Adox MC 110, Your Thoughts and Experiences...

[brian steinberger]

I would simply like to open a thread to those who are printing with Adox MC 110 to voice your thoughts and opinions of this paper. Which developers you use with it, how it handles contrast, how you tone it and how it looks, what kind of tones you get with it, how you like the finish, anything you want!!!

 

[Michael W]

Adox MCC 110 - great paper. Just like the old Agfa stuff but on a whiter base, which I prefer. I've only developed it in Dektol 1:3. I haven't tried toning it, just used one pack of 25 sheets. When will this be available in boxes of 100 from Freestyle? Worked well with Ilford contrast filters.

 

[Louis Nargi]

Adox

Great paper! Since we can't get Forte' anymore I was looking for a replacement. I tryed Foma and found that heard to handle I also tryed the Adox Vario Classic . I did not like it as much as the mc110. I print in Ansco 120 and 130 use Durst color head filters which it seems to respond well with the paper tones well in selenium.

 

[Doremus Scudder]

Adox Nuance

I use the Adox Nuance graded paper. Very smooth, great mid-tone separation, nice finish, beautiful stuff. I imagine the VC is similar (haven't tried it yet). It responds well to split-developing techniques.

It tones very quickly in selenium and needs a rather weak dilution to keep from turning brown. With a weak dilution, you can achieve a tone that hints at the old POP papers if you like, giving a bit of an old-fashioned look. Less toning yields a really nice neutral to just a hint of purplish-brown.

I'll keep using it.

Doremus Scudder
www.DoremusScudder.com

 

[Mike Crawford]

Have been using it for clients work and my own and really like it a lot and prefer the whiter base than the Agfa original. The tonal range is excellent with good renedering from shadow to highlight. Started using it in strong Dektol and got lovely coolish blacks. Dektol seems to have gone awol in the UK so Tetenal Dokumal is a similar if more expensive replacement. In PQ it is a bit more neutral. Like it with 1+20 Selenium to add depth and cool it a bit further. Done some tests with thio and seems very responsive giving a wide range of browns and splits well in the bleach for cooler shadows. (Just like the old Agfa MCC.) It does lith but with quite a textured look. I personally prefer cleaner lith prints but clients and friends I've shown the lith too like the effect. Some will find it coming in boxes of 25 a bonus though I would prefer to get it in 50s which might make it a bit cheaper. It's about the same price as Ilford Warm Tone I think and is not cheap but the price reflects that it is a very high quality product and worth every penny. (Or cent!)

 

[sandholm]

Same here, love it, use it with Ilford multigrade developer and warmtone developer. Really deap blacks with a crisp white paper. Dry rather flat, but i would love them in either 50 boxes or 100 boxes, 25 is way to small boxes.
I used to use ilford paper, now i will go over to Adox MCC as my "normal" paper.

 

[LorenzoM]

I've nothing but good words for this paper: it gives deep black, bright white and wonderful, shiny grays in Ansco 130, and it's very responsive to warm tone or cold tone developers.
Tones very well in thiocarbamide, with a wide range of browns available. Tones very quickly in selenium too (you need a quite high dilution if you don't want tone changes).
It has become my general purpose paper. I find it quite expensive, but you can't have everything.

Lorenzo

 

[jacques]

Hi Lorenzo,
Can you tell us what dilution of Ansco 130 you are using and for how long you are developing the paper?
Thanks you
Jacques

 

[Mike Crawford]

Shiny Grays!

I've nothing but good words for this paper: it gives deep black, bright white and wonderful, shiny grays in Ansco 130, and it's very responsive to warm tone or cold tone developers.

'Shiny Grays.' That's the description I couldn't think of!

Mirko has put a lot of time and effort and I expect rather a bit of money into bringing MCC to market and it really has been worth it.

 

[brian steinberger]

Hi Lorenzo,
Can you tell us what dilution of Ansco 130 you are using and for how long you are developing the paper?
Thanks you
Jacques

Lorenzo, I am also interested as I will be using 130 with this paper as well.

 

[davekarp]

I used it with Zonal Pro Warmtone and it made a beautiful warm image. I also used it with Silvergrain Tektol Black and it made a beautiful neutral tone. Both were toned in selenium 1:20. The paper has a beautiful surface. I like the white base better than the base of the AGFA version.

 

[LorenzoM]

Hi Lorenzo,
Can you tell us what dilution of Ansco 130 you are using and for how long you are developing the paper?
Thanks you
Jacques

I dilute Ansco 130 1+1, and develop the paper for 2 - 3 minutes (20-22°C)

Lorenzo

 

[LorenzoM]

'Shiny Grays.' That's the description I couldn't think of!

I apologize for my poor English... 'vivid' and 'brilliant' would probably fit better.

Lorenzo

 

[2F/2F]

I have not experimented with high-contrast developers yet, or additives. I have only used run-of-the-mill things like Ilford MG and PQ. Based on this, and my admittedly limited printing with it (one box of 8x10), I'd say it is a great paper. Sometimes it is hard to get enough contrast from it, because of how well it retains detail when you increase filtration. However, this complaint only comes up when I am going for a very harsh look. I find that Oriental VC is better for that. It is great for most things. It is excellent from printing from contrasty negs when trying to get a more "normal" look.

