to FP4+, Delta 100 is the one film I take when I need something that looks sharp and modern. Thanks to the contemporary emulsion, I can achieve excellent results across all the formats. I started to enjoy Delta 100 with my original review set in 2015 when I began exploring the Ilford line of films and developers. And I'm glad I did; this spot would have been filled with Tmax 100, but I needed to find something similar with the cost increases. Also, Delta 100 works well with all the developers I use. It has become the go to film stock for my lens tests along with Delta 400. Now to see if I can over-expose it to ASA-32.

Nikon F5 - AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D (Yellow-12) - Ilford Delta 100 @ ASA-100 - Fotospeed FD10 (1+9) 7:00 @ 20CModified Anniversary Speed Graphic - Schneider-Kreuznack Angulon 1:6,8 90mm - Ilford Delta 100 @ ASA-50 - Agfa Rodinal (1+25) 7:00 @ 20CRolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Ilford Delta 100 @ ASA-100 - Kodak HC-110 Dil. E 7:30 @ 20CBronica GS-1 - Zenzanon-PG 1:3.5 f=100mm - Ilford Delta 100 @ ASA-80 - SPUR HRX (1+20) 9:00 @ 20C

Ilford HP5+
You guessed it, another Kodak replacement. While I struggled for a while to come to love Ilford HP5+ in 35mm, I always enjoyed working with it in medium and large format. Probably my favourite combination across the board is shooting it at ASA-200 and developing it in Pyrocat-HD. But it works well in almost any developer, except Rodinal. Perfect when you need a fast shutter speed, offers up excellent latitude. Good tonality, edge sharpness, and a bit more visible grain but nothing too serious.

Minolta XE-7 - Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45mm 1:2 - Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 - Kodak D-76 (1+1) 13:00 @ 20CHolga 120N - Optical Lens f=60mm 1:8 - Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 - Ilford ID-11 (1+1) 11:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)Rolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-1600 - Bellini EcoFilm (Stock) 11:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)Graflex Crown Graphic - Fuji Fujinon-W 1:5.6/125 - Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-200 - Pyrocat-HD (1+1+100) 9:00 @ 20C

Eastman-Kodak Double-X 5222
Wait, there's a 200-speed film that I actually enjoy working with? Well yes, because there is something incredibly special about Double-X. First there is the connection to motion pictures, Casino Royale and more recently Oppenheimer. But Double-X always delivers the goods, while not fine-grained, it has a wonderful grain structure, and a tonality that goes on for days. I use this film for street photography, general-purpose and travel. It can be developed in a lot of different developers, but it does look amazing in Kodak's dedicated motion picture developer D-96. No matter the situation, this film will give you excellent image quality. Plus if you go through CineStill you can get Double-X in both 35mm and 120 formats.

Hasselblad 500c - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Cinestill BwXX @ ASA-200 - FPP D96 (Stock) 6:00 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF Nikkor 85mm 1:1.8D - CineStill BwXX @ ASA-250 - Ilford Ilfotec HC (1+63) 10:45 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)Mamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 35mm 1:3.5 N - CineStill BwXX @ ASA-250 - Fotospeed FD10 (1+9) 10:00 @ 20CNikon F5 - Tamron AF 100-300mm 1:5-6.3 - Cinestill BwXX @ ASA-200 - Cinestill D96 (Stock) 6:30 @ 20C

Ilford Pan F+
It's always good to have a slow film in your toolkit. And while there are plenty of options, my go-to when things matter is Ilford Pan F+. You get a slow film with lots of contrast and latitude. Excellent edge sharpness and fine grain. Plus, you can throw it in almost any developer and get excellent results. Perfect for landscapes, portraits, and bright days. It replaces Panatomic-X a little more than TMax 100 does in my books, despite having much more contrast. And it looks good in high-contrast developers like D-19, much better than I thought it would.

Rolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Ilford Pan F+ @ ASA-50 - Tetenal Neofin Blau (1+9) 12:15 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)Nikon F5 - AF Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8 - Ilford Pan F+ @ ASA-50 - Kodak D-19 (1+1) 5:30 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)Canon EOS 3000 - Canon Lens EF 28mm 1:2.8 - Ilford Pan F+ @ ASA-50 - 510-Pyro (1+100) 6:15 @ 21CHasselblad 500c - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Ilford Pan F+ @ ASA-50 - Ilford Microphen (1+1) 6:00 @ 20C

Top Five Discontinued Film Stocks
While we are lucky to have as many films out there as we do today, there are many that have been discontinued. Some recently, others before I was born. Yet I still am drawn towards a bunch of these and will purchase them when I come across them at a camera fair, store, or online.

Kodak Panatomic-X - Discontinued: 1987
By this point, you're probably sick of me extolling the virtues of Panatomic-X. But I cannot stop; it's such a great film and, oddly enough, one I found because I thought the name was cool. I mean, Panatomic-X, it's so cold war! Now this film is only for some, it doesn't have a lot of contrast natively, but that can be fixed in either post-processing or by using a strong mix of a high-contrast developer. While personally, I love the film in D-76, HC-110 (Dil. H), and Xtol. It might do well in D-19 (to boost that contrast) or drop the contrast even more with D-23. And while Panatomic-X is long gone, a few options exist to get a near experience. You can always shoot TMax 100 at ASA-32 and pull the film in development, or get your hands on CatLABS X Film 80 or Mk. II.

Mamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 45mm 1:2.8 N - Kodak Panatomic-X @ ASA-32 - Kodak D-76 (Stock) 5:00 @ 20CNikon FA - AI-S Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4 - Kodak Panatomic-X @ ASA-32 - Blazinal (1+50) 10:00 @ 20CNikon F4 - AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D - Kodak Panatomic-X @ ASA-32 - Kodak Xtol (1+1) 7:30 @ 20CMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45mm 1:2 - Kodak Panatomic-X @ ASA-32 - Kodak HC-110 Dil. H 9:00 @ 20C

Kodak Kodachrome - Discontinued: 2002-2009
It would only be a list of discontinued films with Kodachrome. I first heard about Kodachrome through the Film Photography Project right when Kodak announced the discontinuation of the legendary film stock. I got my hands on a couple of rolls, but sadly those were poorly stored, and they showed. But I got more from Sean Galbraith, and these were in top condition, and I started to see why people love this film so much! It has rich, authentic colour reproduction. But I also had the chance to shoot Kodachrome 25 and Kodachrome 40 (Tungsten) balanced and get them out to Dwayne's Photo before they stopped processing the film.

Nikon F3 - AI-S Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4 - Kodak Kodachrome 64 - Processing By: Dwyanes PhotoNikon F3 - AI-S Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4 - Kodak Kodachrome 64 - Processing By: Dwyanes PhotoNikon F4s - AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D - Kodak Kodachrome 25 - Processing By: Dwyanes PhotoNikon F4s - AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D - Kodak Kodachrome 40 Type A - Processing By: Dwyanes Photo

Fujifilm Astia 100F - Discontinued: 2011
Fuji often gets a bad rap for it's constant discontinuation of films, and most of these films are slide films. Although they are noted for some colour negative and B&W stocks that people still yearn after. But of all the films that Fuji has discontinued, my favourite, oddly is a slide film. Fujifilm Astia 100F is the second slide film that I ever shot, the first is the Sensia line. But it was Astia that made me love slide film. It had the perfect balance of contrast, sharpness, and colour replication. In fact, I feel it had the most realistic colour replication of all the Fuji slide films.

Nikon F3 - AI-S Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4 - Fuji Astia 100F @ ASA-100 - Processing By: Silvano'sRollieflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Fuji Astia 100F @ ASA-100 - Processing By: Silvano'sArsenal Kiev 88 - Biometar 80mm 1:2.8 - Fuji Astia 100F @ ASA-100 - Processing By: Silvano'sIntrepid 4×5 Mk. I - Schneider-Kreuznach Symmar-S 1:5.6/210 - Fuji Astia 100F @ ASA-100 - Processing By: The Darkroom

Agfa APX 25 - Discontinued: 1989-2000
I'll admit, I had a roll of APX 25 in 120 long before I knew what the film was and used it to practice loading film onto Patterson reels in daylight. I admit that mistake, but since then, I have used this film several times, including a 120-roll. I enjoy working with slow films, and APX 25 offers excellent edge sharpness, fine grain, and fantastic tonality. While you get terrific results from Rodinal, I enjoyed using Adox FX-39 II. But I also have gotten superb results from Fotospeed FD10. I am looking forward to trying the film with Diafine and Compard R09 Spezial (Studional). I do regret not being able to develop a roll in Tetenal Neofin Blau, but you cannot make the old stock solution with the new bottles.

Minolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 24mm 1:2.8 - Agfa APX 25 @ ASA-25 - Ilford ID-11 (Stock) 8:30 @ 20CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 24mm 1:2.8 - Agfa APX 25 @ ASA-25 - Ilford Ilfotec HC (1+63) 11:30 @ 20CRolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Agfa APX 25 @ ASA-25 - Adox Rodinal (1+50) 9:30 @ 20CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 24mm 1:2.8 - Agfa APX 25 @ ASA-25 - Adox FX-39 II (1+9) 5:15 @ 20C

Efke Films - Discontinued: 2012
Okay, so I'm going a little weird for this last one because I'm including all Efke films in this section. While I have only done an official review (twice) for KB100 (the fastest film of the group), I have had the chance to shoot all three versions. Efke's line of films includes ASA-25, ASA-50, and ASA-100 versions and are based on the original Adox B&W films released in the mid-20th Century. Efke got their hands on the formulas and equipment after Dupont sold it in 1972. Eventually, Fotoimpex would begin rebadging the film under the Adox name until discontinuation in 2012, when Efke could no longer maintain the equipment. After learning about Freestyle Photographic through the Film Photography Project, I first got my hands on films. I started to explore the weird world of B&W films. The films are silver rich and provide a classic look that most modern films don't offer. However, you did need to use a water stop bath and hardening fixer to preserve these film stocks.

Zeiss Ikon Contax IIIa - Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 1:3,5 f=5cm T - Efke KB100 @ ASA-100 - Kodak D-23 (Stock) 7:45 @ 20CRolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Adox CHS 100 - Blazinal (1+25) 6:00 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D (Yellow-15) - Efke KB50 @ ASA-50 - Kodak Xtol (Stock) 8:00 @ 20CRolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Adox CHS 50 - Processing By: Silvano'sPacemaker Crown Graphic - Fuji Fujinon W 1:5.6/125 - Efke PL25 @ ASA-25 - PMK Pyro (1+2+100) 7:30 @ 21CModified Anniversary Speed Graphic - Fuji Fujinon-W 1:5.6/125 - Efke PL25 @ ASA-25 - PMK Pyro (1+2+100) 7:30 @ 21C

Top Five Favourite B &W Films
While these aren't always the one I'll reach for when results matter, they are among my favourites that I've shot and used. And I continue to use them when I'm feeling in a creative rut or want to get out and have some film fun and work in the black & white sphere!

Kentmere 100
Kentmere 100 is a wonderful budget film from Harman Technologies/Ilford Photo. But don't let the budget label scare you, because Kentmere 100 is a film that hits high above its price point. Yes, it doesn't have the finest grain out there but it has a lovely traditional grain structure. But that grain helps enhance the edge sharpness which combined with the wonderful tonal range of the film creates a delightful film that will deliver excellent results. Plus with the recent release of the film in 120 format makes it a great film that can fill out your film cataloge.

