Rollei 120 films

[Janz]

Hi,

I've recently acquired a Rolleicord model III (s/n 1326500) and im looking for some film. I had a look at my usual dealers website for 120 film, and noticed they stock lots of Rollei 120 film, and it's real cheap (for being sweden) about 5 USD a roll. But theirs so many of them, about seven different kinds. I was wondering what kind of experience you have with these films? is their one that's better then the rest? one that really stands out? one I should avoid and what developers suit them the best? Im currently using rodinal but im getting some D76 soon (for my tri-x).

 

[Bill Clark]

It depends what you're making pictures of, lighting and how large of a print you anticipate you'll make.

I use low to medium speed films, with TMAX 100 from Kodak or Pan F Plus from Ilford or Fuji Acros.

I have to confess that I'm cheap, not wanting to spend a lot of money to start out. So maybe think about what you want to photograph and try different stuff.

Haven't used Rollei films as I have plenty!

D-76 is a fine developer but I have gotten on board with Rodinal with working solution of 1 plus 100 then develop for 1 hour.

Check out stand development here:

http://jbhildebrand.com/2011/tutorials/workflow-tutorial-2-stand-development-with-rodinal/

I have been doing this for a long time and I still look for different ways to develop film! Makes me smile as I have fun with film photography!

 

[Dana B.]

Not sure about the Rollei film, because it's expensive here. For descriptions of each film type, you might go to http://www.freestylephoto.biz/.

I've found Tri-X and D-76 or HC-110 to be a winning combination.

 

[msbarnes]

Not sure about the Rollei film, because it's expensive here. For descriptions of each film type, you might go to http://www.freestylephoto.biz/.

I've found Tri-X and D-76 or HC-110 to be a winning combination.

Yeah, it is pricier and so I have never tried it.

I hope someone can chime in and share their experiences...but if I were you, I'd give it a shot.

 

[S.H.]

I like the RPX400 very much. Tried with LC29, I will also try D76.

 

[Jan Pedersen]

The Rollei branded film is just that, a rebranded film made by who? i don't know but if you can find that information you can almost certainly buy the same film for less.

People buy the film because of the famous name but there are only a few companies left that makes film and Rollei is no one of them.

 

[robbeiflex]

Stick with the RPX100 and RPX400 if you are just starting out. These are regular panchromatic films, a bit lower in quality than the Ilford and Kodak equivalents, more like the quality and price point of Ilford's Kentmere brand. However, they have consistently good quality though, unlike Foma where in the past I had rolls with flaws in them.

Many of the Rollei's are ortho, or repackaged aerial, traffic radar camera, and other weird films, especially the Retros with the S at the end. Older internet information mentions that Retro 400 and Retro 100 were repackaged Agfa films, but this is not the case for the S versions. These films will require very precise exposure and development, and therefore much experimentation, to get good results. Not that I have a problem with other people doing that, but personally I don't have the time. I did such an experiment with their Superpan 200, which has extremely fine grain and some infrared sensitivity. I quite like that film now for specific uses, but it took many rolls to figure out how to expose and develop it. Now that I have two kids it will be a while until I have the time to experiment in the same way again.

Cheers,
Rob

 

[joeswe]

I would say, it depends on how experienced you are with b&w film and home development and if you mind a longer learning curve. Most of the Rollei films are basically materials made for aerial photography produced by Agafa Gevaert in Belgium confectioned by Rollei for general photography use and are finicky as such. Their spectral response is different to that of "normal" photographic material, the PET base is quite prone to light piping, the real world speed is something you will have to determine with your own tests and it is delicate in that it reacts quite sensitive to variations in exposure and development. I personally didn't find the material exciting enough to make up for the drawbacks and gave up on it after some frustrating tests.

While I am sure it can produce great results in the hands of a experienced photog I wouldn't recommend this kind of material to a beginner or someone who doesn't have the nerve to test out materials carefully. The only exception would be the Rollei RPX100/400 films, which are rebranded Kentmere products. These are not produced as specialty/scientific materials, but as films for general/pictorial photography and as such are much more forgiving. There are such wonderful materials available from Kodak, Ilford and others that I don't see a point in messing around with aerial photography material unless one is interested in the special properties the material has.

 

[analogangler]

I just ran some of the Rollei/Agfa Retro 80 S and Infrared film last week - but still waiting for it to get back from the lab (hope to start processing myself soon but current living situation doesn't allow for that...). One thing in noticed is that the backing paper on the Retro is much thicker than Fujifilm Acros 100 - which has been my go-to B&W film for some time. The Retro 80 S is sensitive into the infra red as well - down to 750nm I believe. I shot some with and without a #29 Red filter to see how it works.

I found this page useful when trying to find out more about the film: http://www.martinzimelka.com/pages/Rollei_Retro80s.html

According to B&H the film is made by Maco, who I believe are based in Germany. Website here: http://www.mahn.net/Frameset.htm

Regards,

-analogangler

 

[Janz]

Thanks for all the information, I'll try the RPX100/400 especially if it's Kentmere rebranded, I shoot the 35mm version. I am a beginner when it comes to home developing but I've gotten some decent results. Maybe i'll venture into the world of special films one day, but i'll stick to the tested and tried.

 

[sevo]

The Rollei branded film is just that, a rebranded film made by who?

Gevaert, old Agfa, Efke, in the past Filmotec (Orwo) and some more. The company behind it does not make film, and never has. But they are reasonably credible as a distributor of black and white products. Maco - a German lab chemistry maker and distributor for many decades - bought the rights to use the Rollei name for film and lab products after one of the many times Rollei (who've been falling apart incrementally for more than thirty years by now) declared themselves bankrupt...

