Rollei Retro 80s learning curve

[Peter_Jones]

Just tried a roll (120) of Rollei Retro 80S an E.I.80 in Rodinal 1+50 for 14mins.

I was expecting contrast, but the shadow areas of neg are completely clear 😱 I'll have fun scanning these !

I reckon next time I will try it at E.I.50 , and maybe a bit more generous with the exposure. Might also have a go at stand or semi-stand with a weaker ratio of Rodinal.

Can this film handle the highlights if I expose very much for the shadows ? Or should I be looking to get some Diafine or similar ?

 

[Fotohuis]

Yes, Diafine or A49 is the way to go. Retro 80S and Rodinal gives a very strong S-curve and is IMO less suitable for this film. Anyhow the regular speed of Retro 80S is E.I. 50 and in Rodinal maybe iso 32.

 

[Peter_Jones]

Warning - gratuitous cat content

Warning - gratuitous cat content

Contrast will take a bit of taming, but I like this one (CZJ 120/2.8)

And it's certainly a decent film, I think I'll be experimenting a bit more with this - looks like it'll be worth the effort. (would be very sharp if the subject kept still - he's a bit skittish hence the blur) CZJ Sonnar 180/2.8 "Zebra"

 

[dave lackey]

Ah, yes, I had really good results with 80s and it was developed in D76 at my buddy's local lab.

Would love to see more images!:angel:

 

[swifty63]

I used some on an overcast day last week, one roll done in caffenol-c-h for 12min @ 20C, the other in ilfosol3 for 5 minutes. Orange filter. I like this film very much, nice tonal variation and grainless. Might need to be tamed a bit more contrast-wise under bright conditions. Shot at EI 80, Mamiya 6/50mm. You can also get a decent IR Wood Effect using an infrared filter too, shoot at EI 3.

Caffenol


Ilfosol3

 

[Peter_Jones]

Got some drying at the moment from the ETRS (in Rodinal again) - some of which were taken with an IR filter. They look good so far - I'll post a couple later if I get a chance.

Swifty63 - those images are fantastic , the second one looks more like a circuit board than architecture !

 

[sepiareverb]

That first one is stunning swifty63.

 

[Sanders McNew]

I was expecting contrast, but the shadow areas of neg are completely clear 😱 I'll have fun scanning these !

You might want to go down to EI 40 or even EI 25, and process in Diafine -- at EI 40 the shadow detail is just visible after running it through Diafine. Here's a link to a NSFW example of the combination at EI 40:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandersnyc/8393225943/in/photostream

Good luck with it.

 

[Peter_Jones]

Ignoring the cock-eyed composition, I tried it with a 3-stop red and a 720nm IR filter. Factor for the 3-stop was actually 1-stop (thanks to interweb research), and I used 5-stops for the IR (which worked out at IE 2.5)

An extra stop on the IR resulted in a rather dense neg.

All with a Bronica ETRS 75mm 2.8, Very hazy sunshine through thin cloud, film rated at a nominal EI 80, Rodinal 1+50

No filter :

Red filter :

720nm Infrared filter :

I reckon the IR side of this film may get some use this summer. Need to get hold of some Diafine though.

 

[swifty63]

Thanks Peter and sepiareverb for your comments.

Peter those look good! The third one could pass for Dracula's castle with the darkened skies, nice effect!

 

[Peter_Jones]

Works well with a red filter (only adding 1 stop of exposure to compensate)

Shadow detail on Retro 80S ?

I'm enjoying this film, and the lack of grain - seems to scan ok on my flatbed Canon.

 

[Mablo]

Martin Zimelka from S.A. has written a thorough article on Rollei 80S (and some other films as well). Recommended reading:

http://www.martinzimelka.com/pages/Rollei_Retro80s.html

 

[Underaglassbell]

XTol @ ISO 64 I think is best.

Retro films are a little odd. Kool, but definitely odd.
It's the same with the 400S, which I think only works if you shoot at 200 and pull the process. It cannot handle 400 ISO very well at all.

For me:

Retro 80S:
64 via XTol

Retro 400S
200 - I prefer XTol, but don't think it matters to much with this one owing to the pull process, more personal preference.

 

[swifty63]

I just shot another six rolls in Africa, I found that using a red filter tames the contrast somewhat and gives better shadow detail.
I reduced developing time (Ilfosol3) by 10% as I applied too large a filter factor for red.
Haven't done anything to the scans so there is some dust sorry.

 

[k__43]

I love 80s. I had a difficult start at the beginning but then I bought a 100ft roll fairly cheap and grew to it. It's also awesome for skin tones. The contrast in Rodinal indeed is very strong. If you overexpose you'll get awful problems with the highlights when you scan it, underexpose and you'll have no shadow detail at all - it's almost like slide film. The grain is unbelievable.

I love how it reacts on red filters:

Untitled by Kay__K, on Flickr