Nikon F5 - AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G - Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 - Kodak HC-110 Dil. B 5:45 @ 20CMamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 1:2.8 f=80mm - Kentmere 100 @ ASA-80 - SPUR HRX (1+20) 9:30 @ 20COlympus OM-10 - Olympus G.Zuiko Auto-W 1:3,5 f=28mm (Yellow-12) - Ketmere 100 @ ASA-100 - Flic Film Black/White & Green (1+49) 12:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)Rolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Kentmere 100 - Compard R09 Spezial (1+30) 9:00 @ 20C

Rollei RPX 25
Based on Agfa Avifoto 80, and probably is my favourite of all the films based on this surveillance film stock. While it also works well as Adox HR-50 and makes unique transparencies as Adox Scala 50. When you get to Retro 80s, it gets far too punchy. RPX 25 is a film rated at ASA-25, has excellent near-IR sensitivity and responds well to many different light. But what makes RPX 25 a cut above the other versions? You can get this in 35mm, 120, and 4×5 sheets! While not a film you take out all the time with a slow ASA-25 speed, it is a film for sunny days.

Pacemaker Crown Graphic - Fuji Fujinon-W 1:5.6/125 - Rollei RPX 25 @ ASA-25 - Pyrocat-HD (1+1+100) 12:00 @ 20CContax G2 - Carl Zeiss Biogon 28/2,8 T* - Rollei RPX 25 @ ASA-25 - Kodak D-76 (1+1) 8:00 @ 20CPentax 67II - SMC Pentax 67 1:2.4 105mm - Rollei RPX 25 @ ASA-25 - Ilford Ilfotec HC (1+63) 11:00 @ 20CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 24mm 1:2.8 - Rollei RPX 25 @ ASA-25 - Adox Scala Developer (1+1) 10:45 @ 20C

Adox CHS 100 II
The return of the classic! CHS 100 II is a reformulated and reintroduced version of Efke KB100, which is based on an original Adox film stock. CHS 100 II is similar to the original one but has a more robust emulsion and has a bit more latitude. It offers up an old school look with a bit more grain than modern 100-speed films. The one thing I did notice with this film is that it doesn't do well in high-contrast conditions, you'll loose a lot of shadow detail. So you can probably shoot it at ASA-80 or ASA-64 to help open up those shadows when you develop, don't pull in development. You can get this in 35mm and 4×5, although I would love to see Adox bring it back in the 120 format. While you can use this with any developer, for the best results I recommend Adox FX-39 II.

Canon AE-1 - Canon Lens FD 28mm 1:2.8 - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-80 - Adox Atomal 49 (1+1) 9:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)Graflex Crown Graphic - Fuji Fujinon-W 1:5.6/125 - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-100 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 5:45 @ 20CKonica-Minolta Maxxum 70 - Minolta Maxxum AF 35-70mm 1:4 - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-100 - Adox FX-39 II (1+9) 7:00 @ 20CCrown Graphic - Schneider-Kreuznack Xenar 1:4,7/135 - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-100 - Kodak Xtol (1+1) 7:15 @ 20C

ORWO UN54+ (Lomography Potsdam)
ORWO is a strange company these days. While tracing itself to the original Agfa company and then reformed on the eastern side of the iron curtain. The company's current iteration has been in hot water of late, especially the owner. All that aside, UN54+ is a beautiful film with tonnes of tonality, fine grain and excellent sharpness. Plus, if you get it from Lomography, you can order it in 35mm and 120. It loves D96 and handles other developers well. But honestly, for best results, a Pyro developer or D96, and you'll be happy.

Mamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 1:2.8 f=80mm - Lomography Potsdam 100 @ ASA-100 - Kodak HC-110 Dil. E 6:00 @ 20CRolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Lomography Potsdam 100 @ ASA-100 - Blazinal (1+50) 9:30 @ 20CRolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Lomography Potsdam 100 @ ASA-100 - Pyrocat-HD (1+1+100) 10:00 @ 20CMamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 1:2.8 f=80mm - Lomography Potsdam 100 @ ASA-100 - Cinestill D96 (Stock) 6:00 @ 20C

Fomapan 100
Along the same lines as Kentmere 100, Fomapan 100 is an excellent budget film. But it has a look that's different from Kentmere 100, its a classic film with a classic look. It has an excellent edge sharpness, but is a little more fine-grain than Kentmere 100 but it also depends on how you develop the film. It has a good tonality, but can get pretty crunchy under high-contrast situations. Plus you can get this film under multiple boutique and budget brands. So even if you cannot get the Foma branded stuff, there are plenty of other ways to get your hands on the stock. Fomapan 100 is also avaliable in 35mm, 120, and sheet films.

Leitz Leica M4-P - 7Artisans DJ-Optical 35/2 - Fomapan 100 @ ASA-100 - Foma Retro Special (Stock) 4:00 @ 20CMamiya C220f - Mamiya-Sekor 1:2.8 f=80mm - Fomapan 100 @ ASA-100 - 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:30 @ 20CNikon FM - AI-S Nikkor 105mm 1:2.5 - Fomapan 100 @ ASA-100 - Ilford Microphen (1+1) 9:00 @ 20CHasselblad 500c - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Fomapan 100 @ ASA-100 - Kodak D-23 (Stock) 10:00 @ 20C

Top Five Favourite Colour Films (C-41 & E-6)
I don't shoot a lot of colour film, I find it difficult to scan and getting it processed is a bit of a drag. I can and have processed colour at home, but because the kits last for several rolls I usually will wait until I have a huge backlog then spend the next couple of evenings running everything through. If I take it to the lab I'm looking at at least a week turn around if I can take the time to drop the rolls off. And colour slide is still a mail out process. Plus, colour film is not the cheapest way to shoot film these days. But these are some of my favourite colour films I've reviewed.

Kodak Ektachrome E100
Regarding slide film, I have always been more of a Fujifilm shooter. But with Fujifilm cutting or reducing the production of many of their E-6 films, the reintroduction of Ektachrome E100 made me sit up and look. I have shot plenty of Ektachrome, including E100G and E100VS. So when Kodak said that the new E100 would take the best of both those film stocks, I was excited. I don't see myself using this again due to increased prices and the struggle to shoot enough to make it worthwhile for an E-6 kit or to send it out to a lab and have a good month's turnaround. I will recommend this to someone wanting to start shooting slide films. It's forgiving for a slide with decent latitude and has a beautiful rich colour replication and excellent edge-sharpness. Plus it looks fun when cross-processed using the ECN-2 process.

Nikon F5 - AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D - Kodak Ektachrome E100 @ ASA-100 - Processing By: Boréalis PhotolabMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28mm 1:2.8 - Kodak Ektachrome E100 @ ASA-100 - Processing By: Boréalis PhotolabMamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 35mm 1:3.5 N - Kodak Ektachrome E100 @ ASA-100 - Unicolor Rapid E-6 KitMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28mm 1:2.8 - Kodak Ektachrome E100 @ ASA-100 - Unicolor Rapid E-6 Kit

Kodak Portra 400
Okay, I don't shoot a lot of Portra anymore; the biggest reason it is hard to find is that everyone wants to shoot Portra 400. The second is that it costs so much money when you find it; I tend to leave it for those who live and breathe nothing but Portra 400. Yet, this is probably the most accessible professional film for the average photographer, especially for those who are moving to film from digital. Portra 400 is a film you can abuse and shoot almost like your digital camera, adjusting the sensitivity between shots and then processing it normally. While it doesn't have as wide a range as digital, you can shoot Portra 400 between 100 and 1600 without pushing and pulling during processing. The colours will change depending on the EI and processing, but generally, they are pleasing. More pastel and soft with over-exposure and punching with under-exposure, and relatively accurate when shot at the box speed. It's a good film, one I would use for jobs where the client insisted on colour film but not for everyday shooting; for that, I would go with Ultramax 400.

Rolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Kodak Portra 400 @ ASA-400 - Processing By: Burlington CameraMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 50mm 1:1.7 - Kodak Portra 400 @ ASA-800 - Processing By: Burlington CameraHasselblad 500c - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Kodak Portra 400 @ ASA-400 - Processing By: Burlington CameraRolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Kodak Portra 400 @ 1600 - Processing By: Silvano's

Eastman-Kodak Vision3 250D
Regarding colour film, other than Areocolor IV, the most affordable way to shoot colour is to go to the Kodak Vision3 series of films; of the four stocks available, my hands-down favourite is 250D. This lovely mid-speed film has a lot of latitude and does a beautiful job replicating colours. It isn't weird like 200T or 500T that requires extensive colour grading and filtering to work in daylight, you get excellent results right from the scanner, and you can shoot it over or under a stop without any loss when processing normally. The downside is that it comes with a remjet layer, so only specific labs can handle that and the ECN-2 process. But you can get it with this layer removed or never put it in place during manufacturing.

Nikon FE2 - AI Nikkor 28mm 1:3.5 - Kodak Vision3 5207 250D @ ASA-250 - FPP Super Color Negative ECN-2 KitNikon FE2 - AI Nikkor 28mm 1:3.5 - Kodak Vision3 5207 250D @ ASA-250 - FPP Super Color Negative ECN-2 KitNikon FE2 - AI Nikkor 28mm 1:3.5 - Kodak Vision3 5207 250D @ ASA-250 - FPP Super Color Negative ECN-2 KitNikon FE2 - AI Nikkor 28mm 1:3.5 - Kodak Vision3 5207 250D @ ASA-250 - FPP Super Color Negative ECN-2 Kit

Kodak Ultramax 400
It was hard to figure out which film to fill this spot, it was a close match between Gold 200 and Ultramax 400, but in the end, it was how Ultramax 400 looked at ASA-200 and normally developed that sold it for me. But don't just shoot it one stopover; it performed beautifully at box speed and one stop under. It's the perfect well-rounded consumer film I recommend to new shooters over Portra 400. The problem is that supply is hard to come by, and the cost is rising. But if you do find it, you are in for a treat. I consider this film superior to Portra 400; the colours look better.

Nikon FA - AI-S Nikkor 35mm 1:2.8 - Kodak Ultramax 400 @ ASA-200 - Processing By: Burlington CameraNikon FA - AI-S Nikkor 35mm 1:2.8 - Kodak Ultramax 400 @ ASA-200 - Processing By: Burlington CameraPentax Espio 115m - Pentax Zoom Lens 38-115mm 1:3.9-10.5 - Kodak Ultramax 400 @ ASA-400 - Processing By: Burlington CameraMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 - Kodak Ultramax 400 @ ASA-800 - Processing By: Burlington Camera

SantaColor 100 (Kodak Areocolor IV)
The "New" kid on the block, while it isn't really new but rather newly available. Kodak Areocolor IV is designed as an aerial surveillance film that can be processed in either C-41 (Colour Negative) or E-6 (Colour Slide) because it lacks the orange mask that is a type of negative film. Plus, it is a fresh film and continues to be produced. The problem in the past has been that it can only be purchased in large bulk rolls, making it difficult for even home bulk loaders to split it down. Enter several companies who started rerolling this under various house brands. You have SantaColor 100, FlicFilm Electra 100, FilmWashi X, and Luminar 100. Plus, who knows how many others! This is a fun colour film that I can get behind as it produces a beautiful warm colour with plenty of latitude. It works best between ASA-125 and ASA-200, rather than the 'box' speed of ASA-100, which blows out the images.

Minolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 - KameraStore SantaColor 100 @ ASA-50 - Processing By: Burlington CameraMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 - KameraStore SantaColor 100 @ ASA-100 - Processing By: Burlington CameraMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 - KameraStore SantaColor 100 @ ASA-200 - Processing By: Burlington CameraMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 - KameraStore SantaColor 100 @ ASA-400 - Processing By: Burlington Camera

Five Most Difficult Films
Sometimes there are films that are difficult to nail down. And while these aren't bad films, I've just had trouble getting them to a point that I'm happy with the results. And while I have managed to figure some films out (see the next section), others continue to elude my efforts. Now I haven't given up on these films and in some cases I do keep on trying to get results that I like out of them, but others I have given up on.

