Agfa APX400S tuning process.

[fidget]

Hi, I've bought a few bulk rolls of this 35mm film. The first rolls to be developed in my standard ID11 (1:1 @ 20c, cleared in Agfa Agefix 1:5) were disappointing as they have an opaque base (like it's fogged a little). When it's wet it is perfectly clear, as it dries the base "fog" can be seen. It's something that I could live with but I wondered if part of my process could be improved to help here. I normally use Ilford Delta 100, 400 and HP5 with some Fuji 1600, all of which come out as expected.
I run the film at 200 to 320 and wondered how I could get better speed out of it, what alternative to ID11 would you recommend to get improved results from this film?
Also, this film is a little out of date already, assuming it's ok now, can this be frozen to extend it's life?

Dave..

 

[PHOTOTONE]

AGFA APX 400 has a film base that is 'greyer" than other ISO 400 films, thus it could give the impression of "fog" but it really is not. Of course if your film "does" have a bit of age related fog on top of the grey tone of the base, then it would seem exaggerated. ID-11 (which is Ilfords D-76) normally is a very clean working developer, and should not contribute to any base fog levels.

All film can be frozen. The important thing is to insure there is an air tight seal on the can, so you won't get any moisture issues when thawing out.

 

[Fanshaw]

I bought some of this film and when I first developed it in Rodinal I noticed the grey tone of the base. I thought at first that I had not fixed it thoroughly, but I realised the effect was due to the base itself. It doesn't seem to affect the quality of the results. I doubt that you will find anything better than ID-11. You could try it at full strength, to see if you can get a little extra speed.

Fanshaw