4x5 Adox CMS 20 II Pro

Miga · 2025-10-08T01:16:57-0400

Greetings, esteemed colleagues,

I’ve been trying to acquire boxes of 4×5 Adox CMS 20 II, but they’re unavailable in the U.S. and at Fotoimpex in Germany--I’ve emailed them several times without a response.

Three questions:

Does anyone know whether 4×5 production will continue?
If production has ceased, would anyone be interested in signing a letter asking Adox to resume it? (Wishful thinking, but with ~100 signatures we might persuade them to run a few more batches.)
If anyone has a few boxes they don’t plan to use, please let me know—I’m happy to purchase them.

Warm Regards,

Miga

mshchem · 2025-10-08T01:23:06-0400

Pretty sure this film is done.

halfaman · 2025-10-08T01:36:09-0400

The film was produced by Agfa Gevaert and they have ceased this and any other microfilm production, so there is nothing to say to Adox. CMS 20 is a film on its way to extintion.

koraks · 2025-10-08T02:24:32-0400

Welcome aboard @Miga, we're happy to have you with us on the forum!

Just a little heads up:

Miga said:
If anyone has a few boxes they don’t plan to use, please let me know—I’m happy to purchase them.

For ads, including 'want to buy', we have our Classifieds section. We try to keep anything related to sales limited to that part of the forum.

loccdor · 2025-10-08T02:52:28-0400

They cancelled it just as I was discovering it. Their recommended replacement is HR-50/Scala 50. However it does have a little more grain and isn't available in 4x5 either.

There is some Fuji Acros 4x5 available on eBay.

Hassasin · 2025-10-08T03:22:41-0400

Is it just me or has Adox been very quiet lately about anything people keep asking about ?

I think, given past responses from Adox, there is no way to persuade them to make a product, nor resume anything they used to make. I just continue to hope 120 will come back, one day.

koraks · 2025-10-08T04:05:38-0400

Hassasin said:
Is it just me or has Adox been very quiet lately about anything people keep asking about ?

From my end it looks like they periodically are more active in answering questions, then they probably need to focus on other things again and public communications subside for a while.
I can also imagine they need to muster up the inspiration to answer the same questions again. After all, it's pretty much the same things that are being asked, and the answers always remain pretty much the same.

When is MCC going to come back? It'd be too expensive for people, so we don't make it.
When is Polywarmtone going to hit the market? You can buy the emulsion, but for the paper, see above.
When are you going to make a sheet film version of film xyz? Market demand is low so we can't justify the cost.
When is 120 coming back? We're working on our equipment and we occasionally get a run through, but it's challenging to keep patching up machinery from Agfa's glory days and to find qualified techs to work on this.

Ultimately, it boils down to pretty much the same rationale: the fact that people are asking doesn't mean overall market demand is sufficient, and on the supply & manufacturing side, costs have risen sharply over the past few years, which makes matters more difficult.

Hassasin · 2025-10-08T04:15:18-0400

koraks said:
From my end it looks like they periodically are more active in answering questions, then they probably need to focus on other things again and public communications subside for a while.
I can also imagine they need to muster up the inspiration to answer the same questions again. After all, it's pretty much the same things that are being asked, and the answers always remain pretty much the same.

When is MCC going to come back? It'd be too expensive for people, so we don't make it.
When is Polywarmtone going to hit the market? You can buy the emulsion, but for the paper, see above.
When are you going to make a sheet film version of film xyz? Market demand is low so we can't justify the cost.
When is 120 coming back? We're working on our equipment and we occasionally get a run through, but it's challenging to keep patching up machinery from Agfa's glory days and to find qualified techs to work on this.

Ultimately, it boils down to pretty much the same rationale: the fact that people are asking doesn't mean overall market demand is sufficient, and on the supply & manufacturing side, costs have risen sharply over the past few years, which makes matters more difficult.

I can appreciate samo samo not being the easy one to follow up on. Yet a few things, 120 I think especially, cold use some regular "updates" otherwise it (by now) seems like they have actually given up on the issue. If they've been working on a solution, then there ought to be something to tell us about, whether it's a failure again, or something else. Given the time it's been since last 120 production run, I would expect a decision by now, it's either the fight is still on, or no, we will no longer offer it.