FilmWashi Type D
Washi D surprised me in a couple of ways, the first being that despite having a box speed of ASA-500, the images are fine-grained and sharp. Probably because this is a surveillance film stock that is designed to give exacting details for intelligence agents. The second is how crazy the images got when you added a yellow filter. With a deep yellow filter you get dramatically dark skies and even a pale yellow there is significant darkening. That said, this film drove me crazy with the paper thin emulsion that I ruined one roll and nearly ruined a second. It also does not handle overcast conditions, strange for a 500-Speed film and dislikes HC-110/Ilfotec HC. Although in the case of Ilfotec HC, I think I could have extended the development at least a minute and a half to help bring out the shadow details. That said, Type D is no longer available as it is sourced from Russia and since the illegal invasion and ongoing war in Ukraine is not sold by Washi.

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/axle81401/50162308641/in/dateposted-public/ "FRB No. 64 - Film Washi "D" - Roll No. 1 (Kodak D-76)")Nikon F5 - AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D (Yellow-15) - FilmWashi Type D @ ASA-500 - Kodak D-76 (1+1) 8:30 @ 20CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28mm 1:2.8 (Yellow-12) - Film Washi D @ ASA-500 - Ilford Ilfotec HC (1+63) 8:00 @ 20C[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/axle81401/50165890966/in/dateposted-public/ "FRB No. 64 - Film Washi "D" - Roll No. 2 (Rodinal)")Olympus OM-2n - Olympus G.Zuiko Auto-W 1:3.5 f=28mm (Yellow-12) - FilmWashi D @ ASA-500 - Blazinal (1+50) 11:00 @ 20C

Agfa Copex Rapid
Of all the films I have faced difficulties with, Copex Rapid is the one that I certainly will want to try again. The problem is that the film itself can be difficult to source, but the real trouble is the dedicated developer cannot be found in North America and costs a lot of money and will take a long time to ship from Europe. And the type of photography Copex Rapid is aimed at I don't practice. But it does perform well with regular developers under bright conditions. This is a fair weather film, it loves bright sunlight, and needs exacting exposure.

Mamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 45mm 1:2.8 N - Agfa Copex Rapid @ ASA-25 - Ilford ID-11 (Stock) 5:00 @ 20CNikon FE2 - AI Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8 - Agfa Copex Rapid @ ASA-50 - Adox Rodinal (1+100) 18:00 @ 20CMamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 45mm 1:2.8 N - Agfa Copex Rapid @ ASA-64 - 510-Pyro (1+300) 20:00 @ 21CNikon FE2 - AI Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8 - Agfa Copex Rapid @ ASA-50 - Adox FX-39 II (1+19) 9:00 @ 20C

Adox CMS 20 II
I caught a lot of flack for this film stock, CMS 20 II is a closed imaging system, which is to say it works with only one developer, Adotech IV. Now I'm not one for a closed system, especally with a B&W film, so I wanted to try and use other developers. Also it was near impossible to get bottles of Adotech IV when I completed this review. Now I did get workable results from most of the developers I used, D-76, Rodinal, and Pyrocat-HD. The best results I got are from TMax Developer. I did go back and revisit this film twice, once with Adotech IV and again with the Adox Scala Reversal Kit. In both cases, I don't know what happened but I could not get results good enough for publishing. Unlike some of the other films on this list, I won't be trying CMS 20 II again.

Pentax 645 - SMC Pentax A 645 35mm 1:3.5 - Adox CMS 20 II @ ASA-20 - Kodak TMax Developer (1+4) 5:30 @ 20CNikon F90 - AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G - Adox CMS 20 II @ ASA-20 - Kodak D-76 (1+3) 10:30 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D - Adox CMS 20 II @ ASA-20 - Blazinal (1+100) 18:00 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4D (CPOL) - Adox CMS 20 II @ ASA-12 - Pyrocat-HD (1+1+100) 9:00 @ 20C

Svema Foto 200
There are a lot of people who feel this film is special, and they aren't wrong. It's a wonderful film that provides amazing tonality and excellent sharpness. But it comes at a cost, there is way more grain with this film than I would expect from a 200-Speed film! Surprisingly it works best in Rodinal, and has less-visible grain than the other developers I tried it in, it also responds well to Kodak Xtol. But the real problem I have with Svema 200, is getting it loaded onto the reels. The paper thin negatives buckle at the slightest resistance and when working in a change bag, it heats up quickly and you get the film sweats. I don't have a need for Svema 200 in my current photography so I won't be returning to this film.

Nikon FA - AI-S Nikkor 35mm 1:2.8 (CPOL) - Svema Photo 200 @ ASA-200 - Kodak D-76 (Stock) 8:30 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF DC-Nikkor 105mm 1:2D - Svema Foto 200 @ ASA-200 - Blazinal (1+50) 14:00 @ 20CNikon F4 - AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D - Svema Foto 200 @ ASA-200 - Kodak Xtol (1+1) 12:00 @ 20CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28mm 1:2.8 - Svema Foto 200 @ ASA-200 - Pyrocat-HD (1+1+100) 15:30 @ 20C

Foma Retropan 320
I really wanted to like Retropan, I think this film has a lot of potential to fill in a gap that is just enough different from Fomapan 400, but I can't get around the fact that the contrast is far to low in most developers! To get the best results, you do want to add some filtration and use the dedicated Retro Special developer. But once you start straying, you start to see a lot of muddy grain, displeasing low contrast, and an overall softness. It even didn't play well with Pyrocat-HD, and looks ugly in D-76 stock. I think it would do well in a high-contrast developer like LQR or D-19, but again, I don't see it a worthwhile effort when I have better results from Fomapan 400.

Mamyia m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 35mm 1:3.5 N (Yellow-12) - Foma Retropan 320 Soft @ ASA-320 - Foma Retro Special Developer (Stock) 5:00 @ 20CMamyia m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 35mm 1:3.5 N (Yellow-12) - Foma Retropan 320 Soft @ ASA-200 - Foma Fomadon LQN (1+10) 8:30 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)Mamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 45mm 1:2.8 N - Foma Retropan 320 @ ASA-320 - Kodak D-76 (Stock) 9:30 @ 20CRolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Foma Retropan 320 @ ASA-320 - Pyrocat-HD (1+1+100) 11:30 @ 20C

Redeemed Films
I honestly have a drive to find the right way to shoot and develop a film. It might take a bit of time to discover the right combination to get results that I like, but it can be worth it and you discover a film that will work in odd situations or to give a look of yesteryear that isn't possible with modern film stocks.

Fomapan 400
Foma 400 is an interesting film. When I first heard about it, the film was not given the best reputation. Gritty, Grainy, Mushy. But when I reviewed the stock I saw that it had some potential. It took a lot of work to figure out how to get the best results from Fomapan 400. Some will say that it is not a true 400-Speed Film, but I do disagree with that statement now. Fomapan 400 is a beautiful film when shot at either 400, 800, or 200 and every point in-between. It's all about shooting the stock at the right speed and developing it right in the situation at hand. Fomapan 400 is a true classic film, it looks like the Tri-X of the 60s and 70s. Works well with high-contrast developers, compensating developers, and yellow filters. You can pick this stuff up in 120, 35mm, and sheet films. Along with various boutique and budget rebadges.

Mamiya C220f - Mamiya-Sekor D 1:3.5 f=105mm - Fomapan 400 @ ASA-200 - Ilford Ilfotec HC (1+31) 6:00 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF Nikkor 14mm 1:2.8D - Fomapan 400 - Foma Retro Special Developer (Stock) 6:00 @ 20CRolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Fomapan 400 @ ASA-200 - Kodak D-76 (1+1) 9:00 @ 20CNikon FM - AI Nikkor 28mm 1:3.5 - Fomapan 400 @ ASA-200 - Flic Film Black/White & Green (1+49) 12:00 @W film. P30 was a film that baffled me for a long time, a tough nut to crack. But I had to figure out the best conditions and development for the film. Then there was also the slight difference between the original Alpha release and the full production film stock. A delightful film that certainly gives a unique perspective. It loves light and medium contrast conditions, works best in run of the mill developers like D-96 and Xtol clones. While I haven't used the film in 120, I do plan on using it in that medium. Although if I had to choose between P30 and the newly released ORTO, I would pick ORTO.

Minolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 100mm 1:2.8 MACRO - FilmFerrania P30 @ ASA-80 - Cinestill D96 (Stock) 8:00 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G - FilmFerrania P30 @ ASA-80 - Adox XT-3 (Stock) 9:00 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D (Yellow-15) - Film Ferrania P30 @ ASA-50 - Kodak D-76 (Stock) 8:00 @ 20CNikon FE - AI-S Nikkor 35mm 1:2.8 - Ferrania P30 @ ASA-80 - Kodak HC-110 Dil. H 12:00 @ 20C

Kentmere 400
When I first reviewed Kentmere 400 I disliked it more than Fomapan 400. This was an ugly film, gritty, grainy, and mushy. But after Ilford released the film in 120 I started to get into the film a lot more. A budget friendly fast film that isn't Fomapan 400, and Kentmere 400 has a different look and feel. Like Foma 400, Kentmere 400 is a film that you need to develop and shoot right to get the best results. Compensating developers are a must, Tmax Developer, Atomal 49, and Studional (R09 Spezial/Hydrofin). And also, don't try over-exposing the film, it just goes grey and not in a good way. But you can push it a couple of stops and see some excellent results.

Nikon FE2 - AI-S Nikkor 35mm 1:2.8 - Kentmere 400 @ ASA-400 - Compard R09 Spezial (1+30) 8:00 @ 20CMamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 1:2.8 f=80mm - Kentmere 400 @ ASA-400 - Adox FX-39 II (1+9) 10:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)Leitz Leica M4-P - DJ-Optical 7Artisans 35/2 - Kentmere 400 @ ASA-400 - Adox Atomal 49 (1+1) 13:30 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)Rolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Kentmere 400 @ ASA-400 - Adox Atomal 49 (1+1) 13:30 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)

Fomapan 200
While I warmed up to Fomapan 400 it took me a lot longer to get used to Fomapan 200. I still don't think I'm 100% there with Foma 200. But I've always disliked most 200-speed films. But I'm certainly on the right path with Fomapan 200. The trouble is that it likes exotic developers, Pyro-Based, HR-DEV, Atomal 49, and others. My opinion of Fomapan 200 has certainly improved and it is a capable film I just haven't figured out the right spot for where I like the stock. I guess I still have a way to go with this film, but maybe using it on a Frugal Film Project cycle will help out?

Rolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Fomapan 200 @ ASA-200 - Compard R09 Spezial (1+30) 10:45 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)Nikon FM - AI-S Nikkor 35mm 1:2.8 (Yellow-12) - Fomapan 200 @ ASA-100 - Pyrocat-HD (1+1+100) 7:30 @ 20CRolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Fomapan 200 @ ASA-125 - Adox HR-DEV (1+35) 12:00 @ 20CNikon FM - AI-S Nikkor 200mm 1:4 - Fomapan 200 @ ASA-200 - Kodak D-23 (Stock) 7:00 @ 20C

Rollei Superpan 200
Here's another 200-speed film, Superpan 200 is an interesting film stock that has a lot to offer. It has a unique look and feel that extends into the near-IR range. While I haven't tried it with a dedicated IR filter, but it looks amazing under a red filter and a high-contrast developer. Like Fomapan 200, it took me a while to get to know Superpan 200. It all started with a stand development in Rodinal. Now I'm not big on stand-development, but it gave me a starting point for what I want Superpan to look like. Then it was a matter of building from there, will it be a regular choice, no, but I at least know how to get it to the right spot.

