TR Hello, I usually set the aperture on my 35mm camera to f/11, as I need the depth of field that this provides for my subjects. How does the resolving power of the Adox CMS 20 compare to the aperture setting on my rather basic Tessar-type lens? Does this film still make sense given these factors, or would I be better off sticking with conventional film? Thomas
piu58 If the Tessar is diffraction-limited at f/11 (it should come close to that), then it has a resolving power of around 140 lp/mm. Incidentally, I have never been able to verify such a high resolving power in a four-element lens; I have never managed to exceed 100 lp/mm. The film has a significantly higher resolving power. So you can’t really make the most of that in terms of detail reproduction. But it’s not just about the reproduction of details, but also about uniform grey tones. In my opinion, this makes the film a sensible choice even with a Tessar: the greatest image degradation in 35mm photography, for my taste, is the loss of detail in grey areas.
TR exposed grey areas. I haven’t really given this sort of thing much thought until now. Many thanks for your prompt reply.
TiMo I don’t use this film because of its resolution, but because it produces such beautiful shades of grey. This is particularly true when photographing glass surfaces in architectural photography. Or when capturing a cloudless sky at sunrise: the film produces a wonderfully smooth gradient of grey.