 

[Peter_Jones]

I have used some of these films :-

Rollei retro 80 S , very fine grain, works well with filters (1/2 stop for orange, only 1 stop for red) and even has some infrared sensitivity (meter for ISO 3 approx for a 720nM filter). I like this film, develops well with Rodinal.

Retro 400S - better grain in rodinal than HP5, much more contrasty. Same comments as above re filters.

Both the above seem to be rebranded Agfa Aviophot film. Red filters seem to tame the contrast (contrary to expectations), as does rating the 400 as a 200 and developing accordingly. 80S good with stand dev.

IR400S : again, best rated at 200 - can be grainy, but I use Rodinal so that's to be expected.

For infrared I prefer the 80S on a sturdy tripod - practically no grain 🙂

"Digibase 200CR Slide" - also branded as Lomography and Crossbird - colour E6 film, with a strange colour palate - not my cup of tea - results look a bit like badly stored kodachrome. (1950s colours with a "warm" cast) - probably suited to it's suggested use as a cross-process film.

All the above have a clear film base, which (with the B&W films) goes on the spiral easily, and has a surprising red wine colour to the dev when poured out 🙂 - be careful about strong light when loading/unloading as light can easily ruin a couple of frames as it pipes through the film base like a fibreoptic.

Retro 80S has become a favourite, but watch the contrast.

 

[Fotohuis]

Rollei S emulsions, Synthetic, are coming from Agfa Gevaert, Belgium. The RPX films are exclusivly made by Harman/Ilford for Rollei-Maco. Their CN200 C41 film is also coming from Gevaert and the CR200 E6 is RSX II 200 Agfa emulsion, even coated before 2006 in Leverkusen.

The new Ortho 25 is a product from ORWO Filmotec. Previous these special films were made by Efke/Fotokemika in Croatia but they stopped all production since August 2012.

Atp1,1 a kind of microfilm: Agfa Gevaert.
The special developers ATP-DC and the RPX-D are made by SPUR, good products however a bit expensive.
Rollei Low Speed and Rollei Low Contrast are products from CG, recepts from U Raffay a famous German chemist.

Rollei High Speed was coming from Amaloco the Netherlands (AM74) but Amaloco stopped the production in Holland. Now it is an improved formulae sold under Rollei High Speed -DC (Double Concentrated) or D74 in 330ml softpack. Less toxid too and it is a very interesting developer which can be used from 1+15 till 1+20 even in rotary development.

Conclusion: An interesting product range with relativly cheaper products, at least in Europe and a good quality range. BTW. their Rollei Vintage photo papers are coming from Foma, Czech Republic, they have more then excellent photo papers.

 

[Dominic Talvola]

i use tmax. for me its the best in tones. the rollei 120mm films are interesting but for me not consistant. i felt like i was risking shots with the rollie film, tmax is a solid film. this is a foto shot with kodak tmax 400, developed in d76 1+1.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dominictalvola/9662270550/in/set-72157627740830922

but the most important thing is just to stick with 1 film and make it happpen. work it. hahaha. different strokes for different folks.

 

[mfogiel]

I think, that when starting out, you should really stick to something, that will minimize your errors in exposure and development. Choose 1 100 ISO film and 1 400 ISO film, and use them for a while without jumping to try everything. Get HP5+ and FP4+ or Tri X and RPX100, develop both in D76 1+1 for a couple of years, and then you might be ready to experiment more.
As a general rule, use HP5+ or Tri X when you need the speed, or when you DO NOT want maximum sharpness ( portraiture )or when you shoot in very contrasty light, use FP4+ or RPX 100, when you WANT maximum sharpness, when you shoot in dull light on a tripod, or when you want to shoot portraits wide open, and cannot use a faster film, as you would overexpose. Final advice: shoot everything at 2/3 box speed and develop 20% shorter.
I suggest the following source for supplies - I am using them, and they are reliable:
http://www.macodirect.de/.
If you buy in lots of 10, both Ilford films cost EUR 3.99 per roll,
the alternative, Tri X and RPX100 are respectively 4.09 EUR and 3.33 EUR per roll if you buy in lots of 5.
For the developer, buy 1 gallon (3.8 liters) packs of D76 and 8 Grolsch beers in 0.45l bottles with swing caps. Drink the beer and wash the bottles, dilute D76, fill the bottles to the brink, tap and store in a dark cool place. When you develop, use a 2 roll tank ( mine has 900ml capacity, but if yours is a little bigger, it does not matter, just adjust slightly longer the development time).
Take a look on flickr at work of Sanders Mc New or byfer (Fernando Ocana) for inspiration - they both mainly shoot 6x6 Rolleiflex cameras.
Have lot's of fun ! Ah , I was forgetting..., make sure, you buy a lens shade for your Rolleicord !

Here's a Rolleiflex snap in Tri X:


MF20110407 by mfogiel, on Flickr

 

[haempe]

I've started using RPX400 instead of HP5+ for less important things to save a few cents per roll. Works as far. I expose and develop it as HP5+ in TMaxDev and Xtol and haven't noticed a significant lesser IQ or something what bothers me. But I will continue to use HP5+ as my standard film for 400 ISO, mainly because I don't trust Maco in terms of long-time availability of their products.

Follow mfogiels advice, this will give you a good start with 120.
Ok, beside the fact you shouldn't store chemicals in beer bottles or other foods-containers, especially if you have shameless friends which come to your home to plunder your beer-stock...