Best B&W Film Reversal Kit: Foma, Adox Scala, or Bellini

[Angarian]

Are tech films available today for me to try?

The easiest way is to buy ADOX CMS 20 II (based on Agfa HDP microfilm), SPUR Orthopan UR (also Agfa HDP, but an earlier version), and SPUR DSX (Agfa Copex Rapid microfilm). All available at Fotoimpex.

 

[miha]

ADOX HR-50 with "SPEED BOOST" to be released at Photokina

ADOX HR-50 is based on an emulsion commonly available for technical purposes, featuring an ultrafine grain and superpanchromatical sensitization. ADOX HR-50 is especially suitable for street and landscape photography. In Portratit photography we recomend our dedicated HR-50 developer. ADOX...

www.photrio.com

(the very first sentence)

 

[Angarian]

ADOX HR-50 with "SPEED BOOST" to be released at Photokina

ADOX HR-50 is based on an emulsion commonly available for technical purposes, featuring an ultrafine grain and superpanchromatical sensitization. ADOX HR-50 is especially suitable for street and landscape photography. In Portratit photography we recomend our dedicated HR-50 developer. ADOX...

www.photrio.com

(the very first sentence)

Please see my explanation in my postings above.
I have used enough real technical films (in the correct original terminology) and pictorial halftone films over the decades to ensure you that SCALA 50 / HR-50 is definitely not based on technical films like microfilm, copy film, sound film etc.

 

[Alessandro Serrao]

Are tech films available today for me to try?

Maybe this https://www.fotoimpex.com/films/spur-ultra-r-800-13536.html?pn=180
Or this https://www.fotoimpex.com/films/spur-dsx-13536-iso-5018.html?pn=180
Or even those (traffic surveillance films) https://www.macodirect.de/en/film/traffic-surveillanve-films/
Also the new Ferrania P33 and Ferrania Orto would be interesting to try.

 

[miha]

Please see my explanation in my postings above.
I have used enough real technical films (in the correct original terminology) and pictorial halftone films over the decades to ensure you that SCALA 50 / HR-50 is definitely not based on technical films like microfilm, copy film, sound film etc.

Are you ADOX?

 

[Ivo Stunga]

The easiest way is to buy ADOX CMS 20 II (based on Agfa HDP microfilm), SPUR Orthopan UR (also Agfa HDP, but an earlier version), and SPUR DSX (Agfa Copex Rapid microfilm). All available at Fotoimpex.

20II is on my list of films to try out - Spur wasn't - adding it now, thanks I'm a bit masochistic and want to try to reverse all emulsion types.

Maybe this https://www.fotoimpex.com/films/spur-ultra-r-800-13536.html?pn=180
Or this https://www.fotoimpex.com/films/spur-dsx-13536-iso-5018.html?pn=180
Or even those (traffic surveillance films) https://www.macodirect.de/en/film/traffic-surveillanve-films/
Also the new Ferrania P33 and Ferrania Orto would be interesting to try.

I've shot a couple of rolls of P30 and quite dig it! Here are my results with it - still some fine-tuning to do and one roll left.
Didn't know about traffic films lol. The specs and latitude surely sounds nice for URBEX on paper! But seeing the Agfa logo - just another Aviphot repackaging?

 

[loccdor]

20II is on my list of films to try out

Don't wait long, if you haven't heard it's being discontinued and the remaining supply will only be available at Fotoimpex.

 

[Angarian]

Are you ADOX?

No, of course not.
But I have contacted them and asked whether my explanation is correct.

 

[Angarian]

But seeing the Agfa logo - just another Aviphot repackaging?

Yes, it is Agfa Aviphot Pan 200. That film is still used by many counties in Germany for traffic surveillance (red-light, speed-limits).
Please don't ask why I know that.......

 

[Ivo Stunga]

Ok, I can ignore this then as I've shot plenty Aviphot 200 with Rollei Analog branding.

 

[Ivo Stunga]

Don't wait long, if you haven't heard it's being discontinued and the remaining supply will only be available at Fotoimpex.

Oh. Can you share source of the news?

Or maybe it's better I don't touch the Dead Man Walking as not to be overly sorry for its departure.

 

[1957ExaktaVarexIIa]

My goal is to project the slides, not scan them. I’m interested in hearing about user experiences, including which films you used with these kits and how the results compared.

I have the same goal. Black-and-white slides are really beautiful to look at .

After having used Tetenal and Foma kits back in the 90s and afterwards (with at times good, at times bad results) I took a long break and re-started in 2022, but this time with a process that a guy named Friedemann Wachsmuth has set up around 2010.

Friedemann has described it in here (please be sure to read carefully, and to read all the comments also - sorry that it's in German, but maybe Deepl translator might help) and has made a video clip about it, including English subtitles.

• From the beginning on I was surprised that I got good results.
• Reading carefully the text has helped me a lot to understand what's going on during the process steps and to solve problems especially with permanganate bleaching.
• Sure, so far I have not yet got such astonishing beautiful results as with Agfa Scala films and processing in professional laboratories back in around 2000/2005. But as for now, professional laboratories would be too expensive for me (15 € each film). Developping in Friedemann's process costs about 1,- € each film . And I'm sure I will get even better results as long as I keep experimenting. For those experiments with short film clips are pretty cheap and easy .
• Mostly I have used Fomapan R100 (30,5 meters). It can be used as an ISO 100/21° film. But also as an ISO 400/27° film. I also have made a test clip with ISO 50 / 18°, but not yet developed it.
• I got similar good results with old Agfapan APX 100 (from 2007 or so).
• And good results also with Rollei Infrared 400 (30,5 meters) - very nice.
• I have made a first test clip with Ilford Delta 3200 (just being curious), it worked more or less, but with emulsion problems - so I need to make further tests.
• Kodak Tri-X Pan should work, as Friedemann wrote, with ISO 200/24°. I have made a test clip with ISO 400 / 27°, but not yet developed it.

