Acros wisdom

[weasel]

I just ordered some Acros 120. I have never shot this, and am looking for any advice, recommendations, any sort of general wisdom. And yes, I did a search and read quite a bit.

 

[sanking]

I just ordered some Acros 120. I have never shot this, and am looking for any advice, recommendations, any sort of general wisdom. And yes, I did a search and read quite a bit.

Fuji Acros is the best ASA 100 film in the world IMO, although T-MAX 100 and Ilford FP4+ are also very nice.

Try it in Pyrocat-HD 1:1:100 with minimal agitation for about 12-14 minutes at 72F. Agitate for the first minute, and thereafter every two or three minutes fo ten seconds.

With a top quality MF camera it is possible to make prints from Acros negatives that equal or beat 4X5 with any ASA 200 or 400 film. With a camera like Mamiya 7 this combination equals or beats 4X5 even with another film of the same ASA.

Sandy

 

[RoBBo]

Rodinal is absolutely beautiful with what it does to this film.
This really is the most beautiful combination I've ever used.
I just got some in 4x5 today, and am tossing around getting some 8x10, I guess if I ever wanted to pretend my 20x24s were contact prints, that would work out well enough eh?

 

[weasel]

What kind of ei are you getting?

 

[PhotoJim]

With a top quality MF camera it is possible to make prints from Acros negatives that equal or beat 4X5 with any ASA 200 or 400 film. With a camera like Mamiya 7 this combination equals or beats 4X5 even with another film of the same ASA.

Of course, imagine how delicious Acros in 4x5 must be.

 

[Richard Wasserman]

I've been using quite a bit of Acros/Pyrocat lately and rate it at 64EI. It's a very nice combination.

Richard Wasserman

 

[kapro]

I have wonderful experience with Prescysol and DiXactol. The best from all 100ASA films in these developers.

 

[PhotoBob]

I started using Acros 100 last summer and just love the stuff. I use sheet film so it isn't available to the best of my knowledge here in Canada.
Not sure what it is like in other formats.
It is a great film and processes well in HC-110b for me.

 

[Travis Nunn]

Far and away my favorite film. I use it in Sprint developer for 9 1/2 minutes. Love it!

 

[dpurdy]

It is my 120 film of choice as well. It has a beautifully clean look to me. It will hold up really well to the accutance developers. I have come from using it in Beutlers to now using it with Rodinal. In Rodinal the whites seems to have a glow. I have tested it out at ei 25 and it works really well for long scale images. I have also used PMK with it and it works just fine. I do wish it was in single sheet 4x5 as I can't bring myself to pay the ready load price. It has very little reciprocity failure. I shoot it at 50 or 64 depending on the day. In the studio for portraits I shoot it at 64 and processed in Xtol stock it is flattering to skin tone and quite rich in shadow detail.
here is an example processed in Xtol in studio:
http://dennispurdy.com/Portraits/Adie.html

 

[RoBBo]

I started using Acros 100 last summer and just love the stuff. I use sheet film so it isn't available to the best of my knowledge here in Canada.
Not sure what it is like in other formats.
It is a great film and processes well in HC-110b for me.

Megaperls!
That's all I've got to say.

 

[PhotoJim]

I'm really tempted to make an order from Megaperls... they have some interesting films.

 

[Buster6X6]

Best 100 ASA film as Sandy said earlier. Only film I use now ,120 in B&H is only $2.60 a roll. Dead Link Removed have 4X5 and 8X10 and Dirk is very easy to deal with. The prices went up but I think Fuji Acros is well worth it.
Beautiful stuff in Pyro and Rodinal.

Greg

 

[JLP]

Why not just buy it from Badger Graphics right here in the US. They have it in both 4x5 and 8x10


jan

 

[weasel]

For the last year or so I have been using Barry Thorntons' version of divided d23, and have been real happy with the results- on roll film. I don't know how it will work with the Acros.
I tried pyrocat at one point, as well Hutchins' pyro formula, but never got the results that others have.
The pyrocat I only used on roll film, at the time shooting hp5. The problem I had was if I developed to get enough contrast in low contrast scenes, it would be way too contrasty for higher contrast scenes. It would work well if the scenes were all the same on the roll, and I could adjust the process accordingly, but with roll film that is not frequently the case for me. I went through one batch, but never messed with it after that, so my experience is very limited.
The pyro I used on 4X5, and honestly, I could not see a difference in my final prints from using other developers.No epiphanies as it were, but I am all ears.

