Tell me about Plus-X ...

Some very nice Plus-X samples! Better than I recall, but I haven't used it since 1972. I souped a lot of it in Diafine, and also Edwal FG-7, at higher than box speed, and I didn't like the harshness and grain. I might well have been wiser to run it at a lower EI (my last roll was at 125), and go for tonal qualities over speed... scarcely considered in those days!
 
It's a very good film for brilliant highlights. It has a slightly upswept curve, and developed in HC-110, you get a very nice look. In XTOL I did not find it as interesting. But it's definitely a sleeper film that needs to be used more.
 
I used to shoot a lot of Plus-X in the winter. It has a very soft shoulder which makes it handle highlights well - which is good for snowy landscapes, and you can get loads of tonal separation through the mid range of the film - again, good for getting details in snowscapes or portraits. Unfortunately I shoot mostly in 4x5, and Plus-X has been discontinued for quite some time now. I shoot almost exclusively HP5 now, which has a very different character from Plus-X, but Kodak has changed or discontinued enough films and papers that I won't invest my time in learning to use their products any more.
 
TheHub said:
I emailed Kodak asking if Plus-X is going to be around for a while. Still awaiting an answer ...
The answer, IMO, lies in picking up a few rolls next time you're buying film. It helps, anyway. :)


- Barrett
 
Plus-X in Rodinal

Plus-X in Rodinal

I used to develop it in D76, and discovered recently that it looks great in Rodinal! I use it at 1:50 for 15 min with agitation for the first 30sec and then one inversion every 5 minutes (three agitation cycles total). Here is an example (Xenon 50mm ):
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zgeeRF: I too worship at the Church of Rodinal. I'm mostly a 1:100 man, but minimal agitation is the holy grail of this soup, as you have discovered.

Not being one to stand still, though, I am now adding some pagan elements, i.e. XTol with Rodinal, and my next medium speed foray will be with T-Max 100 in the Rod-Xtol blend.
 
Trius: the low agitation is indeed an essential factor and brings the best rodinal results. I also use 1:100 with APX100. I have never tried the Xtol addition, what does it offer?
 
the Xtol seems to smooth things out at 1:50 or lower dilutions. So far I have only done one roll of APX, and that roll was mostly way overexposed due to a dying battery; the other rolls have been T-Max 400 (TMY-2), Tri-X at 250, and Tri-X pushed to 1600. I only have one roll of APX left, but I'll use the combination on it.

Tri-X, 250, Rodinal/Xtol

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2137/2247173797_6f3e6251da.jpg

Edit: Just found more APX in my film fridge. :D :D :D :D
 
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The old stand-by for me has always been Plus-X in D-76. If I want something really special, I dilute it 1:1. Great stuff!
 
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