Mamiya m645 - Mamyia-Sekor C 35mm 1:3.5 N (Red-25) - Rollei Superpan 200 @ ASA-200 - Kodak D-19 (1+1) 8:30 @ 20CMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45mm 1:2 - Rollei Superpan 200 @ ASA-200 - Kodak D-76 (1+1) 14:00 @ 20CNew Mamiya 6 - Mamiya G 1:3.5 f=75mm L - Rollei Superpan 200 @ ASA-200 - Adox FX-39 II (1+14) 15:15 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)Nikon Nikkormat EL - AI-S Nikkor 35mm 1:2.8 - Rollei Superpan 200 @ ASA-200 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 10:30 @ 20C

Well that wraps up the first 100 reviews! Here's to another 100 reviews, but it may never reach that number. Sadly unlike cameras and lenses there is a finite number of film stocks out there, but hopefully I can at least get up to 150? And I do want to get my hands on more discontinued and expired film stocks to fill out some more reviews. Plus I have some ideas to add secondary reviews for film stocks already tested. Until then you can find a complete list of my reviews over on the dedicated page.

#filmreviewblogs #510pyro #adoxatomal49 #adoxchs100art #adoxchs100ii #adoxcms20ii #adoxfx39ii #adoxhrdev #adoxrodinal #adoxscaladeveloper #adoxxt3 #agfaapx25 #agfacopexrapid #agfarodinal #arsenalkiev88 #belliniecofilm #blazinal #canonae1 #canoneos3000 #cinestilld96 #compardr09spezial #eastmandoublex #eastmanvision3250d #efkekb100 #film #filmreview #filmferraniap30 #filmwashid #flicfilmblackwhitegreen #fomafomadonlqn #fomaretrospecialdeveloper #fomaretropan320 #fomapan100 #fomapan200 #fomapan400 #fotospeedfd10 #fppsupercolornegativeecn2kit #fujifilmastia100f #graflexcrowngraphic #graflexspeedgraphic #hasselblad500c #holga120n #ilforddelta100 #ilfordfp4 #ilfordhp5 #ilfordid11 #ilfordilfotechc #ilfordmicrophen #ilfordpanf #intrepid4x5mk1 #kamerastoresantacolor100 #kentmere100 #kentmere400 #kodakd19 #kodakd23 #kodakd76 #kodakektachromee100 #kodakhc110 #kodakkodachrome25 #kodakkodachrome40typea #kodakkodachrome64 #kodakpanatomicx #kodakportra400 #kodaktmaxdeveloper #kodakultramax400 #kodakxtol #konicaminoltamaxxum70 #kyoceracontaxg2 #leitzleicam4p #mamyiac220f #mamyiam645 #minoltamaxxum9 #minoltaxe7 #newmamyia6 #nikonf3 #nikonf4 #nikonf5 #nikonf90 #nikonfa #nikonfe #nikonfe2 #nikonfm #nikonnikkormatel #olympusom10 #olympusom2n #orwoun54 #pentax645 #pentax67ii #pentaxespio115m #pmkpyro #pyrocathd #review #rolleirpx25 #rolleisuperpan200 #rolleiflex28f #special #spurhrx #svemafoto200 #tetenalneofinblau #unicolorrapide6kit #zeissikoncontaxiiia #zenzabronicags1

Film Review Blog No. 81 – Fujifilm Fujicolor C200

Some films carry with them a particular cult following. While I'm not one to follow these cult followings when I've never shot the film stock before and usually don't play into these followings. At least until I see a trusted and respected photographer rave about the film stock. And Fujicolor C200 is that film stock, and I can see why people love working with the stock. C200 is a film that fills a gap that provides a rich, almost perfect colour reproduction and blends well with the current digital age and is one of the most straightforward colour films to scan and run through post-processing. Thankfully I managed to find a couple of rolls last year and kept them on ice for a future review as the current climate of lengthening supply lines and shortages in colour negative stock.

Note: This is a review of the original Fujicolor C200, currently this film is being marketed under the name Fujicolor 200 which is a rebrand of Kodak Gold 200 in North America.

Film Specs
Type: Color Negative (C-41)
Film Base: Cellulose Triacetate
Film Speed: ASA-200, Latitude: +/- 1-Stop
Formats Available: 135 (35mm)

Minolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Fujifilm Fujicolor C200 @ ASA-200 - Processing By: Burlington CameraMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Fujifilm Fujicolor C200 @ ASA-200 - Processing By: Burlington CameraMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Fujifilm Fujicolor C200 @ ASA-200 - Processing By: Burlington CameraMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Fujifilm Fujicolor C200 @ ASA-200 - Processing By: Burlington Camera

Colour Rendition
The first thing that I found with C200 is faithful colour reproduction is to the real world. The only other camera system that I've found that handles colour this well is digital. And yes, I have no problems saying that. And I indeed say that seeing it perform both in sunny and overcast conditions. While there is a certain dulling of the colour reproduction under the overcast conditions, there is only a slight difference between the two. I feel the strongest quality about the colours is that it certainly doesn't have high contrast; I found the film to have low contrast. Which only helps the colour palette, making it different from Kodak colour films. Probably the closest film stock on the Kodak line is Portra 160.

Image Quality
There is no fault in the image quality from C200. While the colour replication is probably the film's strongest quality, it only helps increase the overall image quality outputted by the film. Despite the medium-to-low contrast from the film stock, the tonal separation is superb, and the whites are clean and blacks are dark. And there's no difference between bright and dull light. Images are clean and sharp with almost no grain. Between edge sharpness and tonal separation, the film stock is incredibly sharp, and you lose none of this when scanning, as there is little in the way of loss from the digitisation process.

Scanning
If there's one thing that I hate to do is colour balance and adjust film scans, I should get my hands on a plugin like Negative Lab Pro to help me along, but as I shoot colour negative film so rarely, I cannot be bothered. But C200, however, is an exception when it comes to ease of scanning and digitisation. And I scanned one roll using my V700 and Epson Scan software and the other through my Nikon Coolscan V ED and Nikon Scan software. In the case of the Epson, once I ran and balanced things out through Photoshop, everything looked right the first time; I only made a few tweaks with the levels to get things perfect. The Nikon Scan software nailed it right away, with again only minor adjustments needed. The scans right out of the Epson software did carry the typical Fuji magenta bias that was quickly corrected for through the auto colour function. Only slight colour aberrations were introduced and easily removed without any loss of sharpness or quality.

Overall Impression
I can see myself using this film again, especially if I need a good general-purpose colour film to handle any situation I throw at the stock. I can see it working well for travel, portraiture, landscape, and architecture. It can also make for a medium speed film when you don't want to over-expose your 400-speed film and risk losing contrast. I can also see the value of shooting C200 at ASA-100 to get an even smoother colour palette more in line with what you could get with an original Agfa colour stock or getting plenty of punch with a one-stop under-exposure. Hopefully, C200 doesn't fall the way of other Fuji colour films, and soon stocks will start to increase worldwide because it would be a shame to see the end of this beautiful film stock.

Further Reading
Don't only take my word on Fujicolor C200, check out these other reviews by other amazing photographers
35mmc - Fuji C200 Mini Review
Casual Photophile - Fujicolor C200 - Fuji's Cheap Option
The Darkroom - Fujifilm Fujicolor C200 Review
My Favourite Lens - Fujicolor C200 35mm Film Review
Parallax Photographic Coop - Fuji C200 Review
Carlos Garcia - Fujicolor C200 Review
Filter Grade - Fujifilm Fujicolor C200 Film Stock Review
Rambling Polymath - FujiFilm C200 - 35mm Film Review

#filmreviewblogs #c200 #canada #film #filmreview #fujifujicolorc200 #fujicolor #fujifilm #london #minoltaxe7 #ontario #petrolia #review

Film Review Blog No. 78 – Rollei Paul & Reinhold

I remember not being overly excited about Rollei Paul & Reinhold when it was first announced in September of 2020. I mean, yes, it is great to see a special edition film released to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of a premier and historic camera maker (Franke & Heidecke later Rollei). There was little data on the film at the time, and there are still many gaps. This is a special edition film, limited production, and limited developer formulas; there's no time for Ilfotec HC!

Film Specs
Type: Panchromatic B&W
Film Base: Polyester
Film Speed: ASA-640, Latitude: 320-1600
Formats Available: 135 (35mm)

Roll 01 - Rollei Supergrain
My gut was telling me that I would end up with some grainy mush, not that I see that as a bad thing, but I wasn't expecting much from the film. Of course, as soon as I pulled the negatives out from the tank, my mind changed instantly. The density of the negatives were perfect, the film base proved clear with the Rollei and Paul & Reinhold/640 clearly marked on the rebate. But then scanning came treat number two. There's a reason that Rollei recommended their Supergrain developer because I ended up with a rich contrast that delivered excellent tonal separation. While there is grain, but it helps add edge sharpness, and the film is nice and sharp. As an introduction to the film, I am certainly impressed.

Nikon F5 - AF-S Nikkor 28-70mm 1:2.8D (Yellow-12) - Rollei Paul & Reinhold @ ASA-640 - Rollei Supergrain (1+12) 9:30 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF-S Nikkor 28-70mm 1:2.8D (Yellow-12) - Rollei Paul & Reinhold @ ASA-640 - Rollei Supergrain (1+12) 9:30 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF-S Nikkor 28-70mm 1:2.8D (Yellow-12) - Rollei Paul & Reinhold @ ASA-640 - Rollei Supergrain (1+12) 9:30 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF-S Nikkor 28-70mm 1:2.8D (Yellow-12) - Rollei Paul & Reinhold @ ASA-640 - Rollei Supergrain (1+12) 9:30 @ 20C

Roll 02 - Kodak D-76
I have mixed reaction to these images. My initial plan had been to develop these using a 1+1 time which might have helped reduce the prevalence of grain but probably would have dropped the contrast, whereas I did notice a certain drop in contrast even with stock but an uptick in visible grain. Yeah, mixed reaction. I'm not saying that these are bad nor is the combination bad, it certainly is what I initially expected from Paul & Reinhold, lower contrast and a bit more grain. The grain is a bit mushy, but you do have decent edge sharpness but you do lose that tonal separation, even with a yellow filter added in, maybe adding a deeper yellow filter will help out. While not a recommended developer in my case, but it will work in a pinch.

Nikon FA - AI-S Nikkor 35mm 1:2.8 (Yellow-12) - Rollei Paul & Reinhold @ ASA-640 - Kodak D-76 (Stock) 9:00 @ 20CNikon FA - AI-S Nikkor 35mm 1:2.8 (Yellow-12) - Rollei Paul & Reinhold @ ASA-640 - Kodak D-76 (Stock) 9:00 @ 20CNikon FA - AI-S Nikkor 35mm 1:2.8 (Yellow-12) - Rollei Paul & Reinhold @ ASA-640 - Kodak D-76 (Stock) 9:00 @ 20CNikon FA - AI-S Nikkor 35mm 1:2.8 (Yellow-12) - Rollei Paul & Reinhold @ ASA-640 - Kodak D-76 (Stock) 9:00 @ 20C

Roll 03 - Adox Rodinal
Alright, so there is an official Rodinal time for Paul & Reinhold, and I nearly did use the listed time, but I wanted to see how well the film performed when developed using the stand method. When developed normally in Rodinal the film is excellent and I was drawn in by some examples shared by fellow photographer Ori. But I made the choice after seeing the results I got out of D-76 being a little too grainy from what I saw earlier. The results were awesome, I went with a 1+100 dilution and had two slow inversions at the 30-minute mark. While there is still grain it's far more reduced than what I saw with D-76. But the grain helps build up that edge sharpness which combined with the tonal separation adds to the film's overall sharpness. There's a good contrast, nothing too harsh or soft a nice middle ground. While worth the effort and time taken for the results.

Minolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 - Rollei Paul & Reinhold @ ASA-640 - Adox Rodinal (1+100) 60:00 @ 20CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 - Rollei Paul & Reinhold @ ASA-640 - Adox Rodinal (1+100) 60:00 @ 20CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 - Rollei Paul & Reinhold @ ASA-640 - Adox Rodinal (1+100) 60:00 @ 20CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 - Rollei Paul & Reinhold @ ASA-640 - Adox Rodinal (1+100) 60:00 @ 20C

Roll 04 - Adox FX-39 II
In full disclosure, there are no official published times for Paul & Reinhold and Adox FX-39 II, but have decided to do one roll as stand developed I didn't want to include two going with HC-110 Dil. J. This means I needed to backwards engineer a time as I didn't have any other official listed chemistry. I went back through my records and found a film with a close box speed and the same D-76 stock dilution times. I landed on Bergger Pancro 400, which is decently close to the ASA-640 of Paul & Reinhold. From there I looked up FX-39 times, which I had felt would be a good fit for the film, landing on a longer more dilute time, I calculated back to a 1+9 dilution time. I ended up shooting two rolls the first at the box speed of ASA-640 and the second at ASA-320. The results are both excellent, at ASA-640, the negatives were thin but after scanning and some work in Photoshop they turned out better. The images were sharp, with a bit of grain, but I've come to expect that with this film, deep tones and excellent contrast. The second roll I pulled in development to account for the overexposure and the results were even better, with good density on the negatives that scanned well and needed little in the way of adjustment. There is some reduction in grain but no loss of sharpness, the contrast has also been reduced but nothing that takes away from the images themselves.

Minolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Rollei Paul & Reinhold @ ASA-640 - Adox FX-39 II (1+9) 9:00 @ 20CMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Rollei Paul & Reinhold @ ASA-640 - Adox FX-39 II (1+9) 9:00 @ 20CMinolta XD11 - Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm 1:1.7 - Rollei Paul & Reinhold @ ASA-320 - Adox FX-39 II (1+9) 8:00 @ 20CMinolta XD11 - Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm 1:1.7 - Rollei Paul & Reinhold @ ASA-320 - Adox FX-39 II (1+9) 8:00 @ 20C

Final Thoughts
Despite all my searching online, I haven't found any real clue onto the original source of this film, some point to a re-release of Agfa Isopan or Tasma T42, or a found roll of older film that's been over-exposed. How much was made or if it will continue to be made is unknown, so if you want to try it, now is the time as some stores still have it in stock but that stock may be limited. Overall I'm rather happy with the results and the film, the one thing that I wish they had were HC-110 times, but I managed to pick up another pair of rolls to see what I can figure out, thankfully working with FX-39 II on Bergger Pancro 400 times gives me an educated guess! And it actually worked and the images developed in Ilfotec HC turned out amazing, and probably are my favourite from the film.

Further Reading
Don't take my word on Paul & Reinhold, check out these other reviews of the films stock!
Beau Photo - Camera Confidential: Rollei Paul & Reinhold Limited Edition B&W Film
Kosmo Foto - New ‘Paul & Reinhold’ black-and-white films mark 100th anniversary of Rollei

#filmreviewblogs #adoxfx39ii #adoxrodinal #asa640 #canada #film #filmreview #guelph #hamilton #hiltonfalls #kodakd76 #macodirect #milton #minoltamaxxum9 #minoltaxe7 #nikonf5 #nikonfa #ontario #paulreinhold #review #rollei #rolleipaulreinhold #rolleisupergrain

Developer Review Blog No. 23 – Adox Atomal 49

Being in North America and raised on Kodak and Ilford developers, I did not even know that Atomol existed, other than seeing it listed on the Massive Dev chart and just passing it by as another European developer. But when I was hunting for more Rollei developers at Freestyle, I came across Atomol 49 as an 'other people purchased' listing. I was excited to give this a shot, and after mixing it up, I posted in a Film Photography Chat group on Facebook and asked if anyone else had used the stuff. The response was overwhelming how many people used the stuff. However, the best was from Cheyenne Morrison, who sent me a whole pile of information on the stuff. Adox Atomol 49 is not a new developer and not even originally produced by Adox. It is originally an Agfa product. When World War Two divided Germany there also ended up being two Agfa factories, one continuing under the name of ORWO in 1964. Originally named Atomol and Atomol F before the war, the formula had a slight change after the war and took the name Atomol 49. ORWO and other companies continued to produce their own versions of Atomol known as A49, ATM49, or A03. And like a lot of Agfa chemistry it was picked up by Adox in the 21st Century the formula being nearly identical to the original Agfa/ORWO formulation. What I found is a developer that checks all the boxes for me, it's reusable, does a high volume of films per litre, is compensating, fine-grain and sharp.

Technical Details
Manufacturer: Adox
Name: Atomol 49
Primary Developer: Phenidone & Hydroquinone
Type: Reusable/One-Shot
Mix From: Powder

Minolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 (Yellow-12) - Efke KB100 @ ASA-100 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 8:00 @ 20CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 (Yellow-12) - Efke KB100 @ ASA-100 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 8:00 @ 20CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 (Yellow-12) - Efke KB100 @ ASA-100 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 8:00 @ 20CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 (Yellow-12) - Efke KB100 @ ASA-100 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 8:00 @ 20C

Handling
If you're already used to mixing up powdered developer, then Atomol will be a breeze to mix up. Now unlike developers like D-76, this is not an all in one pouch. Atomol comes in three separate pouches, each labelled A, B, and C. Now it is important to mix these in order with 900mL of water. Mix each pouch in until it is totally dissolved then top up the full 1L. Thankfully you don't have to overheat the water as you mix it between 20-26°C but don't have the water hotter than 30°C. The good news about these temp values is that you can start using it right away. Although I usually let my freshly mixed developers sit for about a day before using. In actual use in the lab, you're going to be working with the stuff in either stock solution or diluting it down 1+1 or 1+2. Your one-litre bottle will developer ten rolls of film without any dilution. Your stock solution is not long-lasting, with a full container, unused last for six weeks. Thankfully, I could use my standard agitation pattern, constant for the first minute then five inversions every minute.

Minolta XE-7 - Minolta W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-125 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 8:00 @ 20CMinolta XE-7 - Minolta W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-125 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 8:00 @ 20CMinolta XE-7 - Minolta W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-125 - Adox Atomol 49 (Stock) 8:00 @ 20CMinolta XE-7 - Minolta W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-125 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 8:00 @ 20C

Applications
One of the first and best applications for this developer is with high silver content films. Think Adox Silvermax and CHS 100 II or if you're lucky to have some leftover Efke or OG Adox films. And I can say, that Efke sings in Atomol! But don't limit yourself to those films, modern emulsions work like magic, both traditional and cubic grained films. And it seems that speed doesn't matter. The sweet orange is 100-400 but again, being a compensating developer you can easily push and pull, and I did that with Fomapan 400 earlier in the year shooting the stock at both 200 and 400 without any trouble. And a developer that can make Fomapan 400 sing is solid in my book. But it also runs well with FP4+, Acros TMax 100, HP5+, TMax 400 and Tri-X 400, all films that I count as among my favourites, and Atomol makes me love the films all the same. Besides general-purpose development, Atomol would easily fit it with shooting in a historical context, being a developer that can trace its history back before the war, like D-23. It works well with classic film stocks and provides a classic look. I can see using this with Fomapan 400 through the Contax IIIa or Rolleiflex during a WW2 event would make for amazing shots.

Nikon FE - AI-S Nikkor 35mm 1:2.8 (Yellow-12) - Kodak TMax 100 @ ASA-100 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 8:00 @ 20CNikon FE - AI-S Nikkor 35mm 1:2.8 (Yellow-12) - Kodak TMax 100 @ ASA-100 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 8:00 @ 20CNikon FE - AI-S Nikkor 35mm 1:2.8 (Yellow-12) - Kodak TMax 100 @ ASA-100 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 8:00 @ 20CNikon FE - AI-S Nikkor 35mm 1:2.8 (Yellow-12) - Kodak TMax 100 @ ASA-100 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 8:00 @ 20C

Qualities
Probably the strongest quality that you get with Atomol is the dynamic tonality that it delivers. It is across all films, Efke, Acros, Tri-X, HP5+, and TMax 100 that I shot for this review but also found it with Fomapan films 100, 200, and 400. And that tonality comes from the developer's compensating nature, which means that if you combine the developer with a film with a lot of latitude and forgiveness means that you can take full advantage of those even in less-than-ideal lighting or metering mistakes. When it comes to grain and sharpness, the developer handles both with ease thanks to the two developing agents, Phenidone which we know with Rodinal gives you that sharpness, while Hydroquinone keeps the grain tamed. And it does a wonderful job at both when combined with a film that already has that fine grain and sharpness, but even in films not known for that, I'm looking at you Fomapan 400. I noticed right off the bat that the grain on Fomapan 400 even at ASA-400 is far less than what you would expect.

Mamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 45mm 1:2.8 N - Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 7:30 @ 20CMamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 45mm 1:2.8 N - Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 7:30 @ 20CMamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 45mm 1:2.8 N - Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 7:30 @ 20CMamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 45mm 1:2.8 N - Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 7:30 @ 20C

Lowdown
Atomol is the film developer that you didn't know you needed. And when I was initially shooting the film to try out Atomol for the first time, I purchased a new batch of film to keep using the developer throughout the ongoing 52-roll project and for my first all Adox film review (Silvermax). While not readily available in North America in most photography stores you can order it online through Argentix.ca, but you can also order through Freestyle Photographic for US readers. But the best way is to order directly from Adox through their Fotoimpex storefront. But if you want to save some money on the stuff, eBay is the way to go as there is still plenty of the ORWO stuff floating around online and in a sealed pouch will last for a long time, even the Cold War-era stuff. If you're a little concerned about age, I've been assured that it will still work from a trusted source. So if you're looking for something different or have a huge stash of Efke film floating around, then I highly recommend Atomol.

Hasselblad 500c - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Fuji Neopan Acros 100 @ ASA-100 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 7:15 @ 20CHasselblad 500c - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Fuji Neopan Acros 100 @ ASA-100 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 7:15 @ 20CHasselblad 500c - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Fuji Neopan Acros 100 @ ASA-100 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 7:15 @ 20CHasselblad 500c - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Fuji Neopan Acros 100 @ ASA-100 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 7:15 @ 20C

Recommended Reading
Don't just take my word on Atomol 49 check out these other blogs on the subject!
No other Reviews Found

#developerreviewblogs #adox #adoxatomal49 #atomal #atomal49 #bwdeveloper #believeinfilm #canada #chemical #chemistry #developer #efkekb100 #filmdeveloper #filmisalive #filmisnotdead #fujineopanacros100 #guelph #hasselblad500c #ilfordfp4 #ilfordhp5 #kodaktmax100 #mamiyam645 #milton #minoltamaxxum9 #minoltaxe7 #nikonfe #oakville #ontario

Optical Review Blog No. 23 – Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8

It is always a good idea to future proof your lenses, especially when working with the Minolta manual focus cameras. I say that because, like Nikon, while the original 1958 SR-Mount is basically the same as 1977 SR-Mount, there are subtle differences, like the Nikon F-Mount. I first picked up this lens as part of a drive to get better glass for my Minolta X-7a, my second Minolta SLR. While I could go with MC variant lenses, I went with the MD variant. The reason being that if I had updated my X-7a to an X-700, I needed lenses that would work with all the functions of the X-700, including Shutter Priority and the all-important Program mode. Ultimately as I gave up Minolta for several years and eventually landed on an XE-7, the need for MD was not that needed (at least until I replaced the XE-7 with an XD11/XD5). Either way, the Rokkor-X 28/2.8 is a solid lens that certainly improved my wide-angle capacity for my Minolta kit over a third-party dog I started with; I think it was a MacKinnon? With improved coating, close-focus-correction, and excellent optical qualities, the 28/2.8 is not only affordable but makes an excellent lens in the field.

