ADOX Silvermax + Rodinal 1:50 samples

[Girmantas]

Hi,

I would like to show you latest test photos with this new interesting film.
All shots taken in dark rooms at complicated light conditions.
Photos not edited: no sharpening, no added contrast and etc., just minimal removing dust or corrected expo in 1+ stop range.

Tech. info
Rodinal 1:50
At 20 C
12 min.
Inverted 2 times every 2 min.

Please, leave comments for discussion

http://www.flickr.com/photos/girmant...7631841396016/

Thank you and sorry for disturb

[grapejohnson]

these look fantastic!

[Girmantas]

thank you

Originally Posted by grapejohnson

these look fantastic!

[Jani_from_Finland]

Those shots look good at first glance, will return to them a little later and trying to comment on them. Thanks for sharing this with us.

[gb hill]

These photo's are wonderful. I have been using Rodinal 1+50 with 400 film & haven't liked the results with the grain. I have been thinking that Rodinal (for me) would be more suited with Pan F 50 or 100 asa film. This set of photo's with the Silvermax has reaffirmed I might be right. I see no signs of grain in these at all. BTW where is this train repair facility? I would like to share the set with a rail group I belong to. We have a local train museum with one of the last roundhouses in the Southeastern US. They would enjoy seeing these photos. Flickr has a share button where I can share to the Facebook group & it directs the viewer back to your Flickr site so you get all the credit.

[RaglanSurf]

This is a cracking set of pictures and Ill definitely be trying this new Adox film, great tones.

[Johnmcd]

I love the feel of these men working. A perfect match for the B/W medium. This is my favourite type of imagery which I hope to capture in my own 'working' shots. Beautiful tones. Great film and development combination and the grain is just right as I'm not a fan of too much grain.

Thanks for sharing the recipe and some fine images.

Cheers - John

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

They look great, but do you think this film offers anything you couldn't get from any other film? To me, the photos don't look like anything I couldn't achieve with Tmax 100 or Ilford FP4.

Silvermax is a 100 speed film that costs $6.50 a roll at Freestyle. For some reason, Freestyle has really jacked up their prices for Kodak Tmax films. They want $7.49 a roll for Tmax 100, but at most places it is still a lot less than Silvermax (B&H charges $4.50 a roll for Tmax 100). Since Tmax is cheaper and easier to get (only Freestyle sells Silvermax in the USA, everyone sells Tmax 100, even the local shop where I live), I wonder if there is a real advantage to this new Adox film?

[Turtle]

Ive not used this film, Chris, but I have used Efke PL100 and various others from the old school over the years and find the tonality very different to Tmax 100, which in turn is somewhat different to FP4+. its down to personal preference, but I far prefer these older style films. They seem to have more soul.

[rfaspen]

I clearly need to try this Adox film. I've been rather loyal to my FP4, but its getting harder to find/afford. I have long appreciated Rodinal and lament the increasing difficulty I have getting it. But, the images we can get. Of course, the Summilux helps too.

Thank you for sharing those images. Wonderful. I too (as with comment above) would like to know where these were taken.

[maxwell1295]

Wonderful set of images...

[robklurfield]

I like your images a great deal and have been considering order 10 rolls of Silvermax from Freestyle. I have to ask the same question that Chris has asked. What do you think? Price aside, does this film do something special that you can't do with other emulsions?

Originally Posted by Chriscrawfordphoto

They look great, but do you think this film offers anything you couldn't get from any other film? To me, the photos don't look like anything I couldn't achieve with Tmax 100 or Ilford FP4.

Silvermax is a 100 speed film that costs $6.50 a roll at Freestyle. For some reason, Freestyle has really jacked up their prices for Kodak Tmax films. They want $7.49 a roll for Tmax 100, but at most places it is still a lot less than Silvermax (B&H charges $4.50 a roll for Tmax 100). Since Tmax is cheaper and easier to get (only Freestyle sells Silvermax in the USA, everyone sells Tmax 100, even the local shop where I live), I wonder if there is a real advantage to this new Adox film?

[bwcolor]

Please help me. Just for argument sake, lets say that Silvermax does have a slight edge with regards to dynamic range. How would we be able to verify this when viewing a JPG image over the web? Wouldn't we need a high contrast subject, top notch scanner, operator and a perfectly exposed image which was processed in such a way as to pull out the shadows and maintain the highlights? I would think that we would need exact comparison shots from other emulsions. Lastly, to benefit from these differences, you must willing to go through all the same processing efforts. I'm guessing from the remarks above that most think that the tonality can be duplicated at a lower cost.

[SyPat]

Thanks for sharing.
At first glance, it seems that mots of your prints are a bit underexposed. If your cell is correct, 80 ISO would be better, maybee even 64 ISO.

[Tom A]

Nice looking film - it has a bit of the look that Kodak's 5231 movie stock (a movie stock formula). Also a bit like Orwo UN 54. Rodinal seems towork well with it - would be interesting to see what it would look like in Beutler or even D23.
I like the pictures, but then I have an affection for lathe's and metal working machines - although slightly smaller scale.

[robklurfield]

Just to clarify (and not to be the least bit argumentative), my own question really comes out of curiosity, not from a predetermined sense that another film can do the same thing. Frankly, I'm not sure that I could achieve the same results as the OP simply because our skills and processes are different. I'm really only asking his gut impression about whether this film is special. That said, I figure my next order from Freestyle will include a brick of this, as the images look great and he did it without springing the extra for the dedicated soup. I do agree that seeing the images over the web as jpgs isn't the same as seeing them in person, so you are certainly right on the money there.

