Agfa APX400 opinions

[nickthetasmaniac]

Hi all, so here is the scenario. Film in Australia is very, very expensive. Unfortunately, the relative weakness of the Aussie Dollar means that buying from the US has also become, very, very expensive...

I've been digging around to try and find the cheapest options locally, and have come across Agfa APX400. It's about 20% cheaper than the usual characters like HP5+ and 400TX, and the AUD price locally is actually cheaper than the USD price from B&H.

Has anyone been using APX400 for a while and can comment on its qualities?

I shot a couple of rolls in Penang by accident (it was the only film I could find...) but not enough to form a solid opinion on... Searching RFF doesn't bring up a great deal of info, and nothing since 2010.

Thanks!

 

[sebastel]

i can't comment on APX400, but ..

i came across the claim that APX400, kentmere 400, rollei rpx 400, and even ilford pan400 are the same.

at least i used the latter three, and found them to be very similar. not quite on the level of hp5, but very useable. not a complaint, but the negatives come out a bit thinner, was my impression. for scanning, that's ok (and that is what i do). for wet printing, you might need to invest a bit more work to get used to it.

cheers,
sebastian

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

i can't comment on APX400, but ..

i came across the claim that APX400, kentmere 400, rollei rpx 400, and even ilford pan400 are the same.

at least i used the latter three, and found them to be very similar. not quite on the level of hp5, but very useable. not a complaint, but the negatives come out a bit thinner, was my impression. for scanning, that's ok (and that is what i do). for wet printing, you might need to invest a bit more work to get used to it.

cheers,
sebastian

Thanks for the response.

Lol that's basically the issue I'm having, lots of speculation on what APX400 is/is not the same as, but hardly anyone actually talking about using it...

 

[HHPhoto]

Thanks for the response.

Lol that's basically the issue I'm having, lots of speculation on what APX400 is/is not the same as, but hardly anyone actually talking about using it...

I have used, I have tested it. Also in comparison to other films: AgfaPhoto APX 400 is indeed from the Kentmere 400 production. Same is true for RPX 400, which is also Kentmere 400.
But Ilford Pan 400 is different. At least here in my region Kentmere 400 is the cheapest, and APX 400 und RPX 400 are much more expensive.
You should now that these emulsions are optimised for lower production costs and not on the same quality level as FP4+ and HP5+. For example the anti-halation layer of the Kentmere is visibly less effective than that of FP4/HP5. You get a kind of halo around light sources and light reflecting things.

Cheers, Jan

 

[retinax]

I made a test print from a neg of the stuff a few weeks ago. Too early to say anything conclusive though, and I have another roll of it in a camera which, I've found out, tends to give very generous exposure, we'll see. My preliminary impressions are: grey, flat tones, but that could probably be changed with development and of course lighting. I see similar from what people post of HP5+, but have no experience with that film. Grain and resolution not super fine, but totally workable for most things. Fairly dark film base, which I'm not a fan of. My personal "reference" is TMY-2.

I think the problem with these budget films is that few experienced, quality-minded photographers use them, so we hardly get to see the results that could be obtained with optimum exposure and processing. I'd love to see some super high resolution comparison scans...

 

[Mooshoepork]

Nick, APX 400 is the same as CHM 400 at ikigai. About 8.50 a roll I think. Probably the cheapest film...if you’re wanting to buy in bulk it’s possible to get tri-x around $9 ish

Next step is bulk loading

 

[Highway 61]

Kentmere 400 = Agfa APX 400 New = Rollei RPX 400.

Ilford PAN 400 ≠ the above three.

 

[Mooshoepork]

Kentmere 400 = Agfa APX 400 New = Rollei RPX 400.

And foto impex CHM

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

Nick, APX 400 is the same as CHM 400 at ikigai. About 8.50 a roll I think. Probably the cheapest film...if you’re wanting to buy in bulk it’s possible to get tri-x around $9 ish

Next step is bulk loading

Thanks for that, I wasn't aware of CMH400. That said, Decisive Moment and Walkens both do APX for $7.90/$8.00.

Bulk loading is definitely on my radar, just haven't got around to figuring out how to do it 🙂

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

Thanks for that, I wasn't aware of CMH400. That said, Decisive Moment and Walkens both do APX for $7.90/$8.00.