Lens Specifications
Make: Minolta
Model: MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 (MD-II)
Focal Length: 28mm
Focal Range: ∞ - 0.3m
Aperture: f/2.8 - f/22, 6 Blades
Structure: 7 Elements in 7 Groups

I enjoy the fact that despite being a wide lens there's little in the way of distortion.
Minolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Kodak TMax 400 @ ASA-400 - FA-1027 (1+9) 8:00 @ 20C

Build Quality
Like any Rokkor lens, the build quality of the 28/2.8 is superb. While constructed of a blend of plastic and metal, the parts that take the most damage through constant use are constructed of metal, including the lens mount and the filter threads. While the body itself has a plastic outer layer, the internals is also constructed from metal. A rubber coating allows for a comfortable grip when using the focusing ring. The lens is the perfect size on both larger-bodied Minolta's like the XE or older SR-T cameras but also fits well on smaller XD or XG cameras. While not as compact as the Rokkor 45/2, it certainly does not add too much front weight to a camera nor take up a lot of space in your camera bag. The one thing you should get with the lens is the Minolta hood, which sadly is constructed out of plastic, making it easily broken. Functionally the lens is excellent, with the focusing ring moving smoothly with the right amount of resistance, allowing for a clean experience when moving focus in and out. The aperture ring is also well made and gives good clicks when at each stop.

At f/2.8 you have plenty of fall off at the corners.
Minolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Kodak TMax 400 @ ASA-400 - FA-1027 (1+9) 8:00 @ 20CWhile slightly better at f/4 there is still some fall off at the edges.
Minolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Kodak TMax 400 @ ASA-400 - FA-1027 (1+9) 8:00 @ 20COnce you get to f/5.6 the fall off is gone.
Minolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Kodak TMax 400 @ ASA-400 - FA-1027 (1+9) 8:00 @ 20CYou're starting to get a bit more depth of field when you hit f/8.
Minolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Kodak TMax 400 @ ASA-400 - FA-1027 (1+9) 8:00 @ 20CHere at f/11 you have more depth with the front rifleman starting to clear up.
Minolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Kodak TMax 400 @ ASA-400 - FA-1027 (1+9) 8:00 @ 20CStopped down to f/22 you have your front and rear object in focus.
Minolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Kodak TMax 400 @ ASA-400 - FA-1027 (1+9) 8:00 @ 20C

Image Quality
The image quality on this lens is excellent; give that we're talking about seven elements in seven groups of construction here, there are no complaints about the optical quality. There is little to no distortion even when getting up close to that 30cm close focus, thank corrections in the lens. Your straight lines will stay straight. And the optical construction certainly yields excellent image sharpness. The one trouble I see with the lens is that the fall-off is heavy when shooting f/2.8 and f/4; it does go away by f/5.6. Personally, I find the lens' sweet spot is between f/8 and f/22 and having that f/22 certainly helps to ensure that everything is in focus. The out-of-focus elements are okay, smooth, but nothing special, normal. The one thing you do have to watch out for with a lens like this is flare from off-axis light; having that hood is certainly a must when shooting outside in hard light. While I shot this on B&W, the lens renders colours well, giving an almost 1980s look, especially if paired with Kodak ColorPlus 200.

Minolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Kodak TMax 400 @ ASA-400 - FA-1027 (1+9) 8:00 @ 20CMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Kodak TMax 400 @ ASA-400 - FA-1027 (1+9) 8:00 @ 20CMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Kodak TMax 400 @ ASA-400 - FA-1027 (1+9) 8:00 @ 20CMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Kodak TMax 400 @ ASA-400 - FA-1027 (1+9) 8:00 @ 20CMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Kodak TMax 400 @ ASA-400 - FA-1027 (1+9) 8:00 @ 20C

Applications
Like any good wide-angle lens, the best use of the Rokkor-X 28/2.8 is for landscape application or anything where you need to capture a wide-angle of view, plus having that capacity to stop down f/22 certainly will allow for everything to be in focus. Making this also an excellent lens for architecture, cityscapes and streetscapes. And since the lens has no distortion and your straight lines stay mostly straight, especially at a distance, you are well set up for ensuring you don't have to do much in post-processing. While you can get close in with a 30cm close-focus and there is a bit of close-focus-correction on the lens, I personally would not use the Rokkor 28/2.8 for that purpose; there's a bit more distortion the closer you get. It can also work well for capturing large groups in tight quarters, and with an f/2.8 open aperture, it works well in low light when flash is not an option. It makes an excellent choice for a wide-angle lens for a three-lens travel kit. Plus, given that the lens is an MD variant of the SR-Mount, you can use it with almost all Minolta SLRs from the SR-T line through the X-Series; it will work flawlessly with all these excellent cameras.

The Low Down
I should note that there is a 3rd Generation version of this lens; it lacks the Rokkor branding on the lens itself, but watch those serial numbers; the 7/7 construction will have serial numbers starting with 80, while a 5/5 construction will start with 70. I'm a big fan of this lens and it was among those lenses that I kept stashed away after I dropped out of the Minolta system as I increased my kit for Nikon. And I'm glad I did, as it fit back in perfectly when I picked up a Minolta XE-7. It's the perfect balance for a travel kit without being too wide. While it is not an inexpensive lens, on the secondary market, you're looking at prices averaging 130$, but you can find them in the range of 60-250$, which is huge. But like anything, it's always best to try before buying from a seller with a good return system. While I mainly shoot with the 45mm f/2, the second most used lens in my Minolta SR system is the 28mm f/2.8.

Further Reading
Don't just take my view on the Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8, check out these other reviews.
Casual Photophile - Minolta MD 28mm f/2.8 Review (MD-III)
Vintage Lens Review - Minolta MD 28mm f/2.8 Review (MD-III)
The Rokkor Files - 28mm f/2.8 MD W.Rokkor-X Review (MD-II & MD-III)

#opticalreviewblog #canada #fa1027 #kodaktmax400 #lens #lensreview #mdii #minolta #minoltarokkorx28mm128 #minoltaxe7 #oakville #ontario #opticsglass #review #rokkor

Film Review Blog No. 77 – Fujifilm Provia 100F (RDPIII)

When it comes to slide film, it is not something that I like to shoot often, mostly because when it comes to processing, it's time-consuming and costly; even purchasing the stock is costly. Plus, scanning some slide films stocks are difficult to nail down both exposure and colour balance. And then there's Provia 100F; Provia is a solid performer and one that gives an excellent starting point in the world of shooting slide film. It reminds me of Sensia and Astia, both excellent slide films with a bit more forgiveness than the Velvia line and natural colour reproduction. It also scans easily without too much trouble.

Film Specs
Type: Colour Reversal Film (E-6 Process)
Film Base: Triacetate
Film Speed: ASA-100, Latitude +/- 2-Stops
Formats Avaliable: 135, 120, Sheets (4×5, 8×10)

Minolta XE-7 - Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45mm 1:2 - Fujifilm Provia 100F @ ASA-100 - Processing By Boréalis Laboratoire PhotoMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45mm 1:2 - Fujifilm Provia 100F @ ASA-100 - Processing By Boréalis Laboratoire PhotoMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45mm 1:2 - Fujifilm Provia 100F @ ASA-100 - Processing By Boréalis Laboratoire PhotoMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45mm 1:2 - Fujifilm Provia 100F @ ASA-100 - Processing By Boréalis Laboratoire Photo

Colour Rendition
The easiest way to describe the colour rendition of Provia 100F is natural; there's nothing over-the-top or extreme. The contrast is modest, and all the colours look as they do in real life, especially if you have good optics on your camera. This makes the film a jack of all trades; if you want to show off a traditional slide show of your vacation Provia 100F will deliver no matter the subject matter. It handles landscape, people, and architecture. Being a daylight balanced film, it works best outdoors. Colour biases tend to lean towards magenta and other warm colours, but I find that pleasing in the summer months. This warmth is even more seen when working with the film inside under artificial light; despite being daylight-balanced, I like how the film behaves under tungsten lights, amping up that warmth and presenting some interesting internal shots. I found this reaction during my first trip to Montreal and photographing inside some of the city's historic churches such as St. Joseph Oratory and at sunset when you have direct low evening light hitting the subject.

Nikon F5 - AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D - Fujifilm Provia 100F @ ASA-100 Processing By Boréalis Laboratoire PhotoNikon F5 - AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D - Fujifilm Provia 100F @ ASA-100 Processing By Boréalis Laboratoire PhotoNikon F5 - AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D - Fujifilm Provia 100F @ ASA-100 Processing By Boréalis Laboratoire PhotoNikon F5 - AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D - Fujifilm Provia 100F @ ASA-100 Processing By Boréalis Laboratoire Photo

Image Quality
The image quality of Provia 100F is excellent, and I have no real complaints. The images are sharp and fine-grained; while you pick up a bit more than Velvia, it isn't much more, and unless you zoom right in, the average viewer won't pick up on the grain. Plus, the grain adds to the edge sharpness, and I would rate Provia 100F as slightly sharper than Velvia 100F and on par with the sharpness of Ektachrome E100. Contrast wise, Provia 100F sits in a middle ground with a good separation of tones and colours but not enough to smack you in the face and over-the-top contrast. The film also projects well, and you have good sharp images up on the screen, and everything looks right. Unlike what I found with Velvia, Provia 100F handles harsh light far better. It can capture both highlight and shadow details wildly different without sacrificing too much on either end. In other words, Provia 100F is far more forgiving and behaves more like a consumer slide film where exposures aren't always perfect. You cannot push that feature too far or mess up the film, but you have closer to a stop on either end than, say, a third.

Hasselblad 500c - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Fuji Provia 100F @ ASA-100 - Unicolor Rapid E-6 KitHasselblad 500c - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Fuji Provia 100F @ ASA-100 - Unicolor Rapid E-6 KitHasselblad 500c - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Fuji Provia 100F @ ASA-100 - Unicolor Rapid E-6 KitHasselblad 500c - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Fuji Provia 100F @ ASA-100 - Unicolor Rapid E-6 Kit

Scanning
Of the three Fuji slide films I've reviewed this year, Provia has proven to be the easiest to scan. I did not have to do any major corrections in post-production for balancing out the levels and colours in many cases. It also helped that I was running with my Nikon Coolscan V ED, a powerful film scanner and, despite its age, handled the film and colours well. In some cases, I did have to bump up the brightness, but I'm chalking that one up to the age/condition of the scan and the need to crack the case and clean off the mirror. Another help to the digitization process is the colour rendition I spoke to in a previous paragraph, being more on the cool side with no obvious colour biases. For someone like me, who doesn't do well with colour balance, the film is easy to correct, usually through automated options in Photoshop but required a light touch when adjusting manually.

Pacemaker Crown Graphic - Schneider-Kreuznach Angulon 1:6,8/90 - Fuji Provia 100F @ ASA-100 - Unicolor Rapid E-6 KitPacemaker Crown Graphic - Fuji Fujinon-W 1:5.6/125 - Fuji Provia 100F @ ASA-100 - Unicolor Rapid E-6 KitPacemaker Crown Graphic - Schneider-Kreuznach Symmar-S 1:5.6/210 - Fuji Provia 100F @ ASA-100 - Unicolor Rapid E-6 KitPacemaker Crown Graphic - Fuji Fujinon-W 1:5.6/125 - Fuji Provia 100F @ ASA-100 - Unicolor Rapid E-6 Kit

Overall Impression
With the recent news of the end of the current version of Velvia 100, Provia 100F has ended up on top as Fuji's (relatively) faster slide film. While I'm not a fan of slide film, it is far too finicky for my tastes and getting it processed in a lab requires a trip to a post office and waiting for the lab. I find the cost/enjoyment ratio far too in favour of cost rather than enjoyment. That said, Provia 100F is an excellent slide film and one of my favourites, the other being Kodak Ektachrome E100. Provia 100F offers a far easier gateway into the film stock with a bit more latitude than Velvia and far more natural colour representations, and far easier scanning if you start shooting slide film. And I don't see Fujifilm cutting the stock anytime soon, but Fuji is a big black box, and you don't know what they have planned next until it's announced.

