leoz
Hello,+
I have a question about Adox 25 CHS. I’ve bought five rolls (120 format) to try it out and will most likely perform exposure on them this weekend.
Now to the actual question.
I have Ap09 (which I really like using to develop film) and, as it’s supposed to be a very good combination, I’ve also bought Neofin Blaue for the CHS.
I’ve now read that you should develop the film in as strongly diluted a developer as possible, i.e. 1:100 for Ap09 and 30ml of Neofin to 970ml of water.
(Is there a minimum developer volume that needs to be used with Neofin as well? I have a Jobo 1520, so it only holds 500 ml; otherwise, I’d be rushing out tomorrow to buy the 1530 extension from Impex).
So what would you recommend – which developer and for how long? (The catalogue says that with Neofin a 1+ push ‘happens’, so I’d have to perform an exposure of ISO 50 on it, right?
And regarding use:
I want to use the film to take band photos; it sounds strange at first, and it is, but I’m looking for high resolution and film that’s as insensitive as possible. I’ll probably use a red filter as well (anything to bear in mind, apart from exposure at 2 stops?) The film will ultimately be scanned; I don’t have a 6x6 enlarger, and I probably won’t be getting one any time soon.
Many thanks in advance for your replies
Leo
p.s.
Pre-winding, yes or no? How long?
HenningH
Hi Leo,
I’ve only used the 50:1 Neofin developer (at 100 ASA), which I diluted 15 ml to 250 ml. So the ‘standard’ dilution. 15 ml to 500 ml would be the same minimum developer volume, so I reckon it’s worth a try. My results were very sharp, but also showed quite pronounced grain (there’s a longer thread on that here). It’s also worth bearing in mind that today’s Neofin is somewhat different from the version from the 1950s...
I don’t pre-rinse; I just use water as a stop bath.
I wouldn’t use a red filter, as CHS films are quite insensitive in the red region. You can achieve very distinct results with an orange filter.
Best regards,
Henning
leoz
Thank you very much, those are certainly some interesting suggestions.
The tip about the red filter is very good; for a moment there I’d forgotten about the film’s insensitivity in the red spectrum – that would certainly have been a disaster (for the red-filter photos I’ll use T-Max or Fomapan).
I’m quite happy with accentuated grain, so I might give the 15:500 mix a go.
(The source I mentioned,
http://www.chrzahn.de/Fotoseiten/Tipps/apx25Ersatz.html, states that the film is very hard and only performs well in Neofin Blaue when subjected to a high level of dilution)
I’ve only tried a CHS 50 once, back when I was still shooting 35mm and, quite naively, developed it in Rodinal 1+25. The results were quite pleasing, though.
cfb_de
Hi,
I’m only speaking for the 50s.
In my humble experience (and I’m not alone in this...) the properties of the emulsion in the films from Samobor have changed gradually but noticeably for the worse over the last few years.
I’ve had to test a total of five inconsistent batches since 2003 (I usually buy roll films in quantities of over 100).
As I don’t feel like testing every batch, I’ve trained the HP5+ :-) Trained to produce similar grey-scale/grain characteristics, which works quite well with Rodinal 1+25/17°C/ASA200 (timing/shaking: off the cuff, whilst I’m cooking pasta or something similar). The red-blindness effect of the 50s Efke/ADOX can be replicated quite well with an orange filter. The film has behaved completely consistently within the usual film statistics for the last four batches.
And because Mirko made such a fuss about the complaints procedure here in his own forum: I now buy my films elsewhere. And cheaper than the relabelled export goods from Ilford.
@Mirko: As far as I’m concerned, you can stop the 50 now. I know I was one of the few advocates back then. That’s it now. I still had 200 rolls of film with potentially just as loose adhesive as the last ones, which I was planning to load. After the third one, I realised why Impex packages the films in those cheap Chinese-made tins (or did?). R50 only goes into my camera in a roll-up bag now.