Bulk loading is definitely on my radar, just haven't got around to figuring out how to do it 🙂

I've loaded a few dayroll loaders without issue Nick. Not hard, although I suppose some loaders would be better than others. I am not a fan of re-loadable cassettes. Have seen too many light leaks from other peoples' films as they age. So I simply recycle pre-loaded Kodak, Fuji etc C-41 cassettes that have had their films processed. Minilabs snip the rolls off at the spool leaving about a 10mm stub. Perfect for taping the tag of your bulk roll onto. If you want to see how it's done etc let me know, I am 30 minutes NW of Hobart or 10 minutes SE of New Norfolk.
Cheers,
Brett

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

I've loaded a few dayroll loaders without issue Nick. Not hard, although I suppose some loaders would be better than others. I am not a fan of re-loadable cassettes. Have seen too many light leaks from other peoples' films as they age. So I simply recycle pre-loaded Kodak, Fuji etc C-41 cassettes that have had their films processed. Minilabs snip the rolls off at the spool leaving about a 10mm stub. Perfect for taping the tag of your bulk roll onto. If you want to see how it's done etc let me know, I am 30 minutes NW of Hobart or 10 minutes SE of New Norfolk.
Cheers,
Brett

Thanks for the suggestions and offer, much appreciated.

By the way, I *think* you developed the only rolls of APX400 I've shot. Did you have any views on the stuff?

 

[majid]

I have used the old, genuine Agfa APX400. Very grainy, without the charm of (original) Tri-X, and unlike APX100 which was a stellar film. What’s currently sold as APX400 is a reboot, though, I doubt it shares much with the original.

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

Thanks for the suggestions and offer, much appreciated.

By the way, I *think* you developed the only rolls of APX400 I've shot. Did you have any views on the stuff?

Nick,
it would have been quite a while ago, if I did, it's been some time since I developed black and white for anyone else in Hobart (as in, a year or two). Although if you want to do it yourself, come over some time, and I will walk you through it.
Cheers,
Brett

 

[Mooshoepork]

Thanks for that, I wasn't aware of CMH400. That said, Decisive Moment and Walkens both do APX for $7.90/$8.00.

Bulk loading is definitely on my radar, just haven't got around to figuring out how to do it 🙂

Trevor that runs decisive is a nice dude. I’d support him over the ****heads that run walkens any day.

The bulk roll price per roll of HP5 or something is about 4-5 bucks I think?

Cost to develop yourself maybe 50 cents.

I don’t think it really gets any cheaper than that.

 

[retinax]

Retail prices in Aus do appear very high in international comparison, even after factoring in the current exchange rates. Why? And what prevents you from importing yourselves? Even at current exchange rates, the European or American prices are about as affordable to an Australian at minimum wage as to a German at (admittedly crazy low) minimum wage.

 

[gavinlg]

https://walkens.com.au

https://ikigaicamera.com.au

Between these two film resellers Australia is actually one of the cheaper places in the world to buy film. Reasonable shipping costs too.

 

[retinax]

https://walkens.com.au

https://ikigaicamera.com.au

Between these two film resellers Australia is actually one of the cheaper places in the world to buy film. Reasonable shipping costs too.

Ah you're right, I fell for a random place that was very expensive. 135-36 TMY-2 for AUS 9.09, that's cheaper than anything in Europe and similar to the cheapest sources in the US. It think it's worth that. Probably no super deals like the Ultrfine films, only the US get these....

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

https://walkens.com.au

https://ikigaicamera.com.au

Between these two film resellers Australia is actually one of the cheaper places in the world to buy film. Reasonable shipping costs too.

Really? One of the cheaper places in the world?

From Ikigai (35mm)...

$14 for Portra400
$17 for P400H
$21 for Provia 100f

 

[HHPhoto]

Really? One of the cheaper places in the world?

From Ikigai (35mm)...

$14 for Portra400
$17 for P400H
$21 for Provia 100f

Considering and calculating the exchanges rates and average wage level (purchasing power parity) these prices are on a similar level to what we pay here in Europe.

Cheers, Jan

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

Considering and calculating the exchanges rates and average wage level (purchasing power parity) these prices are on a similar level to what we pay here in Europe.

Cheers, Jan

Fair point, but I’m not looking for the cheapest place to by film when average wages are factored in. I’m just looking for the cheapest option on *my* wage in a global market place. And the prices listed above are much more expensive than the US.