Further Reading
Don't take my work on Fuji Provia 100F, check out these other reviews on the film stock!
Emulsive - Film Stock Review: Fuji Provia 100F (RDPIII)
Casual Photophile - Fujifilm Provia 100F Slide Film Profile
The Darkroom - Fujilfilm Provia 100F - Film Review
Richard Haw - Review: Fujifilm Provia 100F

#filmreviewblogs #canada #crowngraphic #districtofcolumbia #film #filmreview #fujifilm #fujifilmprovia100f #halifax #hasselblad500c #minoltaxe7 #nikonf5 #novascotia #oakville #ontario #provia #rdpiii #review #unitedstates #uxbridge #washington

Film Review Blog No. 73 – Adox CHS 100 II

The year was 2012; I had been shooting film in a far more serious way for three years at that point. I learned of a speciality film store called Freestyle Photographic from an episode of the Film Photography Project. They had all sorts of weird films from Europe that I had never heard of nor seen at my local camera store (which at that time was either Henry's or Burlington Camera). With companies like Efke and Adox, strange, exotic for my North American sensibilities. I purchased a pile of Efke and Adox CHS Art films, both in 35mm and 120, 50 and 100-speed offerings. While Efke became a favourite, the CHS films also presenting a whole new look. Sadly, around that same time Fotokemika, the company that was making both Efke and Adox CHS films at the time, folded. No longer able to maintain or repair the machines that had been chugging along since the 1940s and 1950s. Despite that I managed to hold onto my last roll of CHS 100, finally shooting it in 2015 in the Netherlands. Adox took the reigns and took back the CHS line and released in 2013 a new version, CHS 100 II. Using the original film as a base, they painstakingly reproduced the classic dual emulsion in a single layer coating, even doing their best to duplicate the original sensitization. While CHS 100 II is not the original, it is pretty darn close. And I'm happy to be able to finally review this classic film that helped push me deeper down the rabbit hole of Black & White film and Adox products.

Film Specs
Type: Ortho-Panchromatic
Film Base: Polyester (PET) 100μm
Film Speed: ASA-100, Latitude: 100-400
Formats Available: 135, 120 (currently unavailable), Sheet Film (4×5 to 20×24)

Roll 01 - Kodak D-76
And CHS 100 II comes out swinging for the fences. I knew these were winners when I first pulled the negatives from the development tank. They carried a good density and, more importantly, dried perfectly flat. They also scanned easily in my V700. Quality-wise, they perform exactly how I would expect any film to perform with D-76, good tone and contrast, nothing especially fancy or unique. There's enough tonal separation to help with sharpness. And there's also good edge sharpness. The one thing I did notice is that there is more grain in these images than your standard ASA-100 film, and while a bit of a surprise, knowing the linage of CHS 100 II makes it understandable. This is based on a film that first came out in the mid-20th Century, not a modern emulsion with years of tweaking. While D-76 wouldn't be my first choice here, it will do the job.

Minolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 35-70mm 1:4 - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-100 - Kodak D-76 (1+1) 9:00 @ 20CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 35-70mm 1:4 - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-100 - Kodak D-76 (1+1) 9:00 @ 20CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 35-70mm 1:4 - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-100 - Kodak D-76 (1+1) 9:00 @ 20CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 35-70mm 1:4 - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-100 - Kodak D-76 (1+1) 9:00 @ 20C

Roll 02 - Ilford Ilfotec HC
I went a little off-script for Ilfotec HC; rather than go with a usual dilution of 1+31 or 1+63, I went with 1+39. For those in the Kodak world, that's Dilution D, a little-used dilution in most cases. It also required a different agitation pattern, constant for the first thirty seconds, then five seconds (two inversions) every following thirty seconds. It certainly kept me on my toes. The first thing I noticed was how thin the negatives appeared. Thankfully there was enough there to scan them well. Overall, I think Ilfotech HC/HC-110 is an excellent choice. The images were a little more contrasty than I would like, but going with a 1+63 dilution will probably work better. That said, the images remain sharp, with excellent tonal separation and edge sharpness. A little bit more in the way of grain, but an excellent grain structure.

Nikon FE - AI Nikkor 28mm 1:3.5 - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-100 - Ilford Ilfotec HC (1+39) 7:00 @ 20CNikon FE - AI Nikkor 28mm 1:3.5 - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-100 - Ilford Ilfotec HC (1+39) 7:00 @ 20CNikon FE - AI Nikkor 28mm 1:3.5 - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-100 - Ilford Ilfotec HC (1+39) 7:00 @ 20CNikon FE - AI Nikkor 28mm 1:3.5 - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-100 - Ilford Ilfotec HC (1+39) 7:00 @ 20C

Roll 03 - Adox Rodinal
A little rough, a little grainy, but what are you to expect from Rodinal and a film that isn't fine-grain. However, the results are far better than I was expected. You get more grain than what you might get from another 100-Speed film, but this does help edge sharpness. There is also an increase in contrast which does help with tonal separation, and the tones are excellent across the board with good blacks, whites, and mid-tones. I also noted that the film responds well to a yellow filter with plenty of cutting of the blues, with my skies rendering nearly black in several cases. While not my favourite combination, I certainly feel that going with a 1+50 dilution resulted in far better images than if I had gone with 1+25. I also think that CHS 100 II will respond better to stand-development in Rodinal.

Minolta XE-7 - Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45mm 1:2 (Yellow-12) - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-100 - Adox Rodinal (1+50) 12:30 @ 20CMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45mm 1:2 (Yellow-12) - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-100 - Adox Rodinal (1+50) 12:30 @ 20CMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45mm 1:2 (Yellow-12) - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-100 - Adox Rodinal (1+50) 12:30 @ 20CMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45mm 1:2 (Yellow-12) - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-100 - Adox Rodinal (1+50) 12:30 @ 20C

Roll 04 - Adox FX-39 II
I knew these were winning images almost as soon as I pulled the negatives from the tank. The base turned clear; I can see why Adox has CHS 100 II as a good option for reversal processing. When I scanned the negatives, I could see that these were beautiful, almost as if FX-39 was the perfect choice for the film. While there still is grain, it's far less noticeable than those developed in Kodak D-76. But the grain does add to the edge sharpness, but the real sharpness comes from the tonal separation. While I'm not a practitioner of the zone system, I can say that almost all zones are represented in these images. And it does that without increasing the contrast, which sits at a happy medium.

Nikon F5 - AF-S Nikkor 28-70mm 1:2.8D - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-100 - Adox FX-39 II (1+9) 7:30 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF-S Nikkor 28-70mm 1:2.8D - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-100 - Adox FX-39 II (1+9) 7:30 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF-S Nikkor 28-70mm 1:2.8D - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-100 - Adox FX-39 II (1+9) 7:30 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF-S Nikkor 28-70mm 1:2.8D - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-100 - Adox FX-39 II (1+9) 7:30 @ 20C

Final Thoughts
The one thing that I certainly get from CHS 100 II is that old-school flavour that I remember from my earlier experience with Efke 100/Adox CHS 100, which are based on the original Adox formula. The film is rich and contrasty, and you certainly want to make sure that you develop it right. Personally, my favourite results are in Adox FX-39 II, but I'm banking the film will look great in Kodak D-23 or Adox Atomal 49. While the film is a little harder to get in North America, ordering it right from the source is your best bet, and that's Fotoimpex in Germany. Sure it might take a good month to arrive, but it is well worth the wait. The one thing I'm waiting for is the return of 120 format in the film, but it also looks amazing in 4×5, which was my first experience with the film. You can see an example below developed in Xtol. The one thing that I can see this film being good for is reenactments; if I ever get that WW2 combat photographer impression together, my film choices will certainly be CHS 100 II and Fomapan 400 and plenty of Atomal 49.

Pacemaker Crown Graphic - Schneider-Krueznack Symmar-S 1:5.6/210 - Adox CHS 100 II @ ASA-100 - Kodak Xtol (1+1) 7:15 @ 20C

Further Reading
Don't take my word on Adox CHS 100 II, check out these other reviews by fellow bloggers!
Adam Roe Photography - New Film: Adox CHS 100 ii
Retro Glass Photos - A German Wonder Film: Adox CHS 100 II

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Developer Review Blog No. 18 – Acufine

There are a couple of highly specialised and mysterious developers out there, both made by the same company. While most people are drawn towards Diafine (which I plan on reviewing next year), Acufine is the cousin of that magic bullet developer. Like Diafine, Acufine's chemistry is a trade secret; even the datasheets are redacted in that sense. But Acufine is a rare bird; it has the capability to increase the speed of most film stocks. But without all the drawbacks of push processing, increased grain, over the top contrast. While I have worked with Acufine before the stuff was way out of date, and I think I did a couple of things wrong, so I just left it behind. But when you have content to fill, it's time to revisit the things of the past.

Technical Details
Manufacturer: Acufine Chemicals
Name: Acufine
Primary Developer: Unknown (Classified)
Type: Reusable
Mix From: Powder

Minolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 - Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-1000 - Acufine (Stock) 5:00 @ 21CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 - Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-1000 - Acufine (Stock) 5:00 @ 21CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 - Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-1000 - Acufine (Stock) 5:00 @ 21CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 - Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-1000 - Acufine (Stock) 5:00 @ 21C

Handling
If you can mix up your standard powder developer, Acufine will be no stretch. You can get two versions, a quart or a gallon, one thing to note is that the one-quart pouch has the one-gallon instructions printed on the label. Earlier versions of Acufine will come in cans, but these days it comes in your standard foil pouch and is available in one quart and one-gallon sizes. You might see some colouration; mine had almost a dull yellow/brown colour upon mixing. The datasheet does mention this but also notes that such a colouration won't affect the development. While there is no storage life stated for the developer, it will deteriorate over time with each roll of 135/36, one roll of 120 or four sheets o 4×5 using up 1/2 oz of the chemistry. You can adjust as you see fit with the details being laid out in the datasheet. Most full, well-stored bottles of Acufine can last for years according to some, make sure to keep track of the amount of developer and rolls/sheets you've run through and adjust accordingly. The one thing to note about Acufine is your agitation, while the massive dev chart doesn't always mention this fact. You should be gentle with you agitation, with four inversions in the first ten seconds, then two every thirty seconds. It does require a bit more attention. If you miss a cycle, it doesn't impact image quality I found.

Mamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 1:28 f=80mm - Kodak TMax 400 @ ASA-1600 - Acufine (Stock) 5:15 @ 21CMamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 1:28 f=80mm - Kodak TMax 400 @ ASA-1600 - Acufine (Stock) 5:15 @ 21CMamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 1:28 f=80mm - Kodak TMax 400 @ ASA-1600 - Acufine (Stock) 5:15 @ 21CMamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 1:28 f=80mm - Kodak TMax 400 @ ASA-1600 - Acufine (Stock) 5:15 @ 21C

Applications
Acufine is not what I would call a general use developer, but it is the most versatile speciality developer I've come across so far in writing these reviews. While many speciality developers are designed to process one or two film stocks providing the best possible results. Acufine is designed to provide the best possible results under specific conditions. Acufine will allow you to shoot films faster than box speed but removes any of the drawbacks to pushing your film. Oddly enough, there are no times for films like P3200 or Delta 3200, but you can shoot your Delta 400 and TMax 400 up to 3200. While I didn't try that, it might be worth exploring in the future. Making Acufine an excellent developer for us here in Canada with our long, dull grey winters that seem to drag on forever. Being able to shoot our favourite films faster without drawbacks is always welcome. Films like Kodak Tri-X and TMax performed in ways I've never seen before when shot at speeds above ASA-800. And I got the same results from the two Ilford films, HP5+ and FP4+. Both performed awesome, especially the HP5+ which I gave a run for its money in less-than-ideal conditions. The one film I wouldn't say I liked the results of too much was Rollei Retro 80s, sure I only shot it at ASA-100, but it took a lot of effort in Photoshop to get some usable results back. But if there's one thing that you can Acufine will achieve and well is being able to get the most baseline results from a film despite any amount of under-exposure you throw its way, which makes it great for indoor available light work, and when you need that extra bump of speed.

Nikon FM - AI-S Nikkor 105mm 1:2.5 - Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-320 - Acufine (Stock) 5:00 @ 20CNikon FM - AI-S Nikkor 105mm 1:2.5 - Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-320 - Acufine (Stock) 5:00 @ 20CNikon FM - AI-S Nikkor 105mm 1:2.5 - Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-320 - Acufine (Stock) 5:00 @ 20CNikon FM - AI-S Nikkor 105mm 1:2.5 - Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-320 - Acufine (Stock) 5:00 @ 20C

Qualities
If there is a single word that I can use to describe the qualities of Acufine, it's magic. As I mentioned previously, while not a general-purpose developer, it gives you an excellent baseline result no matter how much you under-expose the film. If you're running with a film that is grainier than average, Acufine will not decrease that baseline grain, if your film is sharp, Acufine will not increase that sharpness. But what it will do is that it won't exaggerate any of these things either. When you push films, you'll find that the contrast and grain will increase the more you push the film and then push process that film. That is where the magic comes in, despite that, you won't see that increase when you process in Acufine, it is the ultimate in compensating developers as it gives you, to be honest, the look of film exposed at box speed in Kodak D-76/Ilford ID-11. I say that because when I look roll of Tri-X shot at ASA-400 and TMax 400 shot at ASA-400 processed in D-76 next to rolls shot at ASA-1000 and ASA-1600 respectively the results are darn close. The one thing I do notice with Acufine is a slight decrease in contrast, but that's of no issue as it can be easily fixed in post-processing.

Rolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Rollei Retro 80s @ ASA-100 - Acufine (Stock) 5:00 @ 20CRolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Rollei Retro 80s @ ASA-100 - Acufine (Stock) 5:00 @ 20C[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/axle81401/50589100088/in/dateposted-public/ "The "New" Post Office")Rolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Rollei Retro 80s @ ASA-100 - Acufine (Stock) 5:00 @ 20CRolleiflex 2.8F - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 - Rollei Retro 80s @ ASA-100 - Acufine (Stock) 5:00 @ 20C

Lowdown
I'll admit, when I first put Acufine down on the list of developers to review this year I started a little sceptical, having only used it once before to process a single roll of film as was 'meh' about it, I didn't think it could do what it says. Yet I quickly realised the power of Acufine wasn't improving film at box speed, it was improving how well it develops film when pushed beyond that box speed. That is where the power and magic of Acufine stand above most other developers I've used. And that's saying something because I do love Ilford Microphen when it comes to pushing processing, but it does not hold a candle to Acufine. As a speciality developer, you do have to go to speciality photographic suppliers, Argentix.ca and Freestyle Photographic are your best bets. And you will pay for the stuff, one-quart costs about 20$ while a gallon costs 51$ (Canadian). Given that the stuff will last nearly forever if well stored and not abused too much, it would be worth it. And while I don't do a lot of pushing of film, now that I know that I have such a tool at my disposal, it'll be worthwhile keeping Acufine in the back of my mind.

Minolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-800 - Acufine (Stock) 6:30 @ 20CMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-800 - Acufine (Stock) 6:30 @ 20CMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-800 - Acufine (Stock) 6:30 @ 20CMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD W.Rokkor-X 28mm 1:2.8 - Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-800 - Acufine (Stock) 6:30 @ 20C

Recommended Reading
Don't just take my word on Acufine check out these other blogs on the subject!
No other reviews found

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Film Review Blog No. 72 – Adox Silvermax

If there is one film that has achieved a little bit of a cult following these days it's Adox Silvermax. Silvermax was the first true film to come out of the renewed Adox Fotowerks GmbH factory in Bad Sarrow, Germany and its parent company Fotoimpex. Based on a classic Agfa film, a modern take on APX 100, it has a higher than normal silver content and when paired with Adox Silvermax Developer presents a classic B&W look. If you were a fan of the older Adox and Efke films, then Silvermax will be your jam (I Hope). The official documentation states that Silvermax has a higher than normal silver content resulting in a higher DMAX (which is the maximum density that can be distinguished from black by a scanner or densitometer or whatever device. It is a single number representing a single density), has a finer grain, sharpness, and has an anti-halation layer between the emulsion and the base. Silvermax is one of several films I'm reviewing this year that I will not have D-76/ID-11 as part of the review process. The one thing you'll notice is that there are none of my 'standard' developers in this review, while you can develop Silvermax in D-76/ID-11, Rodinal, and HC-110, I decided that to get the best results out of Silvermax, might as well go full Adox. So I went with Adox Silvermax developer, the matched pair for Silvermax, along with Adox Atomol 49 a historic developer that handles high silver content films. Adox HR-DEV is an interesting choice but only because it listed Silvermax as one of two films on the bottle. And finally, we have Adox FX-39 II because it's just an awesome developer and might as well stick to the theme.

These are examples of previous production run cylinders, the current run features a two-tone special edition 160th Anniversary Colour Scheme that is rather eye catching.

Film Specs
Type: Panchromatic B&W
Film Base: Triacetate
Film Speed: ASA-100, Latitude: 50-200
Formats Available: 135

Roll 01 - Adox Silvermax Developer
You know, it's a shame that Silvermax film is going away because the results I got out of this first roll are amazing! That should come as no surprise as the Silvermax Film and Developer are made for each other. And the results speak for themselves. These images have a rich deep contrast, without being overly so. The blacks are blacks and the whites are clean and the tonal separation between them is excellent. This combined with an excellent grain structure allows for good overall sharpness and edge sharpness. While officially the documentation calls for a different agitation pattern I went with a standard pattern (constant for the first minute, then five inversions every following minute) and I'm happy with my results. The only downside is only ever shooting Silvermax in Silvermax developer once.

Nikon FE - AI-S Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4 - Adox Silvermax @ ASA-100 - Adox Silvermax Developer (1+29) 11:00 @ 20CNikon FE - AI-S Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4 - Adox Silvermax @ ASA-100 - Adox Silvermax Developer (1+29) 11:00 @ 20CNikon FE - AI-S Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4 - Adox Silvermax @ ASA-100 - Adox Silvermax Developer (1+29) 11:00 @ 20CNikon FE - AI-S Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4 - Adox Silvermax @ ASA-100 - Adox Silvermax Developer (1+29) 11:00 @ 20C

Roll 02 - Adox HR-DEV
I initially thought I would not use HR-DEV in this review, but after finishing off the five rolls I needed for the review of the developer I had just enough left for one more roll and decided that because Silvermax is printed on the bottle, I should use it for Silvermax. What struck me as odd is that I had to give the film a one-stop push for the published times. I'm sure I could have calculated out the ASA-100 times. And the results speak for themselves, you get a rich contrast, with deep blacks and bright highlights. You can see that the fine-grain nature of Silvermax maintains that with the one-stop push combine with the sharpness given with the HR-DEV. While the fifteen-minute development time combined with the weird agitation pattern (initially thirty-seconds then two inversions every two minutes), might turn people off, but I think it's worth it to get that extra boost of speed.

Minolta XE-7 - Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45mm 1:2 - Adox Silvermax @ ASA-200 - Adox HR-DEV (1+30) 15:00 @ 20CMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45mm 1:2 - Adox Silvermax @ ASA-200 - Adox HR-DEV (1+30) 15:00 @ 20CMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45mm 1:2 - Adox Silvermax @ ASA-200 - Adox HR-DEV (1+30) 15:00 @ 20CMinolta XE-7 - Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45mm 1:2 - Adox Silvermax @ ASA-200 - Adox HR-DEV (1+30) 15:00 @ 20C

Roll 03 - Adox Atomol 49
While Atomal is a recent addition to my chemistry kit, it certainly has made a bit impact. As a developer that handles older films stocks and film stocks with higher silver content I figured it would make a great choice for Silvermax. And it did not disappoint me in that endeavour. While not the same results as I got with the paired Silvermax Developer, these are darn close! First off there's an excellent contrast here, despite the terrible lighting conditions I was shoot in, with good tonal separation. There's also excellent edge sharpness and maintaining of fine grain. A worthwhile developer if you have a stash of Silvermax film but no Silvermax developer!

Minolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 - Adox Silvermax @ ASA-100 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 10:00 @ 20CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 - Adox Silvermax @ ASA-100 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 10:00 @ 20CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 - Adox Silvermax @ ASA-100 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 10:00 @ 20CMinolta Maxxum 9 - Minolta Maxxum AF 28-135mm 1:4-4.5 - Adox Silvermax @ ASA-100 - Adox Atomal 49 (Stock) 10:00 @ 20C

Roll 04 - Adox FX-39 II
As awesome as Silvermax has performed in all the previous developers, I honestly love the results from FX-39 II the best. There's a certain brightness to these images, excellent tone without being too contrasty. There is a sharpness both thanks to tonal separation and edge sharpness both without increasing the grain. I knew I had a winning roll when I pulled the negatives out of the tank. Now, I did modify my agitation pattern slightly, using an initial agitation of only thirty seconds, but then ten seconds every following minute mark, based on notes found on the FX-39 bottle. And the scanning proved easy with much of the tonal curve being easy to match and produce stunning results. Another worthwhile developer for your Silvermax film if you don't have Silvermax developer.

Nikon F5 - AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D - Adox Silvermax @ ASA-100 - Adox FX-39 II (1+9) 8:00 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D - Adox Silvermax @ ASA-100 - Adox FX-39 II (1+9) 8:00 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D - Adox Silvermax @ ASA-100 - Adox FX-39 II (1+9) 8:00 @ 20CNikon F5 - AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D - Adox Silvermax @ ASA-100 - Adox FX-39 II (1+9) 8:00 @ 20C

Final Thoughts
While I did not include any standard developers in this review, Silvermax does look okay in those developers. It renders similar to what is found in the original Agfa APX 100 films. My first roll of Silvermax I ever shot I processed in Kodak HC-110, while I was not impressed when I went into this review I cleared my mind of that first roll and found an amazing film. Which sucks, because now I have to give it up. Sadly, back in March 2021, Adox announced that Silvermax will cease production. Back in 2004, Adox acquired the last batch of a specialised sensitiser that is a key part of Silvermax film. That batch, surprisingly lasted sixteen years, and the last batch went on sale in March as a special 160-year edition of the film. Currently, there is no word on a new Silvermax II, but I'm confident that the folks at Adox will do their best to bring something new to the table.

Further Reading
Don't just take my words on Adox Silvermax, here are some other reviews by fellow bloggers.
Emulsive - Adox Silvermax Review
Thorley Photographics - Adox Silvermax 100 – Film Review
Parallax Photographic Corp - Adox Silvermax 100 Film Review
Steve Walton's Outdoor Blog and Photographic Journeys - Adox Silvermax Review
35mm Love - Adox Silvermax in D76 1+1

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