In the medium-term it might be difficult to get the Tetenal developers that Friedemann has used. But I think it might be possible to use his process with other developers, too.
Friedemann suggests to use those who do not work too "soft", in order to get good contrasts.

Michael

 

[loccdor]

Oh. Can you share source of the news?

Or maybe it's better I don't touch the Dead Man Walking as not to be overly sorry for its departure.

The source is the Adox person here on this forum: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/adox-cms-20-ii-availability-in-us.205962/post-2784975

 

[Team ADOX]

But I have contacted them and asked whether my explanation is correct.

Thanks for contacting us.
Yes, your explanation is indeed correct. Both your explanation of the terminology and historic use of the term, and your description that the film we are using for the Speed Boost technology in SCALA 50 and HR-50 has been originally designed for pictorial use and real halftone reproduction.
That in our product description technical applications for this film material are mentioned has just the simple reason that this film is really very versatile and flexible, can also be used for several more technical applications, and has an excellent "track record" and "career" in certain more technical applications (including protecting human lifes). It has been intensively used in that field. But that of course does not change the fact that this film gives excellent results in pictorial photography with wonderful halftones.

 

[Henning Serger]

My goal is to project the slides, not scan them. I’m interested in hearing about user experiences, including which films you used with these kits and how the results compared.

Thank you.

I've used quite a lot of different films for BW reversal in the past. But I've now concentrated on
- ADOX SCALA 160 (I have still enough of it for several years in my fridge)
- ADOX SCALA 50 (meanwhile my main used BW reversal film).
Both film types are processed in the SCALA reversal process.

AFAIK you know the SCALA 160 well, so I will explain my results with SCALA 50:
- outstanding brillance and tonality in projection
- excellent highlight detail (better compared to all other BW reversal films I have used so far)
- wonderful deep blacks
- best detail rendition (sharpness, resolution, fineness of grain) of all medium speed BW reversal films I've used so far
- projected 35mm transparencies look like medium format (my Zeiss Milvus lenses, the Leica Super-Colorplan in my my Leica Pradovit PC projecter in combination with this film are an absolute dream combination).

For a quick, rough impression below snapshots from the phone through a loupe:

 

[Henning Serger]

Another one:

 

[Henning Serger]

 

[Henning Serger]

 

[Henning Serger]

 

[loccdor]

Excellent, you've made me want to take out Scala 50 as my next film...

 

[Henning Serger]

Portraits of Ukrainian artist Dasha.
In real life under the loupe and in projection the quality is of course in a different league compared to these phone snapshots.
But I think they give you at least a certain impression what the film is capable of.

Best regards,
Henning

 

[Henning Serger]

Excellent, you've made me want to take out Scala 50 as my next film...

Thanks !

This film is definitely one of the "hidden pearls" on the market. And it can not only deliver outstanding quality, but is also very attractively priced. Excellent price-performance ratio.

Best regards,
Henning

 

[Ivo Stunga]

100% - a brilliant film that can be used for IR too, making it simply my fave
Have bought some bulk rolls of it (all long gone), will buy some more!



URBEX LV by Ivo Stunga, on Flickr


H by Ivo Stunga, on Flickr

Looks like I could try it in Scala kit to see how it compares to Ilford Reversal.

 

[miha]

I have the same goal. Black-and-white slides are really beautiful to look at .

After having used Tetenal and Foma kits back in the 90s and afterwards (with at times good, at times bad results) I took a long break and re-started in 2022, but this time with a process that a guy named Friedemann Wachsmuth has set up around 2010.

Friedemann has described it in here (please be sure to read carefully, and to read all the comments also - sorry that it's in German, but maybe Deepl translator might help) and has made a video clip about it, including English subtitles.

• From the beginning on I was surprised that I got good results.

Thank you, Michael, for sharing your experience. I'll read the Friedemann article with great interest. I don't think I'll go down the route of mixing the chemicals on my own, I'll opt for the pre-made kits instead.

 

[miha]

View attachment 208033

ADOX HR-50 is based on an emulsion commonly available for technical purposes, featuring an ultrafine grain and superpanchromatical sensitization.
ADOX HR-50 is especially suitable for street and landscape photography.
In Portratit photography we recomend our dedicated HR-50 developer.
ADOX modifys this film from the master roll and confections it to 35mm, 120 and sheets

The terminology of "technical" films is used for film types like microfilms (main original use was for written text and explosive drawings in high-contrast black-white rendition - like the microfiche sheets for parts used in the car industry), copy films or also for sound films for the movie industry.
The film base ADOX is using is neither a micro, nor a copy, nor a sound film.
Therefore it is not a technical film.

Aerial photography is different, as it is a pictorial use, in which photos with halftones are needed.
And SCALA 50 / HR-50 can give amazing halftones.
And for projection it is currently the best BW film available.

Thanks for contacting us.
Yes, your explanation is indeed correct. Both your explanation of the terminology and historic use of the term, and your description that the film we are using for the Speed Boost technology in SCALA 50 and HR-50 has been originally designed for pictorial use and real halftone reproduction.
That in our product description technical applications for this film material are mentioned has just the simple reason that this film is really very versatile and flexible, can also be used for several more technical applications, and has an excellent "track record" and "career" in certain more technical applications (including protecting human lifes). It has been intensively used in that field. But that of course does not change the fact that this film gives excellent results in pictorial photography with wonderful halftones.

Ok guys, make up your mind. I would suggest starting a new thread if you'd like to discuss this interesting topic further.