Anyway, the bottom line is that I like what I see and I'll attribute most of that to the photographer and a little bit the gear and film, etc.

Originally Posted by bwcolor

Please help me. Just for argument sake, lets say that Silvermax does have a slight edge with regards to dynamic range. How would we be able to verify this when viewing a JPG image over the web? Wouldn't we need a high contrast subject, top notch scanner, operator and a perfectly exposed image which was processed in such a way as to pull out the shadows and maintain the highlights? I would think that we would need exact comparison shots from other emulsions. Lastly, to benefit from these differences, you must willing to go through all the same processing efforts. I'm guessing from the remarks above that most think that the tonality can be duplicated at a lower cost.

[V-12]

Very nice pictures indeed Girmantas.

The question of what can be deducted from small JPEG's is a moot point. I don't think much can be seen, just a general type of tonality typical of older classic films, which is good. And we can see that not using the recommended developer gives very acceptable results, which is also good. But we can't tell what the grain is like or how inherently sharp the film is (a lot have some movement blur, which I don't mind). So I find it frustrating that some sharpening hasn't been applied and some further post processing done to make the best of the images, and not just present them as an 'experiment', they are better than that. Giving them over for the pixel peepers isn't the thing to do imo. Always show the best of what can be done, like a top chef, and don't just throw the cooked meat into the middle of the table.

[j j]

Originally Posted by Chriscrawfordphoto

Silvermax is a 100 speed film that costs $6.50 a roll at Freestyle. For some reason, Freestyle has really jacked up their prices for Kodak Tmax films. They want $7.49 a roll for Tmax 100, but at most places it is still a lot less than Silvermax (B&H charges $4.50 a roll for Tmax 100). Since Tmax is cheaper and easier to get (only Freestyle sells Silvermax in the USA, everyone sells Tmax 100, even the local shop where I live), I wonder if there is a real advantage to this new Adox film?

So Silvermax is a cheaper film but an expensive shop has a US monopoly on supplies?

[Fotohuis]

Silvermax is a copy of the Agfa Scala 200 film, so you do not miss anything important unless you want to do inverse processing for B&W slides.
The same film is used in their cine DS8 cassettes. Cheaper alternatives are UN54, Double-X or Fomapan R100. Further you need a special developer, made by Spur, to get realy good negatives from this Silvermax film. Available in 35mm only ( of course, cine format).

[JPSuisse]

Fotohuis:
Funny you should mention that. I just ordered Acurol (from Spur) and Silvermax last week. I am very excited to try the combination.

To all you others:
I'm trying Silvermax for 3 reasons: (1) because my stock of 125PX is down to 1 roll. I have to find a replacement. As of now, I am assuming that Kodak will quit manufacturing all films except Tri-X. (2) As a real amateur, I only have limited time, and I don't want to waste it on a product that will soon be EOL (end of life.) and (3) I really want to find an old school look. No clue if this will give it to me...

And Girmantas:
Great pitchers!!

[Fotohuis]

Silvermax is a one end production. These basic materials from Agfa Gevaert are ended now.
Available in 35mm only and within a year finished in stock.

[JPSuisse]

Hmm. Ok, well that means that I can't standardize on that film... Damn, buyer be ware!

[k__43]

Originally Posted by Fotohuis

Silvermax is a one end production. These basic materials from Agfa Gevaert are ended now.
Available in 35mm only and within a year finished in stock.

nooo .. damnit. I thought this will be my goto film when APX100 isn't available anymore.
I've read that they tried a new coating process of an older APX100 formula. Damn you internet rumors.

I just tried one roll and like it very much. I shot it at 100 and developed it in a tank with APX100 in Rodinal 1+25 (I usually go 1+50, but for some reason I did that this day).
My feeling is that if you use the time for APX100 silvermax will turn out a tiny bit too thin, so I think I'd shoot it at 80 then.
BUT it will scan very well anyway because of the clear base (in regards to the shadows), I've not tried to print it.

[HHPhoto]

Originally Posted by Fotohuis

Silvermax is a one end production. These basic materials from Agfa Gevaert are ended now.
Available in 35mm only and within a year finished in stock.

That is nonsense, Robert.
Honestly, you don't do yourself a favour spreading lies on the internet about your competitors. Or about Maco.
Same with this "Kentmere = RPX" nonsense.
Yes it is one production run so far, but enough material for the next 5 years.
And then it can be evaluated whether it is financially viable to coat this film again.
And by the way, it is a very good film.
Much much better than the crap from Fotokemika with permanent QC issues you have promoted.

Cheers, Jan

[Fotohuis]

RPX 400 is a special production run by Harman for Rollei- Maco.

And if Impex has made a single production run of Silvermax 35mm for more then 5 years sales worldwide it would be a stupid action. Not for any expiration date, but pre-paid all materials for at least so many master rolls it would be a destruction of money over such a long period.

The same Silvermax is already put in cine film cassettes to have any reasonable sales of this, indeed interesting, emulsion.

If they have done a good job in estimated sales amount, you can only hope this film is sold out within maybe two years.

Putting any new film in the actual market is very risky.
Even Ilford/Harman is happy that so far they can continue their whole line of films, and I can tell you that Pan F+ is under sales pressure.