I may be asking for too much, but given the questions asked regularly and not being addressed at all is concerning: are they giving up, are they changing core business strategy, or are they still into making film long term. Outside of 35mm I don't see much offered anymore in other formats, and they used to have full range of sheet film in stock most of the time.

Hassasin · 2025-10-08T04:17:30-0400

mshchem said:
Pretty sure this film is done.

CMS 20 is still offered in 35mm. that would not indicate extinction, unless what they have in stock is old stuff never to be coated again.

Hassasin · 2025-10-08T04:19:10-0400

Miga said:
Greetings, esteemed colleagues,

I’ve been trying to acquire boxes of 4×5 Adox CMS 20 II, but they’re unavailable in the U.S. and at Fotoimpex in Germany--I’ve emailed them several times without a response.

Three questions:

Does anyone know whether 4×5 production will continue?

If production has ceased, would anyone be interested in signing a letter asking Adox to resume it? (Wishful thinking, but with ~100 signatures we might persuade them to run a few more batches.)

If anyone has a few boxes they don’t plan to use, please let me know—I’m happy to purchase them.

Warm Regards,

Miga

For whatever reason, as much as I always thought of Adox as responsive to inquires, I've always had long wait times to any email I sent them, some related to actual in-stock items for immediate purchase but requiring clarification.

halfaman · 2025-10-08T04:52:07-0400

Hassasin said:
CMS 20 is still offered in 35mm. that would not indicate extinction, unless what they have in stock is old stuff never to be coated again.

No need to speculate. Check Adox statement.

Adox CMS 20 II Availability in US

Hello, I've been reading about Adox CMS 20 II after seeing the results would like to try it but it seems to be sold out everywhere in the US. I'm wondering if it has been discontinued? Thanks,

www.photrio.com

Hassasin · 2025-10-08T06:18:12-0400

halfaman said:
No need to speculate. Check Adox statement.

Adox CMS 20 II Availability in US

Hello, I've been reading about Adox CMS 20 II after seeing the results would like to try it but it seems to be sold out everywhere in the US. I'm wondering if it has been discontinued? Thanks,

www.photrio.com

Thanks for that. It would not kill Adox to have a decent update section on their website, avoid all the nagging here or anywhere about what's going on, this or anything else. There is some, but to illustrate just plain sloppiness

HERE

they announce the return of 120, NO YEAR given of that post, just time and day/month stamp. It's a simple setting to make it time stamped properly, and it goes a long way. It's funny how they post about something that took place 2 years ago, but no year of the post to have a clue what that means.

Anyways, I hope Adox remains committed to making film in all formats and they will get that 120 and sheet film side going again. It's a good competition to have and they do good film.

Andrew O'Neill · 2025-10-08T09:25:45-0400

The last I heard from Adox about CMS 20 II, was that they will be cutting the last master roll into 35mm strips, and that is it. No 120. No 4x5. I have one box left, and will treat it like the couple of boxes of HIE that I have...

retina_restoration · 2025-10-08T10:13:41-0400

Miga said:
Greetings, esteemed colleagues,

I’ve been trying to acquire boxes of 4×5 Adox CMS 20 II, but they’re unavailable in the U.S. and at Fotoimpex in Germany--I’ve emailed them several times without a response.

Three questions:

Does anyone know whether 4×5 production will continue?

If production has ceased, would anyone be interested in signing a letter asking Adox to resume it? (Wishful thinking, but with ~100 signatures we might persuade them to run a few more batches.)

If anyone has a few boxes they don’t plan to use, please let me know—I’m happy to purchase them.

Warm Regards,

Miga

CMS 20 is gone — finished. You can ask all you want, but it won't come back.
Now about CHS 100 II.... I've been watching and hoping for the return of it in sheet film sizes, but there's precious little information about it happening, if indeed it ever will. It seems to appear only as 120 and 35mm once or twice a year in short runs, but what I am really hoping for is to buy it in 8x10 size. I'm not going to hold my breath, though.

4x5 Adox CMS 20 II Pro

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Adox CMS 20 II Availability in US

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