Adox CM 20, anyone tried it yet?

tony lockerbie · May 17, 2006

I recently purchased some CM 20 from J @ C to give it a go. I have no information on this film so I tried my first test in Rodinal 1:50 and wow! Lith film, no shadows whatsoever. Tried the next one in Tetenal Noefin Doku, much better but still quite contrasty. Anyone have some information on this?

Michel Hardy-Vallée · May 17, 2006

If you look at J&C's page you will see that there is a special developer that goes with it. Adox CMS 20 is based on a microfilm emulsion, so it won't give good results out of the box with Rodinal or other standard dev. I plan on getting some myself pretty soon.

Donald Qualls · May 18, 2006

I have five rolls on the way (or they'll be on the way when J&C returns from vacation). I plan to process them in Caffenol LC+C, the same developer I've been using for 16 mm Copex Rapid. I'll bracket the first roll, and clip it in thirds to test development, and should then have four rolls to shoot for real. If this stuff looks as good as the best I've gotten from Copex Rapid, it'll be like making 6x9 cm negatives with my Spotmatic. Picture 11x14 from 35 mm with no grain...

Lloyd Chan · Aug 12, 2006

Here's a sample of CMS20 reversed by DR5, scanned on an Imacon. Second image is a 1:1 crop @5000dpi.

Gerald Koch · Aug 12, 2006

There are quite a few developers intended to tame the contrast of microfilm to enable it to be used for general photographic purposes. Two examples are Perfection XR-1 and H&W Control. Just google on the names to get the formulas.

Michel Hardy-Vallée · Oct 1, 2006

I printed my first photos from the Adox CMS 20 tonight. Based on Erwin Puts's tests, I rated it somewhere around EI 16, and developped for 5 minutes in Adotech developer 1+24. It's definitely overdevelopped, so my proper time might be between 3 and 5 minutes.

My first reaction, in two word: Dude, scary! This thing resolves probably more than my lenses could, and my SMC Pentax are not that bad already!

I took a shot of a lichen-covered rock on a tripod, and when I looked into the grain focuser under the enlarger, I didn't see grain but MORE details in the lichen!

From a pictorial point of view, the gradations so far are looking pleasing, it looks like a film one could actually use for pretty much anything else than just showing off.

tony lockerbie · Oct 1, 2006

Once again, many thanks..... have downloaded XR1 and I will give a go.
Cheers,Tony

Rolleijoe · Oct 4, 2006

tony lockerbie said:
I recently purchased some CM 20 from J @ C to give it a go. I have no information on this film so I tried my first test in Rodinal 1:50 and wow! Lith film, no shadows whatsoever. Tried the next one in Tetenal Noefin Doku, much better but still quite contrasty. Anyone have some information on this?

Here ya go:

http://www.fotoimpex.de/catalogus_novus_impexi_anglicus.pdf

Look starting on page 8 and there will be anything you would want to know about this film. I've been intrigued by it myself, but am just getting into the Efke25 Ortho.

Will probably pick some up when in Germany early next year.

Alicouscous · Oct 9, 2006

Here's a sample of CMS20 reversed by DR5, scanned on an Imacon. Second image is a 1:1 crop @5000dpi.

I'm surprised, on the DR5 pages adox cms20 is on the list from the films that can not run in their process

http://www.dr5.com/Filmreview.html

Lloyd Chan · Oct 9, 2006

Alicouscous said:
I'm surprised, on the DR5 pages adox cms20 is on the list from the films that can not run in their process

http://www.dr5.com/Filmreview.html

David at dr5 told me the same thing when I sent in a subsequent roll for reversal. He said he will develop it as a neg but I have not seen the results yet.

titrisol · Oct 15, 2006

Donald, did you get results with it?
Since I moved to Europe I may just give it a shot

Seems like a good candidate for Rodinal 1+100 semi stand development

Donald Qualls said:
I have five rolls on the way (or they'll be on the way when J&C returns from vacation). I plan to process them in Caffenol LC+C, the same developer I've been using for 16 mm Copex Rapid. I'll bracket the first roll, and clip it in thirds to test development, and should then have four rolls to shoot for real. If this stuff looks as good as the best I've gotten from Copex Rapid, it'll be like making 6x9 cm negatives with my Spotmatic. Picture 11x14 from 35 mm with no grain...

Mark Layne · Oct 15, 2006

I have been using CMS 20 at 8 ASA and developing in HC110 1+30 from STOCK. Time 25 minutes total, agitation for first minute then at 10 min, 20 min

Perhaps another developer will give a higher ASA
Mark

Michel Hardy-Vallée · Oct 20, 2006

I've picked up a scan from the negative today, and here are the results. The first picture shows the entire image; the second one is a detail from the grass on the right hand side, at the bottom; the third one is a detail from the lichen on the rock, center of picture.

Developer was Adotech 1+24 for 5.5 mins; camera is a Spotmatic F w/ 50mm SMC Takumar f1.4, on a tripod. The original scan is 7200x4800 pixels.

I think I overdeveloped a bit, but not by too much, and that was a rather contrasty scene anyway.

titrisol · Oct 21, 2006

Those are pretty impressive scans.....
Thanks for sharing

Michel Hardy-Vallée · Oct 21, 2006

Thanks! I think the resolution of the film is a rather scary power, but I'm interested to see how the tonality of it holds at large enlargement, because that is the point anyway for me. I'll try to enlarge some shots to an 11x14 to see.

Adox CM 20, anyone tried it yet?

tony lockerbie

Michel Hardy-Vallée

Membership Council

Donald Qualls

Lloyd Chan

Attachments

Gerald Koch

Michel Hardy-Vallée

Membership Council

tony lockerbie

Rolleijoe

Alicouscous

Lloyd Chan

titrisol

Mark Layne

Michel Hardy-Vallée

Membership Council

Attachments

titrisol

Michel Hardy-Vallée

Membership Council

Adox CM 20, anyone tried it yet?

Membership Council

Attachments

Membership Council

Membership Council

Attachments

Membership Council

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency