Kodak 5222 Double-X in my FSU R.F.'s

They are 24 exposure XX films only so crazy expensive.
Considering you are supporting what they do to help keep film alive. The podcast plus offer films difficult to get elsewhere $6 a roll is not bad. I can't afford those huge 400 ft spools. I'm always willing to pay a tad more to help their cause. Bought some of the Smena film recently.
 
I like the gray tones, but I'm not a fan of grain. Which is the way to go to reduce grain on this film?

Expose on E.I. 100 and put the film in an ultra fine grain type developer:

5057973153_5a703fa7e2.jpg


I will test XX in W665 soon. For our USA readers, a type of 777 panthermic developer.

Bought some of the Smena film recently.

I think you mean Svema: An Ukrainian film manufacturer ended in the 90's all their activities.

Tasma in the Russian Federation is still producing some films. And if you want to try some good films apart from the marvellous XX: OrWo Filmotec UN54 (iso 100) or N74+ (iso 400) cine motion films, like XX. On several places you can get their smaller bulk 30,5m/100ft instead of the 122m/400ft. In Europe the iso 400 OrWo Filmotec film is a little bit cheaper compared to XX.
 
All tasma films are unperforated.

I think, yes, all actual films. In the past they made some 35mm perforated film.

In cine film or aviation type film you can get:

OrWo Filmotec UN54 (iso 100) and N74+ (iso 400), both cine film.
Agfa Gevaert Aviphot 80 E1 100um iso 50-80 film on clear Polyester layer. Aviphot 200 E1 100um iso 160-200 film on clear Polyester layer.
Fomapan R100 35mm perforated, however they stopped producing it in this format recently. Cine film, still availble in S8 or DS8.
Kodak 5222 Double-X. Cine film.

Then you have some T.S.F. or copy film, micro film: Agfa Gevaert Copex in some different versions: Sold as Rollei ATP, Adox CMS 20, Spur micro film with their special developers.
Polypan 50, (copy film) but very thin layer (sometimes 80um) and curly, like the T.S.F. types, they have no anti curling layer and made on thin Polyester layer.

In price versus quality this XX film from Kodak is one of the best choices!
 
Further you have Adox Silvermax, more or less an Agfa Scala copy. They are selling it in 135-36 (not sure 30,5m/100ft) and this film has been made on Clear Acetate, nice layer but expensive. Their "special" developer is a SPUR HRX product to have finer grain at a maximum speed. The emulsion is more or less Agfa APX-100 (Leverkusen type before 2006) compatible when using it for B&W negative film.
What you can get under Agfa Photo Scala 200 is old production before 2006. The films on clear layer and with a higher Silver content are very suitable for B&W reverse processing to have B&W slides.
 
I'm on Polypan F for second round. It is flat and it isn't curly.
Good for alignment, light leaks tests and film to waste, but I'm able to print 8x10 from some of it.

Rest of the films you have mentioned aren't present where I'm or from whom I'm buying.
 
Double-X and the Orwo films are very different imo. Double-X film is from the 1950's and hasn't really been modernized the Orwo Emulsion on which N74 is based is a much more modern Emulsion with a different look neither is better they are just very different.

@Ko.Fe.
N74 is closer to the HP4+ look, great midtones and less contrast than Tri-X. Double-X and Tri-X are more dramatic than N74 and UN54.

If you want to use them in 16mm movie cameras newer Arris and Aatons in general are not a good choice for Orwo films despite them being better films (more modern) than the Kodak offerings. (Orwo wrong perfs Kodak vs B&H perfs and film base not as easy to tear)
 
I can not agree with you.

5222 is from 1959 but the last upgrade was in 2007.

https://web.archive.org/web/20131126224334/http://project-double-x.org/history.html


N74+ is a more recent development from OrWo Filmotec in Germany. But comparing the films around iso 250, Kodak XX has less grain to N74+.

15225484242_ca1beb1d34_c.jpg


N74+ in HC-110 (B), Leica M7 Elmarit 28mm + Y filter.


21056666924_e3e20ce3bc_c.jpg


XX in HC-110 (B), Kiev-4AM J-8M.

Which doesn't mean one film is better but XX is more flexible in exposure. You can use XX from iso 100-800 which you can not do with N74+ without loss of quality of this film at higher iso rate.

OrWo Filmotec UN54 is more or less FP4+ equivalent.
 
Fotohuis the Orwo Films were developed during the 1960's, also N74 (I believed it started out as Orwo NP7 but I could be wrong) is nearly a stop faster in Daylight and 1 stop faster in Tungsten light, than Double-X hence more grain.

The 2007 modernization was a change in Support layer and prior to that a change in the gelcoat (around 2005). The Emulsion itself was deemed good enough and they noticed that it couldn't be improved by using T-crystals quiet the contrary in fact (only shows what a good film it is).

Orwo has a wider tonal range than Double-X but as you said is less suited to pushing. Just like HP4 and Tri-X :)

I also used both, a few thousand feet of them, and liked both, my camera wasn't too happy about the N74 though. :)
 
Indeed N74 previous film was made by Agfa, later changed in the former East Germany to OrWo in 1964 (ORginal WOlfen).

N74+ and UN54 you can order in Europe at the factory, OrWo Filmotec.
 
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