Adox Pan 25

[oscroft]

Has anyone here used Adox Pan 25? I saw some for sale at Retro Photographic (in the UK) and fancied having a go, so I got some and I shot my first roll of it yesterday (in an M2 with CV 35/1.4). It's developed and waiting to be scanned (it's next in the queue after a roll of Kodachrome), so I'll post some samples later, but just wanted to share my first thoughts...

The film base is completely clear (even the pale purplish tinge washes out completely), so the negatives look crystal clear and sparkling. It also has very little curl and is very easy to load into the film holder for scanning.

But it was a real pig to get loaded into a Paterson plastic film spool. It didn't stay rolled up when I took it out of the cassette, but sprung out uncontrollably (due to its anti-curl properties, I guess). It just kept sticking as I wound it into the spool, and it took ages before I managed to get it loaded (I had four spools in the bag with me at the time and tried them all). I'm meticulous about drying my spools, so there was no dampness, and the other three rolls of film I was developing at the time loaded fine into the same spools, so it really does seem to be the film itself that's the problem.

Anyone else had any experience with this stuff?

 

[Keith]

I'm looking forward to seeing the samples. I was just reading on the Freestyle site and apparently it has an anti curl coating opposite the emulsion side. I bought some Adox CHS 100 recently but haven't tried it yet ... but I've seen some sample images which was what made me buy it. Ned ... remember Ned! ... used to post quite a few pics in the gallery done with the stuff and some of the images were stunning. He was a good photographer that lad ... used to shoot his lip a bit often though! 😛

 

[Austerby]

No experience of the Pan 25 but I know exactly what you mean with the Adox films springing out of the cassette when you take out the spool of wound film, but I can't report any similar loading problems on my Patterson reels. I've developed about a dozen films this year and am very pleased with the results - the CHS50 as well as the CHS25.

 

[sem]

I tryed one at Texel on vacation. See the sample.
I use a Paterson tank, and didn t let the film from the roll before it is in the spool quite some bit, than it could drilled up.
Scanning is o.k. in my mind. Hard to find developing times in the net for this kind of film.
regards
sem

 

[payasam]

Possibly a descendant of the Adox KB14 widely used (at least in India) in the 1960s ("14" signifying DIN speed). Handling was in no way unusual.

 

[Burlap Jacket]

I've used the Efke 25. Is that the same stuff? Example here:

 

[oscroft]

Well, I started scanning last Sunday, then started feeling ill - and I've had a flu virus all week. Anyway, I've finally got the Pan 25 all scanned, with some samples on Flickr, here. (Those sample have had a tiny bit of sharpening added, just to compensate for the small loss of sharpness caused by resizing)

The roll was developed in HC-110 for 5 mins 30 secs at 20C - I couldn't find any more detailed suggestions than a general "4 to 6 mins" recommendation, and I had some other films that needed around 5:30, so I tried that. At first view the negs looked maybe a bit too contrasty, but they scanned well, so I think the contrasty look is at least partly due to the very clear film base.

The results show very fine grain and excellent resolution, with very nice tone rendition - pretty much what I'd hoped fro from an ISO 25 film. The converse is that it looks a bit flat, and doesn't have the punch that I get with faster films - but again, I think that's to be expected.

I have two thoughts from this. Firstly, I think this film could work very nicely in bright contrasty tropical light, so I'll be taking some with me when I head east again in a couple of weeks.

Secondly, I can help thinking it might work well in Rodinal, so I'll shoot another roll and try it this weekend.

And though it was a pain to load on the film spool, I think that could have been improved by leaving it rewound in the film canister for a little while first rather than developing it almost straight after rewinding it.

And I do love the film base - the anti-curl makes it a dream to scan, and being crystal clear makes the negs a lot easier to view.

Thoughts welcomed...

 

[Keith]

They're very nice ... I like the look of that film. The shadow detail in those pics is brilliant and saying they lack punch in comparison to other films is probably true but the subtilty of this definitely a bonus. It would definitely suit the type of subject material I've been persuing lately! 🙂

 

[Abbazz]

I've used the Efke 25. Is that the same stuff?

Yes, Efke films are also sold under the Adox brand. Adox Pan is the same film as Efke KB25. According to the Fotoimpex website, "Efke Films are “true” historical ADOX emulsions." So, yes Payasam, it is a descendant of your beloved Adox 14, and the last of the single layer films still produced today.

I have been using this film for quite a while and I love it. Very easy to process and scan. As for developing, the best way is to use the "Arista Premium Plastic Developing Reel" sold by Freestyle. It fits in a Paterson tank and loads in a breeze. Here's a picture linked from the Freestyle website (the huge tabs is what makes it so easy to load):

Cheers!

Abbazz

 

[payasam]

Thanks for the information, Abbazz. Pity I do no B&W work now. Might have been fun to go back in time, as it were.

 

[oscroft]

I've shot another roll of Adox Pan 25, this time developed in Rodinal 1+50 (11 mins @20C). I've added them to the original Flickr set (It's the last 6 shots - they're labeled).

Though the light was slightly duller for this roll, I think it has worked very well in Rodinal - it's a combination I'll try some more.

(Oh, and this roll loaded into the spiral much more easily - I let it rest in the can for a while before I loaded it, so it was probably the "reverse curl" from loading it almost straight out of the camera that caused the trouble with the first roll)

Alan

 

[Keith]

I've shot another roll of Adox Pan 25, this time developed in Rodinal 1+50 (11 mins @20C). I've added them to the original Flickr set (It's the last 6 shots - they're labeled).

Though the light was slightly duller for this roll, I think it has worked very well in Rodinal - it's a combination I'll try some more.

(Oh, and this roll loaded into the spiral much more easily - I let it rest in the can for a while before I loaded it, so it was probably the "reverse curl" from loading it almost straight out of the camera that caused the trouble with the first roll)

Alan

Actually that reverse curl thing can be a pain ... I remember now that the only time I had real trouble with a film jamming constantly when trying to get it on the spiral was when I had taken it straight from the camera!

 

[oftheherd]

I'm looking forward to some EFKE 100 coming this week in 4x5. I thought it better to try it in that ASA first. I am looking forward to some ASA 25 also. In fact, I just remembered I bought one roll fo 120, and I think if was ASA 50. (Remember ASA? Living in te past)

I also intend to cut some of it down to 9x12 for the old folders.