I picked up an Agfa Rondinax 35U daylight box at a flea market at the weekend.
Congratulations.
Quite apart from the thoroughly convincing selling point of ‘four euros’...
_That_ is truly convincing.
- Is this a serious alternative to a standard tilting box?
Absolutely.
In other words: can the result compete with conventionally developed films, or will I have to accept a drop in quality?
No, certainly not. What difference would the Rondinax make there? Films are rotated in those ultra-modern Jobo machines too.
- Does anyone have experience ‘converting’ standard development times that could save me the trouble of lengthy testing or shorten the process? How should I process, say, a Classic 100 that needs 10 minutes in Rodinal, or an Efke 50 that needs 3.5 minutes in ADX, in the Rondinax?
The method described in the instruction manual (btw, do you have it?) corresponds roughly to the 3-second agitation. If you agitate differently, you’ll need to shorten the times slightly. You won’t be able to avoid testing it out entirely; everyone agitates differently. More vigorously, faster or more gently, slower... But these are all errors that won’t ruin the film, at most causing a half-stop difference. ...it needs to be developed with a hardener or without.
However: 3.5 minutes for ADX is a bit short (for the Rondinax). With the Rondinax, pouring in and out takes a bit longer, as the film acts as a sort of screw to circulate the chemicals. So keep turning it nicely whilst pouring out.
- Or more generally: who’s a fan or a foe of the Rondinax, and, if you’re a fan, would you mind sharing what you get up to with it?
Definitely a fan. What can you do with it? Well, develop films in general. It’s just handy if you don’t want to sit in the darkroom. Or quickly develop a film whilst on holiday... Or if you just want to develop part of a roll. No changing bags or sweaty fingers, no swearing whilst winding the film. You can even do it at the coffee table whilst doing something else.
Christian
