Agfa APX 100 back?

[AgCl4ever]

Can anyone provide a source for APX400 (super cheap or just cheap) in 36 exp bricks or 100' rolls? Once I hit the right development this was my favorite 400 film, especially for skin tones.

 

[piu58]

I also missed the opportunity to try Rollei Retro 100 in 120, but I gather from 'net buzz that it was made on a different base than the 35mm RR100, which suggests that they were not cut from the same master rolls.

The 120 version is made vom 35 mm material which has a 135µm base. Normally for filmes of type 120 100µm base ist used. The films are slightly shorter but usually it is no problem to get 12 exposures from it. But it may be a problem to get 13 which some cameras allow.

 

[julhu]

Can anyone provide a source for APX400 (super cheap or just cheap) in 36 exp bricks or 100' rolls?

There is no more APX 400. The last batch was sold years ago. Maybe you can get it on ebay but that is probably not cheap.

 

[dnjl]

For those still wondering about this, my biannual batch of darkroom supplies arrived today. Among it is a brick of APX100, which has an expiration date of 09/2013.

I got free candy with my delivery too! Nice touch, Maco.

 

[DarkMagic]

For those still wondering about this, my biannual batch of darkroom supplies arrived today. Among it is a brick of APX100, which has an expiration date of 09/2013.

I got free candy with my delivery too! Nice touch, Maco.

Guess it was 135

 

[sandermarijn]

I got free candy with my delivery too! Nice touch, Maco.

I gave away the candy and kept the rest ;-)

 

[zsas]

Bought a few rolls of APX 100 at Central Camera in Chicago, exp 12/2015,
Some pix for those interested in the lineage, etc....

 

[subsole]

Can anyone provide a source for APX400 (super cheap or just cheap) in 36 exp bricks or 100' rolls? Once I hit the right development this was my favorite 400 film, especially for skin tones.

http://www.fotoimpex.de/shopen/films/apx-400-bulk-roll-305m.html

 

[clayne]

Any remaining APX100 out there probably isn't even going to have noticeable degradation effects until 2020 or so. Wondering when ADOX will pick up reproduction of it though, as it's surely not easily available in 120 or 4x5.

 

[Brac]

I guess Adox have enough on their plate introducing their replacement for Efke's 100ASA film. This is supposed to be out around now. I can't see them turning their attention to an APX100 replacement for some time, as there appears to be still tons of it available in 35mm, which is by far the biggest selling format.

 

[zsas]

Similar questions about APX are often asked in this forum, the answers are always the same:

1. "Lupus Imaging & Media was founded in 2005 as a wholesale company for photographic products." They have no manufacturing facilities for film - like Maco, Freestyle and others. Lupus' b/w films are made from big frozen Agfa rolls, and their color films are fresh products made by Fuji. All those are good films, but they were produced by other companies.
   
2. There is nobody who produces APX films today. All 120 APX films were sold out a long time ago, 35mm ist still available, made from big old frozen rolls.
   
3. Adox/Fotoimpex announced to produce an Adox APX 100 and 400, but they are not available yet.
   
4. All films that are claimed to be "successors" or "almost identical" have almost or absolutely nothing in common with these films, but some companies love to pull a fast one on their customers.

And that's the whole story.

This is hilarious! However it is true. But I ask, can we prove this yet? For eg, APX 100 is all over the place. Is this really from frozen rolls produced in the '80s still*?


*OK I exaggerated a bit, but seriously it seems that folks suggest that Agfa made "master rolls" in 2005 that are frozen and unfrozen to make this supply.......we seem to be talking about millions of feet of at this point....when's the APX 100 well gonna dry? Why's it seem to be flowing even better now in mid-2013 than in years???

Is no one buying these last frozen-master-rolls because they think the wells gonna dry any min?

 

[AgX]

To buy these master-rolls (or moe likely 35mm rolls) there must be someone to sell them...

 

[ozphoto]

Had a quick look in my freezer and I've still got 7 bulk rolls (33m/100ft) of Agfapan APX100 (Expire 7/2010) and 20 rolls of Agfapan 36exp APX100 (Expire 7/2010). I bought this right after I heard Agfa had gone bust and it's been frozen ever since.

Feels like I've had it forever - so I'd take a guess there's quite a bit still out there of the original stock (not the AGFAPhoto stuff), if those who loved it bought up big.

Just wish I'd bought a whole ton of paper at the same time - but from all reports, the ADOX version is right up there, so I'll try to get my hands on some of it to test out.

 

[clayne]

Adox MCC is pretty much exactly (near enough) the same. Do not sleep on that paper as it's excellent.

 

[ozphoto]

Adox MCC is pretty much exactly (near enough) the same. Do not sleep on that paper as it's excellent.

Thanks Clayne - just need to find a supplier here in AU, or one who doesn't charge a King's Ransom for shipping.

 

[clayne]

Thanks Clayne - just need to find a supplier here in AU, or one who doesn't charge a King's Ransom for shipping.

What are some of the rates for Freestyle shipping it over? You might try and call them and see if they can work out a surface rate. Even if it takes a bit longer and is exposed to heat, I imagine the costs would be much less and any heat damage (if any) relatively low. Either way, they've got to be getting it from DE now, as it is.

Damn oceans.

 

[Roger Cole]

Adox MCC is pretty much exactly (near enough) the same. Do not sleep on that paper as it's excellent.

It is, except it's on a bright white base, whiter than the previous Agfa version. It's a lovely paper, but I am tending more toward MGIV MGFB lately because it responds more to selenium. Adox MCC 110 does change color somewhat in selenium, but not as much or as quickly as MGIV. But it's a slightly warm paper that will cool to neutral. It doesn't seem capable of a true cool tone. If that suits you though it's great stuff.

