Efke KB25 now blue?

[alfredian]

I just opened my first bulk roll of Efke KB25 in 2+ years. The backing is now blue - reminds me of the 2 rolls of Fomapan 120 I tried out 5 years ago. The last batch of KB25 was grey-over-grey. Is this just a different base material? It also feels a bit thinner than the older base. I have all my parameters (exposure, development) settled for the emulsion, so I hope that is still the same. Any clues as to when Fotokemika changed their product?

 

[kossi008]

Thanks for helping me realize what I found so curious about my last two rolls of Efke 25. Last fall I exposed a grey one, now they were blue... no preceived change in emulsion properties though, so I think it's just the base material...

 

[Krzys]

35mm Efke film which I use is always a very brilliant blue. However after processing it has the clearest (and most delicate) base I've ever seen.

 

[alfredian]

Thanks, what I'd hoped

Thanks, what I'd hoped

Thanks for the reply. I'd hoped that's all it was - somebody at Efke using the same base-supplier or (I suspect) at least the same anti-halation coating that Foma uses. I'll shoot a test roll just the same. Aside from the grain & accutance, I do like the ortho-pan spectral response of KB25.

 

[Krzys]

If you're using Rodinal and really bored then presoak and pour the blue into a clear container. When developing is over then pour the Rodinal into the presoak...blue will instantly turn to green 😀 Atleast it did that one time I was very bored.

 

[alfredian]

Thanks, all

Thanks, all

Shows one downside of buying in bulk - keeps you out of the market for long spells. My first 100' of KB25 was US$30 in 2005 or so. Cream emulsion on light-grey backing. Developed in D76 1+3 outwash of the dyes wasn't evident. Ditto my first 2-3 ten-packs of R25 in 120. I dimly recall somebody blogging about halation issues in contrasty light, back when. At least the Arista Premium 100 I loaded up at the same time today looks like (dare I say?) Plus-X.

 

[Pirate]

the Rollei Pan 25 is a very dark blue. I have not done a presoak with it so I can't say how that comes out but I will try it on my next roll. The Rollei is made by MACO. The thing I don't like about Rollei is they are using the Rollei camera name and running off that old reputation. The film is great though.

All the Rollei film I have says "Made in Germany", but I could have swore I read that it was made in Croatia.

 

[alfredian]

Corporate fragmentation

Corporate fragmentation

I suspect we're seeing several corporate amoebas in motion here. FSU breaks up, Agfa breaks up, and various outfits buy up trade-names, product formulas, and finally the gizmos that actually coat films. I used to see this in the food industry - to wring value out of a factory, they'd do one shift of their own brand, then put the same stuff into the same cans, but with another label. After midnight they'd actually change the recipe & go totally generic. Now somebody with rights to "Adox" is labeling up Efke film & jugging up the modern formula of Rodinal. Keeps us on our toes. My personal favorite is when they put the wrong film-type-brand on the edge-print & sellers have to tell you what it "really" is.

 

[P. Lynn Miller]

Efke KB25 is my favorite 35mm film. With Rodinal and good exposure technique, the resulting negatives have that wide tonal range of medium-format, If you want a little grain for texture, use 1:25 Rodinal with vigorous agitation. Lovely stuff, hope they leave it alone.

 

[alfredian]

RO9 is good, too

RO9 is good, too

Mine, too, if there's enough light, which there usually is. Otherwise I use my "fast" film, Plus-X. I still miss Panatomic-X at ASA32. I do the KB25 in Fomadon RO9 1+40 for 6 minutes x 20'C. Usually. Sometimes I do use the D76 1+3 for ten min, which is a bit less aggressive than the RO. Then again, I have to have the ambition to mix up the 76 from powder, etc. I expect to spend my retirement years (over a decade away) coating old bits of window glass with emulsion from a jar. Get an M-mount or LTM adapter for a view camera, most likely.

 

[Fotohuis]

Efke (Fotokemika) in Croatia changed their base in 35mm two years ago to Blue Polyester. In the past it was Grey Tri-Acetate. However their emulsion has not been changed.

Rollei films are 80% made by (Agfa) Gevaert in Belgium and some emulsions by Filmotec (former OrWo). Confectioning in 120 roll film can be done by Efke, Foma or even Harman/Ilford. 35mm is done in Bergheim, Germany by Photostar.