A found Orwo film - developing advices

[Laci Toth]

Hi all,

I just found this Orwo film at my friend’s house clearance.
As I use Rodinal anyway I’ll go with that but would need some suggestions about the dilution and time.
Also, should I shoot it at box speed or under or overexpose it a bit?

 

[pentaxuser]

Try this site for ideas https://filmdev.org/film/show/1074?page=1FilmDev | Recipes & dev times using Film ORWO NP20 80

pentaxuser

 

[Donald Qualls]

That's forty years out of date. Assuming room temperature storage, the usual rule of thumb is to shoot at one stop lower EI for each decade; that would bring your ISO 80 down to EI 5. If you follow this method, you might reduce fog enough to shoot at EI 20 or even 40 -- but with only one roll to work with, and that apparently a short one, you don't have a lot of room for testing.

Fifteen years ago, I'd have processed in HC-110 rather than (Pa)Rodinal, because the Kodak syrup had much better fog control -- now I'd probably one-shot some of my Xtol, add a few drops of benzotriazole solution, and use ice cubes as part of the dilution water. Processing time is still guesswork, though at 50F it's going to be a while...

 

[gorbas]

Hi all,

I just found this Orwo film at my friend’s house clearance.
As I use Rodinal anyway I’ll go with that but would need some suggestions about the dilution and time.
Also, should I shoot it at box speed or under or overexpose it a bit?

Laci, are you sure this film is in regular 35mm cassette? It looks to me more like it's in Agfa Karat cassette. 12 shots also helps that impression.
I don't remember ever seeing regular confectoned ORWO film in anything but 36 exposures rolls.
If I'm right, you will need to repackage that roll to regular cassette. All that for 12 shots of 40 years old film??? Maybe is not bad idea to just keep it as souvenir?
Donald, I was under that impression that HC is better for expired film than Rodinal. Well, I tested side by side and it's turns out to be total BS, in my books. YMMV.

 

[pentaxuser]

All good advice here Laci Have you opened the package to check to see if (A) the film has been exposed already in which case what Gorbas has said about needing to repackage will not apply. Have a go with it taking shots at EI 50 and 25 You might even try stand development. Good fun to try it out. You may get nothing with it but as long as you approach it with an "anything is a bonus" mentality then you may find the experience rewarding. Let us know how it turns out with anything you get

pentaxuser

 

[railwayman3]

Laci, are you sure this film is in regular 35mm cassette? It looks to me more like it's in Agfa Karat cassette. 12 shots also helps that impression.
I don't remember ever seeing regular confectoned ORWO film in anything but 36 exposures rolls.
If I'm right, you will need to repackage that roll to regular cassette. All that for 12 shots of 40 years old film??? Maybe is not bad idea to just keep it as souvenir?
Donald, I was under that impression that HC is better for expired film than Rodinal. Well, I tested side by side and it's turns out to be total BS, in my books. YMMV.

It's a cassette from the GDR SL cassette system, a derivative from the Agfa Karat design. See https://camerapedia.fandom.com/wiki/SL_System
These films sometimes stiil appear for sale on Ebay.

 

[gorbas]

Railwayman3 you are absolutely right! It was used in Certo camera. No idea what was difference between Agfa and ORWO variant? Never used it by myself but I did process a few rolls for school friends, just at the time when this film was fresh.

 

[Laci Toth]

Try this site for ideas https://filmdev.org/film/show/1074?page=1FilmDev | Recipes & dev times using Film ORWO NP20 80

pentaxuser

Thanks! Will have a look at!

 

[Laci Toth]

Thanks for all your advices everyone!
You’re right it’s a Karat cassette.
I found a Certo sl100 for only £4 but it lacks of the other cassette. Those which have both are too expensive for this one-off project.
I don’t think that I’ll repackage the stuff I might just keep it as a souvenir. Alternatively I keep my eyes open and get another cassette if it’s close to nothing to get it.

 

[Donald Qualls]

Lots of cameras that use the Carat system and compatible (like Minolta 16 compatibles) have been bought cheap, looted of their cassettes, and resold, often at a profit, to folks who don't know they need the special cassettes.

Honestly, I'm rather disappointed that the Carat system died -- IMO, it was no harder to load than 126, was as compatible with high optical quality cameras as the Kodak/Leica cassettes we're all familiar with, and could easily have accommodated longer rolls for those who wanted them (standard was 12, and that's fine, but there's plenty of room in those cassettes for 20 or 24, at least).

 

[AgX]

It's a cassette from the GDR SL cassette system, a derivative from the Agfa Karat design.

There were 3 such cassettes
Karat
Rapid
SL

Rapid is the successor of the Karat with added film-speed indicator. The SL is basically a plastic version of the Karat cassette, used by manufactuers in the Comecon countries.

 

[AgX]

Honestly, I'm rather disappointed that the Carat system died -- IMO, it was no harder to load than 126, was as compatible with high optical quality cameras as the Kodak/Leica cassettes we're all familiar with, and could easily have accommodated longer rolls for those who wanted them (standard was 12, and that's fine, but there's plenty of room in those cassettes for 20 or 24, at least).

The Rapid cassette (not the Karat) was Agfa's reply to Kodak's 126 cassette.
The Rapid system offers same guide and pressure features as the 135 system.
But the Rapid system lacks the fool-proofness of type 126 (Where to put te cassettes? Is a filled cassette exposed or not, they look the same?)

It is not a matter of being able to fill more film into a Rapid cassette, but of the camera.
As the film is competely pulled out of the feed cassette into the take-up cassette, there would be the chance expose on the pressure plate, thus the type Rapid/SL camera release is blocked after 12 exposures.
However there are models that start counting down at 16, not 12, exposures. One model locks the release by film-end feeler, another model even has no release lock at all. Thus still chances to feed more film int the camera...

The Rapid system was a super success in West-Germany (in sales of cameras) until finally it was skipped by Agfa in favour of type 126.
The SL cassette though lived on in the Comecon countries, as there type 126 was not implemented.

 

[bernard_L]

I found a Certo sl100 for only £4 but it lacks of the other cassette. Those which have both are too expensive for this one-off project.
I don’t think that I’ll repackage the stuff I might just keep it as a souvenir. Alternatively I keep my eyes open and get another cassette if it’s close to nothing to get it.

No need. If you have the film, you have one cassette. If the £4 Certo has one cassette, you are all set. Just the same as for 120 film: one spool comes with the film, another should be in the camera (don't ask).

 

[AgX]

Any type Rapid camera I remember having checked had the empty cassette still in it. Very few had both.