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View Full Version : Arista 400 vs. Arista II

CopperB
12-16-2009, 15:00
I picked up some rolls of Arista at Henry's last week and they gave me "Arista II" in a black box with black canister and roll inside. Is it still rebagged TriX or have they changed the film?
Morca007
12-16-2009, 17:11
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80192
Trius
12-16-2009, 17:24
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80192

Which doesn't answer the question about Arist II.
CopperB
12-16-2009, 17:37
Which doesn't answer the question about Arist II.

Exactly, thus my question. Anyone got an answer?
kxl
12-16-2009, 17:39
My understanding is that Arista II is APX400 (as reforumulated in 2003).

A quick survey of the Massive Dev chart shows identical dev times for various developers.

Of course, that's just anecdotal since I've never shot the stuff.
CopperB
12-16-2009, 17:47
Do you know if they've totally discontinued using TriX then? I'm a newbie so I'm not familiar with APX400 film. How does it compare? I've not shot any of it yet.
kxl
12-16-2009, 18:05
The rebadged Tri-X is Arista Premium, and neither of those have been discontinued.

APX 400 is actually a very nice film. If you are going to develop it yourself, just be careful with agitation, unless you like a grainy look. I actually like its tonality. Go to flickr or pbase and serach for APX 400 to see some samples.

-Keith
Trius
12-16-2009, 18:12
Except for APX 25 (long gone under the Agfa badge,) Agfa b&w films have more pronounced grain than Kodak and most Ilford. But, as stated, the tonality is really nice. Reduced or no agitation brings out the best, at least with Rodinal. I (foggily) recall that shooting APX 400 @ ~200 is more optimal, and IIRC HC-110 is a good option. XTol might be worth a try, too.
CopperB
12-16-2009, 18:32
Thanks Keith and Trius. It seems that Henry's is not carrying the premium anymore here. I will be interested to see how the II compares. I'm taking both types to the UK tomorrow. Won't know till sometime in the New Year when they're developed.
I've been shooting the Premium 400 at 200 to get better exposure with my M3. I will continue to do this with the II.
ZeissFan
12-16-2009, 18:46
I've shot a lot of this film and like it. It's easy to handle. Grain isn't out of control. Tones are very nice. Blacks render nicely -- not as heavy as HP5.

The photo at the bottom of this page (http://elekm.net/pages/cameras/balda_ce_35.htm) was shot with Arista II.
CopperB
12-17-2009, 02:10
Very nice ZeissFan. Thank you.