I find that it is pretty neutral in the two developers I mentioned. The PQ adds a little "pop" and a little warmth over the MQ. I haven't extensively tried toners yet, and I have not tried lith printing with it.

 

[brian steinberger]

I have not experimented with high-contrast developers yet, or additives. I have only used run-of-the-mill things like Ilford MG and PQ. Based on this, and my admittedly limited printing with it (one box of 8x10), I'd say it is a great paper. Sometimes it is hard to get enough contrast from it, because of how well it retains detail when you increase filtration. However, this complaint only comes up when I am going for a very harsh look. I find that Oriental VC is better for that. It is great for most things. It is excellent from printing from contrasty negs when trying to get a more "normal" look.

I find that it is pretty neutral in the two developers I mentioned. The PQ adds a little "pop" and a little warmth over the MQ. I haven't extensively tried toners yet, and I have not tried lith printing with it.

2F, can you elaborate on Oriental VC paper being better for a "harsh look"? Do you mean its generally higher in contrast?

 

[Mike Crawford]

I apologize for my poor English... 'vivid' and 'brilliant' would probably fit better.

Lorenzo

Hi Lorenzo.


I apologize if you think I was criticizing your excellent English. No way! Shiny gray for me is so much more descriptive of this paper and really sums up MCC's midtones.

Grazie
Mike

 

[mhanc]

I have used this paper a little recently developed with Dektol 1:2 where the results were about as neutral tone as one can get. I would also say that "shiny grays" or silvery mid-tones is a good description of this paper.

I have only toned in Selenium 1:20 and have only noticed a slight increase in Dmax regardless of time out to 25 minutes at ~70F. I believe stronger dilutions are required for this paper as already noted.

Has anyone calculated a dry-down percent for this paper? I have not experienced a whole lot of dry-down and was wondering about others' experience here.

 

[brian steinberger]

I used it with Zonal Pro Warmtone and it made a beautiful warm image. I also used it with Silvergrain Tektol Black and it made a beautiful neutral tone. Both were toned in selenium 1:20. The paper has a beautiful surface. I like the white base better than the base of the AGFA version.

Hey Dave, can you elaborate on how the Tektol Black prints looks when selenium toned? Did they warm up in the selenium or cool down?

 

[bill spears]

Following this with interest. Have just placed an order for a box of 11x14 and will be using for the first time.
I'm looking forward to seeing the response in selenium and wondering if the colour change in the shadows leans toward the purple (as I found with Agfa Classic) or reddy/brown as with Forte Polywarmtone ?? I normally develop in Bromophen.

I've also ordered some Adox Variotone so will be keen to see how this compares aswell.

Does anyone know if it'll be available in Semi matt or Matt either

 

[davekarp]

Hey Dave, can you elaborate on how the Tektol Black prints looks when selenium toned? Did they warm up in the selenium or cool down?

Brian,

I toned for 5 minutes at 1:20. I just pulled out the photo, and it is quite neutral. The changes in the the photo were very subtle during toning. A bit deeper blacks, a slight change toward the purple perhaps. I remember thinking that the Tektol Black prints looked quite neutral to me right out of the fixer.

 

[2F/2F]

2F, can you elaborate on Oriental VC paper being better for a "harsh look"? Do you mean its generally higher in contrast?

Hi,

I find that when printing on the higher grades in order to try to black out the detail in the low tones, Oriental loses detail more. In other words, it "is better" for what I want in these particular cases. The tonal transitions with MCC 110 are more smooth in general, but it is especially noticeable on the higher filters.

 

[Sal Santamaura]

...Does anyone know if it'll be available in Semi matt or Matt either

According to this page:

http://www.adox.de/english/ADOX_Papers/MCC/MCC.html

"Available surfaces: glossy (later on also matt)"

 

[brian steinberger]

Brian,

I toned for 5 minutes at 1:20. I just pulled out the photo, and it is quite neutral. The changes in the the photo were very subtle during toning. A bit deeper blacks, a slight change toward the purple perhaps. I remember thinking that the Tektol Black prints looked quite neutral to me right out of the fixer.

Dave, would you call Tektol a cold tone or a neutral tone developer? I'm interested because I'm going to want a developer that gives a neutral to cold tone after selenium with MC 110.

 

[davekarp]

Dave, would you call Tektol a cold tone or a neutral tone developer? I'm interested because I'm going to want a developer that gives a neutral to cold tone after selenium with MC 110.

Brian,

Here is what Silvergrain says about Tektol Black: "Tektol Black is a liquid concentrate print developer designed to produce cold black to neutral tones with most papers, and can also provide crisp highlight contrast." There is more information on their website: Dead Link Removed

I have used Tektol Black with ADOX MCC110 and Arista.EduUltra (which is Foma). With these papers, my observation is that Tektol Black gave a neutral image tone. I have not tried it with any other paper. My guess is that it will give a colder tone with a paper like Kentmere Fineprint, which gives a neutral tone when developed in Zonal Pro Warmtone developer.

 

[davekarp]

I am thinking about finding a developer that will give just a very slightly warm tone with MCC110, less noticeable than the Zonal Pro. Anyone have any suggestions?