How low can you go

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maryland_fotos

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Not sure there's a thread for low ISO film examples. Let's start one.

These are the lowest I have gone.

Adox CMS II 20:

000232200017 by Maryland Photos, on Flickr

26530007 by Maryland Photos, on Flickr

And Rollei RPX 25:

54260003 by Maryland Photos, on Flickr

These were the lowest ISO films I could get hold of in the last couple years.

Any one else have examples of low ISO shots? Let's say 50 and lower. How low have you gone?
 
Just this past weekend, I finished some Rollei RPX 25 in two cameras. This was in my Rolleiflex 2.8C. It should be sharper; I was being lazy and didn't use a tripod.

That Adox 20 film requires a special developer, I think?


9ZjNLp.jpg
 
I have some indifferently stored Ilford Pan F (expired 2009) that seems to be about ISO 20 now, does that count?
 
I'd probably still shoot it at box. Slower films lose their speed at a much slower rate than 100+iso films.

The general rule is for every 10 years of expiration give one stop.

Still, if the base is too fogged then you're boned. Usually high iso, very old, or improperly stored expired films have this.
 
BLKRCAT said:
I'd probably still shoot it at box. Slower films lose their speed at a much slower rate than 100+iso films.

The general rule is for every 10 years of expiration give one stop.

Still, if the base is too fogged then you're boned. Usually high iso, very old, or improperly stored expired films have this.
Click to expand...

I was only commenting on what I found with this film. When I first purchased it as short dated bulk in late 2008 I could use my standard film developer, HC-110 at 60:1, 70F, 11 min. agitate every 3 min, as a one shot and get good negs at ISO 50. Now, with all parameters the same the negs are very thin so I meter at ISO 20 now and the negs are fine. This is across several different 35mm cameras so I don't think it's just a fouled shutter or other mechanical problems in camera. I only bought the film because it was a dirt cheap closeout I just could not pass up.
 
zuiko85 said:
I have some indifferently stored Ilford Pan F (expired 2009) that seems to be about ISO 20 now, does that count?
Click to expand...

Watch out for expired Pan-F! It is the only slow-speed B/W film that doesn't behave well as it ages. If it's old enough, you may find it has an ISO of ZERO and renders no image at all. When I used to work at a film lab we'd occasionally process a roll of Pan-F with no image, no edge numbers, completely blank. We found after talking to the customer that the film was either old, or had been shot several years prior to bringing it in for processing.

This thread reminds me I still have a 100' roll of Eastman 5302 positive motion picture print film, which I believe is ISO 2 or 3.
 
How low can you go?
I am going very low to ISO 1.5 to 6 when using infrared films with IR filter. With tripod.
ISO 12 - 20 handheld with Adox CMS 20 II + Adotech developer and my prime lenses. Works very well.

Cheers, Jan
 
We should not forget that what is "low speed" for us today, has been normal or regular speed in the past.
And the photographers did outstanding work with these sensivities in the past!
ISO 12/12° to 25/15° has been the sweet spot with films for decades. Just remember the huge success of Kodachrome 25, both in the amateur and professional market. And professionals even did outstanding wildlife photography with that film!! I have lots of photo books from that time with amazing pictures.
Personally I was a big fan of Agfa APX 25 (and I hope that Adox will introduce a successor in the future, they have at least given some hints in that direction).

Nowadays shooting low speed film is even much easier than in the past: Because today we have so much outstanding high speed lenses with max. apertures of 2.0, 1.8, 1.4 or even 1.2. Almost all manufacturers have introduced significantly improved lenses with wider apertures in the last years.
Lenses with image stabilisation are another option for extended usage range with slow(er) films.
Same is valid for the amazing modern fill-in flash possibilities which extend the usable range of low speed films significantly.

E.g. shooting with an ISO 12/12° film in the summer handheld isn't a problem at all: With apertures in the 2.8 to 4.0 range and shutter speeds of 1/60s to 1/500s you get correct exposure (depending on the light intensity).
 
Skiff said:
We should not forget that what is "low speed" for us today, has been normal or regular speed in the past.
And the photographers did outstanding work with these sensivities in the past!
ISO 12/12° to 25/15° has been the sweet spot with films for decades. Just remember the huge success of Kodachrome 25, both in the amateur and professional market. And professionals even did outstanding wildlife photography with that film!! I have lots of photo books from that time with amazing pictures.
Personally I was a big fan of Agfa APX 25 (and I hope that Adox will introduce a successor in the future, they have at least given some hints in that direction).

Nowadays shooting low speed film is even much easier than in the past: Because today we have so much outstanding high speed lenses with max. apertures of 2.0, 1.8, 1.4 or even 1.2. Almost all manufacturers have introduced significantly improved lenses with wider apertures in the last years.
Lenses with image stabilisation are another option for extended usage range with slow(er) films.
Same is valid for the amazing modern fill-in flash possibilities which extend the usable range of low speed films significantly.

E.g. shooting with an ISO 12/12° film in the summer handheld isn't a problem at all: With apertures in the 2.8 to 4.0 range and shutter speeds of 1/60s to 1/500s you get correct exposure (depending on the light intensity).
Click to expand...

You have nailed it!
I can completely agree.
And I also hope for an Agfa APX 25 successor made by Adox.

But in the last years I have also enjoyed Adox CMS 20 II in Adox Adotech developer very much. I make prints from it in my own darkroom.
The "sky is the limit": Even from 35mm film you can enlarge this film as big as you like. A billbord is no problem at all. The resolution is incredible. No other photographic medium has such a high resolution! I did tests with the highest resolution digital sensors in comparison, and Adox CMS 20 II has won by a big margin.
 
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