 

[Iwagoshi]

Fuji Acros is the best ASA 100 film in the world IMO, although T-MAX 100 and Ilford FP4+ are also very nice.
With a top quality MF camera it is possible to make prints from Acros negatives that equal or beat 4X5 with any ASA 200 or 400 film. With a camera like Mamiya 7 this combination equals or beats 4X5 even with another film of the same ASA.

Sandy

Whoa!! Film Fanboy?!! I didn't know they existed.

Actually I'm in JP vacationing and just shot 8 rolls of 120 Fuji Neopan, (5) Presto and (3) Acros, first time user. I love using it--the small things like the peel and stick wrap-tape (no-licking), the easy open rolls (no fingernails) the searated perfect sized film memos for my 6006 magazines--but I have no idea how this film will turn out. My intent is to use HC-110B when I get home (that's what I've been using for TMX, TMY,FP4). Thank you for the insight into this film.

Anyone have a recommended HC-110b dev time (with CPP2 and a 5-min pre-wash)?

Terry

 

[Andrew Moxom]

btw, Calumet has ACROS in 120 for $2.59 per roll and Neopan 400 120 film for 2.59 per roll. The cheapest by far in the US.
I do have to side with the fols that have tried this film with rodinal 1:50 It just gives superb results. I did try it in Pyrocat HD, and was not impressed. Grain was minimal as I expected, but the film just did not seem sharp as a result. As Sandy suggested, I used the ACROS pyro combination shot from a Mamiya 6 MF camera whose lenses are just phenomenal. I could just not get along with pyro for this film. Now for Neopan 400, that is another story. Pyrocat HD and Neopan 400 are a match made in heaven!!!

 

[WarEaglemtn]

Two questions here. What is it a bout Acros that has Sandy King using it over FP4+ and the others?

Then, is it available in 5x7, 4x10 and 5x12 sizes? I don't see it at Badger in these sizes?

 

[Andrew Moxom]

Badger has it in 4x5 only.... Quickloads, and regular 20 sheet boxes. ACROS 120 film is cheapest at Calumet.

 

[Justin Cormack]

Two questions here. What is it a bout Acros that has Sandy King using it over FP4+ and the others?

Then, is it available in 5x7, 4x10 and 5x12 sizes? I don't see it at Badger in these sizes?

Its available in half plate but not 5x7 (half plate holders are not hard to find), also 4x5 and 8x10, but nothing else.

 

[ntenny]

Best 100 ASA film as Sandy said earlier.

It's a T-grain emulsion, right? If I'm one of those people who don't like TMAX, should I give Acros a try anyway?

-NT

 

[vet173]

It's a T-grain emulsion, right? If I'm one of those people who don't like TMAX, should I give Acros a try anyway?

-NT

I wouldn't gag an enemy with T-max, but love Acros.

 

[Peter De Smidt]

In my experience, Acros and TMX are very similar, except that Acros has better reciprocity characteristics. If a film has inappropriate contrast, then it's developed wrong. If it lacks shadow detail, then it is exposed wrong. Many people blame a film for these things when it's really their fault.

 

[sanking]

Two questions here. What is it a bout Acros that has Sandy King using it over FP4+ and the others?

Then, is it available in 5x7, 4x10 and 5x12 sizes? I don't see it at Badger in these sizes?

I am using Acros for medium format. What I like about it for this format is that it has the lowest RMS for grain, and the highest resolution, of any ASA 100 film. With a high quality MF camera of 6X7 or 6X9 format on a tripod the results are, IMO, equal to 4X5 LF.

For LF you would not see any difference between Acros and FP4+ except for very big enlargements. However, very little compensation is needed for reciprocity with Acros, which means that for many low light scenes you can use a much faster film speed than with FP4+. In fact, in many situations where reciprocity is a factor actual exposures times are less with Acros than with TRI-X 320 and HP4+, films which are nominally two stops faster.

Sandy King

 

[pentaxuser]

There's seems to be little or no disagreement amongst photographers about Acros' reciprocity qualities, even amongst those who don't rate it as highly. What have Fuji done to give it this characteristic that other films don't have. Is it a Fuji secret? Presumably if it was an easy "add-on" all the other manufacturers would emulate Acros' reciprocity.

If there is a simple explanation then one in as simple terms as possible would help this inquirer. Thanks

pentaxuser