 

[ozphoto]

Thanks for the input, Roger. I only really use selenium for archival purposes, so colour shifts aren't a problem for me - cool to neutral sits just fine with me. If I'm after a warmer tone, I usually head towards FB paper. I'll have to do a comparison test side by side, and see if it's a paper I'd like to change to.

 

[Roger Cole]

My comments were about the fiber based MCC 110. The MCP RC paper is also much like the old Agfa RC though. And it isn't cool to neutral, it's slightly warm to neutral, just like the old Agfa MCC.

 

[clayne]

It is, except it's on a bright white base, whiter than the previous Agfa version. It's a lovely paper, but I am tending more toward MGIV MGFB lately because it responds more to selenium. Adox MCC 110 does change color somewhat in selenium, but not as much or as quickly as MGIV. But it's a slightly warm paper that will cool to neutral. It doesn't seem capable of a true cool tone. If that suits you though it's great stuff.

This is absolutely not my experience at all. Both MCC original and MCC ADOX respond to selenium in fairly predictable and reasonably significant fashion, from what I've found in using both. MGIV is notoriously resistant to the effects of Se - mainly dropping blacks (beneficial) but not changing tone much other than going colder and colder magenta the longer it's toned. MGWT is of course much more responsive. Between MGWT and MGIV, I place MCC in the middle, with MGIV far in the direction of most resistant to Se toner.

 

[Roger Cole]

This is absolutely not my experience at all. Both MCC original and MCC ADOX respond to selenium in fairly predictable and reasonably significant fashion, from what I've found in using both. MGIV is notoriously resistant to the effects of Se - mainly dropping blacks (beneficial) but not changing tone much other than going colder and colder magenta the longer it's toned. MGWT is of course much more responsive. Between MGWT and MGIV, I place MCC in the middle, with MGIV far in the direction of most resistant to Se toner.

Well I can't account for our different experiences but yours is absolutely not mine. MCC 110 responds, but very slowly. MGIV FB responds much more rapidly - not exactly rapidly, but much more so than MCC. I use MGWT too but haven't toned it in selenium. I use dilute brown toner for that paper.

And I don't know how to reconcile "not changing tone much" with "other than going colder and colder magenta." That's exactly what changing tone in selenium means, and what happens with neutral and cold tone papers. Warm tone papers are a very different thing.

Could it be due to differences in developer? Both my MCC 110 and MGIV FB are developed in Ethol LPD. MGWT I develop in Harmon WT.

EDIT: And, it depends what you are trying to do with it. On neutral or cool papers my use of selenium is to 1) remove the slight green cast I find unpleasant, 2) increase d-max, and 3) provide archival benefit. I don't want a radical tone change like the reds you will get with se on warm tone papers, I want to cool the green out and deepen the blacks. MGIV responds like this better than MCC 110, at least for me.

 

[clayne]

I've observed pretty much the same effects while using Dektol, Seletol, and 130. When I say "not change tone much" I'm talking the classic warmtone paper response to Se toner.

It's not just me either, MGIV has been widely reported as others as not toning "well" in selenium toner. Sure, it may go dmax faster, but as far as conversion of silver to silver selenide such that reflected light gives it a different color/tint entirely - MGIV is not that paper. Even if MCC takes longer, for whatever reason, the eventual end-result is more color shift. Selenium toning doesn't always have to be cold magenta. My go-to neutralish paper (when it was around) was Emaks #2/#3 and this always had a nice balanced tone in KRST and did not give off the feeling of "coldness." MCC also settles into a similar balanced look, I've found. MGIV, while a great paper, is like frozen grape juice in selenium.

 

[Roger Cole]

I've observed pretty much the same effects while using Dektol, Seletol, and 130. When I say "not change tone much" I'm talking the classic warmtone paper response to Se toner.

It's not just me either, MGIV has been widely reported as others as not toning "well" in selenium toner. Sure, it may go dmax faster, but as far as conversion of silver to silver selenide such that reflected light gives it a different color/tint entirely - MGIV is not that paper. Even if MCC takes longer, for whatever reason, the eventual end-result is more color shift. Selenium toning doesn't always have to be cold magenta. My go-to neutralish paper (when it was around) was Emaks #2/#3 and this always had a nice balanced tone in KRST and did not give off the feeling of "coldness." MCC also settles into a similar balanced look, I've found. MGIV, while a great paper, is like frozen grape juice in selenium.

Well ...ah-hem, I'm not looking for "classic warm tone paper response" to selenium from a neutral paper!

See my explanation in my edited post above. The last thing I want is to turn my MCC 110 or MGIV into selenium red. Of course it doesn't "have to be cold magenta" but a slight change in that direction is exactly what I want on these papers.

Bottom line is, use what you like - I like MCC 110, it's an excellent paper, but having tried both I'm moving more and more toward MGIV and that's mainly because *I* like the way it responds to dilute (1+19) KRST better.

 

[clayne]

I guess the reason I'm debating on it with you so much Roger, is that MGIV is commonly noted as having fairly ineffective response to selenium toners. I just found it surprising that you noted the paper for it's response to KRST and how most people note the complete opposite.

The toner response I'm taking about is not polywarmtone style satanic red. I'm talking balanced semi-brown/eggplant/greyish/etc.

That being said, I enjoy the debate, as I'd much rather be debating about this than CMOS vs CCD.

 

[zsas]

While I love how you all go thru the greatness-virtues-compare-contrast of MCC, I thought this was a APX 100 thread

So, question, to the folks who bought up a ton of this back in '05, are you surprised it is still readily avail in 2013 with expiration dates of 12/2015? At this rate the last of APX 100 "fresh" could be 2020!!

That's my read! The longest discontinuance of any product in history (ok a little embellished but still).....

I ain't complaining, just a little surprised and buying a nice stash of APX 100 along the way....