matthias28
Your Adox CHS II 100 film is very good.
At the moment, I’m taking photos almost exclusively with my pinhole camera.
And for that, a 100 ISO film isn’t quite sensitive enough.
Today, my neighbour and I took photos at the same time using the same pinhole camera.
I was using Ilford HP5 and he was using your Adox CHS II 100.
Both pinhole cameras have your lovely yellow filter fitted.
For the same subject in the same light, the
HP5 takes 30 seconds.
Adox takes 16 minutes.
(Extension times are included, of course)
Anyone wanting to take a few photos this winter won’t get very far with the 100, unfortunately...
Why isn’t there a 400 film from CHS II?
MirkoBoeddecker
There used to be an Adox 400. I was lucky enough to get a sample back then. Unfortunately, for various reasons, the film never went into production.
The quality was already very good in 35mm. If it were ever to be released in 120 format, I’d be first in line. Now that the roll film machines are finally up and running...
Best regards,
Wolfgang
MirkoBoeddecker
Thank you for using our products. We’re also flattered that you’d prefer an ADOX 400 over other brands, so you’re absolutely right to ask.
Why don’t we have a 400?
Answer: Because it’s extremely difficult to make a good 400.
We are now completely on our own, as all our partner companies have either filed for insolvency or been taken over by ‘investors’, or both.
This also means that our small team has to manage much more on its own than before. And that takes time.
So before we launch a new 400, for example, we first try to keep the chemistry and the 100 on the market.
Besides, we don’t make inferior films, and matching the Tri-X and HP-5 isn’t easy. At 50 or 100 ASA, there are still options. You can tweak things a bit up or down – tinker with the emulsion structure, adjust the mix, and produce a good film.
At 400 ASA, we’ve reached the limits of what’s feasible with the classic grain structure. We’re at the very top of the range, so to speak, and many other manufacturers have never managed to achieve a true 400, including a great many companies far larger than ours.
I know there are also 800s, but those are always tab-grains, and they’re even more difficult to produce. To do that, we’d have to set up a fully automated, computer-controlled precipitation process so we don’t mess up every third batch. It’s all conceivable. We have the components, the software and the documentation, but you have to bear in mind that these are all things that entire development departments used to spend years working on. Twenty people or more just for an automated precipitation process over five years. We’re only two and a half technicians and have to keep everything that already exists running on the side.
So here’s the usual answer: if you’re a mechatronics engineer, electrician, plumber, chemical technician or cheesemaker (no joke – every second emulsifier in Switzerland trained as a cheesemaker – thanks to our proximity to Gruyère), and if you’re interested in joining us here for a decent salary, please apply and help us make progress :-)
Otherwise, this is certainly not a project we wouldn’t be working on ‘behind the scenes’.
We’re not announcing an end date, though ;-)
