Low-ISO Film/DEveloper Combos for Medium Format

[dof]

Oh Dear, I've got the medium format bug again.

Once upon a time, I used and loved the looks I got from AgfaPan 25 developed in Rodinal. Great detail, wide contrast range and beautiful tonal gradation are the things that I loved about them.

I understand that these materials are available once again, but there seems to be a bit of controversy about the differences between the current offerings and their counterparts from Agfa's last days.

What film/developer combos are people using now to achieve these kinds of looks? Of course I understand that there's no substitute for trying things out for myself, but would appreciate any insights from the community before I embark on this journey.

Thanks,

 

[Photo_Smith]

I don't think there is any replacement for Agfapan 25 it was phased out before Agfa went south. A year of so ago I'd have said Efke 25 but it too has gone slow speed films are slipping away. For what is worth I think TMax 100 would be a good choice, it looks quite smooth in Rodinal in an almost creamy way.

Adox Adonal is the same as Rodinal, made in the same factory to the last formula.

 

[mfogiel]

I haven't shot it yet in MF, but RPX 100 in Rodinal looks very promising - here are a couple from 35mm:

20136002 by mfogiel, on Flickr


20136124 by mfogiel, on Flickr

Note: the portrait was shot wide open with Summicron R 50/2.

Some prefer shooting Acros for the sleek looks, or Delta100/Tmax100 for higher resolution. This guy is very smart shooting portraits wide open on Tmax 100:


immolation by byfer / Fernando Ocaña, on Flickr

and this shooting Acros:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/micmojo/8192842237/

A good combination will also be delta 100 in FX39 or Pan F in Rodinal.

 

[dof]

Thank you, Photo Smith and Marek! Interestingly, on the screen the RPX100 shots in 35mm most closely resemble the texture, if not the tonality I enjoyed from APX25. I must say though that I'm really drawn to the look of the TMAX 100 and Acros images. I too am a fan of the Zeiss 80mm lens shot wide open. Perhaps it's a new day all together.

 

[sojournerphoto]

or Rollei 80S, exposed at iso 64 and developed in D76 1+3 for 24 minutes at 20C, agitated at start and 12 minutes. Plus has some infra red sensitivity too

plus crop of 4000dpi scan from Nikon 9000 - standard holder

 

[Noll]

I like to mix up Caffenol CM for Foma 100 / Arista EDU 100, Acros100, and TMX 100. I used it once with Pan F 50 and turned out OK too. Overall it seems to be a low-contrast developer, good for cranking up the contrast on scans but I've never tried darkroom printing of the negs.

Here on TMax 100:

And one on PanF 50:

And Arista EDU 100:

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

Ilford condone pulling Pan F to 25 if desired and provide development times for this in their processing tables for ID-11 for one. I've done quite a bit of this when I've used my pre-war Bessa 6x9 which has a maximum 1/150 shutter speed, simply to get more flexibility with usable f stops. But I've also used it with other formats and cameras. The link has an image I took some months back with Pan F @ 25.
Cheers
Brett
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2115810&postcount=30

 

[haempe]

I've shot some PanF 120 this summer, most developed in Rodinal 1+50, but I still prefer the results from Beutler.

YashicaMat124G; PanF@50 in Beutler 1+1+8; 6,5min; 20°C.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Delta 100 in almost anything. True ISO can fall to 50 or below in some fine-grain developers. Delta 100 is not as fine grained as Pan F but it's sharper. I particularly like 56x72 mm (Linhof's take on "6x7") enlarged just 3x to 168x214mm, whole plate. It's often indistinguishable from a contact print.

Cheers,

R.

 

[dof]

Sojourner, Noll, Brett, Haempf and Roger,

Thanks for chiming in. I appreciate your insights.

The Rollie 80S has a great look. It appears that it and Pan F are among the few remaining lower-speed "old-school" emulsions.

Based on what I've seen so far, Pan F is starting to win me over, as it appears it has for you. Based on testing with the materials I used in the early 2000s, I used to shoot APX25 at an e.i. of 8. Shooting at 25 would seem like a luxury!

Roger, I know what you mean about the look of smaller prints. My favorite print size for 2.25 x 2.25" negatives was just larger than 5x5" on an 8 x 10 sheet. There's an intimacy to the viewing and the tonality can be remarkable.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I like Pan-F or Tmax 100 in Rodinal 1+50 or PMK.

Pan-F in PMK

Pan-F in PMK

Pan-F in PMK

 

[dof]

Very fine results indeed, Chris. Do you prefer PMK to Rodinal for Pan F?

 

[Fotohuis]

Efke 25 / Rollei PAN 25 E.I. 25 in Rodinal 1+50.