OrWO UN-54

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SyPat

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I ordered a box of 30.5m of Orwo UN-54, just to see what kind of film it is.

After 18 films, I can say that in my opinion, image quality (sharpness and tonality) is good, sometimes very good (I rated it at 80 ISO and souped it in D-96 1+1 or Thornton's two baths). It's a really good emulsion very suitable for photographic purposes.

BUT about 30% of my images have gelatin specks or scratches, sometimes very tiny, sometimes not. As a result, some of my images are really ruined.

So I'm a bit dsapointed. The scratches are perhaps coming form my loading technique (I use IXMOO cartridges), but not the specks.

Did anybody shared a similar experience ?
 
Do you use a stop bath? I've not used the ORWO but some EFKE films could be damaged or pinhole using stop bath.

The emulsions can be soft on some older style emulsions, less handling and plain water stop will help as will not using a squeegee.

Also as a second thought make sure that bulk loader is clean, go into the dark, take out a couple of feet out of the loader and load them manually. If the scratches are gone it may be the loader.
 
I discovered Orwo UN54 a few months ago and tested it with several developers (Diafine, Rodinal and Xtol).
My favorite is for now Diafine @100 ISO.
I do not use a stop bath and rinse with tap water.

No scratches or gelatin as for now, may be I was lucky...
Great tonality in the grey scale. I love this film.
Just ordered the 400 ISO (N74) hoping it will be as good.
 
I have almost finished the 100' role that I ordered late last year. I do use stop bath and I have not seen any specs or scratches.

FWIW, my process is Rodinal 1+50, Kodak indicator stop bath, and Ilford Rapid Fix. I use the Ilford wash method followed by a rinse in water+ 5 drops of Fotoflow.
 
Photo_Smith said:
Do you use a stop bath? (...)
Click to expand...

I rinse with tap water for a minute.

Photo_Smith said:
Also as a second thought make sure that bulk loader is clean, go into the dark, take out a couple of feet out of the loader and load them manually. If the scratches are gone it may be the loader.
Click to expand...

I don't use bulk loader, I put the film reel is on an axis and the IXMOO on another axis. It works quite fast and fingers manipulations are minimal.
 
I've just run the first UN-54 rolls, and negs look wonderful (ISO 100, in Rodinal 1:25) but I've not printed anything yet.
 
I think all motion picture films are going to have those flecks. If you think about it, a fleck on one frame will not even be detectable when the film is projected, so for whatever reason they don't QC these films to remove them. Eastman 5222 has the same issue. Usually, it is a simple retouch after the scan unless a big blotch winds up on somebody's face (I actually haven't seen one that bad yet).
 
6929356236_77af8798d6_c.jpg


ORWO UN 54 @ 100 iso. Pyrocat HD, 1:100 semi-stand development for 40 min.
Beaten up Nikkor 35f2,5 (front element somewhat scarred), Nikon SP.
 
6897433563_112636ae58_z.jpg


ORWO UN 54, Rodinal 1:100, semistand development, 25 minutes, agitation at 5 and 15 minutes. Film rated at 100 iso (could use 80 iso).
Nikon S3, Nikkor 35mm f2.5
 
I hope more people can try this film. I like the results I got from my first roll. Got some scratches. Probably due to the film canister.

ORWO UN54 @ 100
Developed in HC-110 'dilution B' for 6.5min at 20°C



M7, Noctilux @ f/1.0
 
Thought I'd start this one up again. I've been shooting mostly UN54 lately, which I run in Perceptol 1:1.



Ash, St Johnsbury VT, 9/11/17
M7 / 28/2.8 ASPH / 022 filter
Scan from print on ILMG Classic in Moersch Sepia1
tweaked print color and sharpened in PS.
 
Beautiful image ��
I've just got my first roll to try out, will be using my Agfa Ambi and 35mm lens.
Would you suggest yellow filter? The lens is sharp enough but not great on contrast, so I use a yellow filter as standard.
My first post on this forum btw, or any forum for that matter.
 
Welcome aboard.

I'd suggest the first roll as an experiment; so some with and some without the yellow filter. Of curse, a lot depends on the lens and lighting...

Regards, Davis
 
Interested until I went to the US distributor website. Have checked back several times, seems any product I want is always "out of stock".
Is this a real business? Do they actually sell any product?
 
I agree with David, mix it up on the first roll.

Yes, it is real. George just has a hard time keeping films in stock. Reach out to him, he is very easy to deal with.
 
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