If you could once again offer tinned film that meets my requirements at a standard market price, then I’ll buy from you again.
Your competitors aren’t based in Stapelfeld, nor in Hatten, nor do they even call themselves ‘kunstgrau’. They’re just ordinary specialist retailers here locally. In the heartland of Swabian horror, far away from the Reich capital of Bielehn.
Best regards,
Franz
piu58
I’ve done a lot of research on this film. As for the developer, Rosinal was the only option for me. The ‘literature’ (aka a Google search) recommended a 1:100 dilution. I’ve found that 1:50 works well. With my wrist-shaking technique, it takes 6.5 minutes, but everyone will have to try this out for themselves.
The film must not be subjected to overexposure or overdevelopment; it tends to blow out highlights. Otherwise, it’s good.
I pre-soaked it because that’s what’s recommended (I never usually do that). For about 1 minute.
BertholdSW
Hello from the Sauerland.
Efke 25 roll films and Finol by Mäßig make a great combination.
To cut a long story short, developed at 22°C for 510 seconds – that’s my go-to combination.
Then I enlarge the images using an MG IV and a 2.0 filter.
23°C if I want a slightly higher contrast.
The developer has a shelf life of at least 1–2 years. For that reason alone, it’s my number one choice.
I’ve now used up around 40 rolls. I’ll stick with the Mamiya 645 for the time being.
If the film didn’t curl up so much after development, there really wouldn’t be anything left to complain about.
Regards, Berthold
WWW.hachener.de
and the pictures there with the white border are usually Efke pictures.
Wolfgg
Everyone complains about the “tendency to curl” of Efke/ADOX roll films, yet they overlook a unique advantage: this is the only film base with which I have never experienced out-of-focus images due to flatness issues, because it is precisely this strong tendency to curl that ensures full-surface, intimate contact with the pressure plate even in 6x9 format – despite that unpredictable sheet of paper in between. Even when the camera is pointing straight down. And with the 25-speed film in particular, you mustn’t close the aperture too much, otherwise you have no margin for flatness errors, if you want it to demonstrate its ability to produce really crisp edges with staining developers such as Tanol, Finol, Pyrocat-HD...
Regards, Wolfgang
BertholdSW
I’ll try uploading three photos for comparison.
Photo: Dandelions, Efke 25, Mamiya 645, developed in Finol.
Photo: In the Moor, Tmax 100, 6x9 Falter, developed in Finol.
Photo: Morning Sun, Tmax 400, 6x9 Falter, developed in Finol.
Compare them for yourselves.
Efke 25 for high resolution is my standard in Finol.
Tmax 100 will be used for everything else from now on.
All other films and developers will be disposed of.
I’ve put an end to the endless back-and-forth and the search for something better. It was the wrong approach.
Regards, Berthold Jochheim
PS. From Wolfgang.
> Everyone complains about the ‘curling’ of Efke/ADOX roll films, yet overlooks a unique advantage: with this base alone have I never experienced images that are out of focus due to flatness issues, for it is precisely this strong tendency to curl that ensures full-surface, intimate contact with the pressure plate even in 6x9 format, despite that unpredictable paper in between.
Thanks, I’ve never looked at it that way before. You’re RIGHT!!! Sometimes I need to have things pointed out to me.
leoz
Well, my Neofin Blaue experiments weren’t anything to write home about.
I’m going to run the last two rolls through the test today, this time with an exposure of ISO 25.
I’ve still got some Neofin Blaue and Rodinal left; I’m going to develop these two in Rodinal. At a dilution of 1:100, 12 minutes would be ideal, wouldn’t it?
Many thanks for the replies, and lovely photos.
BertholdSW
Hello from the Sauerland
Contrast-enhanced development has worked well for me too.
Finol at 22°C for 510 seconds without pre-warming is my standard procedure.
For me, contrast-enhanced means:
Finol at 24°C for 510 seconds without pre-warming.
I’ve attached a sample image below.
Regards, Berthold Jochheim
