APX 400s

[jsharjean]

Can anyone share any experience they have with shooting APX 400s film? Best developers would be helpful. Thanks!!

 

[JLP]

Not sure what the difference is between the 400 and the 400s but i use Xtol exclusively with the APX400 in 120 format. 11minutes 1+1 20C using a condenser enlarger.
Agitate the first full minute and then 5 seconds every minute. It's a great combination, gives you fine grain and a nice tonal scale.
Give it a try, Xtol last a long time as stock solution.

Best
jan

 

[Aurelien]

Be careful, these two films are very different. APX 400 is conventional film, whereas Agfapan 400s is surveillance film, nearly infrared effect. I have some, but I have not succied in developping it nicely yet.

 

[alien]

Is that true? AFAIK the 400s is the same emulsion, just on a different base.

Ansgar

 

[Jerevan]

If you do a search for APX 400s on the net, you'll find the pdf file with the information about the film (not much, granted, but anyways...) and there is no indication whatsoever about it being near-infrared. It has the same spectral curve as normal APX, albeit on a thinner material. But that's theory - I can't say anything about the practical part.

EDIT:
I have only used Rodinal with APX400, 1:50. 20c with a starting point at 13 minutes.

 

[alien]

I am currently testing this film (400s). As soon as I have some results, I will post them. Will prob take another day or two!
Ansgar

 

[Black Dog]

In B&W (UK) and on the Silverprint website, it definitely says the two emulsions are the same, but the 400S is on a thinner base.

 

[clogz]

I developed a test film, rated 320 ISO, in XTol (1+1) 11 minutes. Looks good to me although I have not got round to making a few prints. The film base is rather blue, not unlike the Foma film.

Hans

 

[jsharjean]

Thanks, I wil try with the Xtol. I tought I would tried Catchet AB 55 from freestyle. I will Post results but will be in the next week.

 

[alien]

first test result

Dear all,
here is my first result from my APX400s testing session.

I took the picture with my Contx G2, with the 45 mm lens. The lens was set to f 5.6.
The film was developed in Foma XCEL, which as far as I know is an XTOL clone.

I exposed with ISO 640, and developed for 12 minutes at 26 degrees, moving the developer tank every 30 seconds.

My scanner is pretty rubbish, so it could not cope with the negative, and I had to scan from the print. Still the scan is rubbish, but closer to the truth. I made the print on Ilford Multigrade, print size just a bit smaller than 8x10 inches.
The scan does not really do the print any justice, there is plenty of detail especially in the grass highlights where it seems to be blown out in the scan.

Grain is there, but not too obvious. Sharpness is nice.

 

[jsharjean]

Thanks for all the help. I have had to postpone for now due to brother's illness. Working on prints he wants to leave his children. Did however try the Catchet AB 55. The negatives look good but no attempts at prints yet. Again Thanks for all the help.

 

[fidget]

I got quite excited when I read this post, a near IR film (a la SFX) would be just nice. I found references to APX200S which appears to have been a "traditional" red sensitive film (red flash on traffic cams), which seems to be rated at 200 for normal light and 400 for red (flash) light. Could it be that this is the same thing?

I have run a couple of rolls of APX400s using various filters including the Ilford SFX filter. Those exposures through the SFX filter at +4,5 & 6 stops came out completely blank. Guess that it ain't the same thing.......Will have to buy some more SFX....

 

[Black Dog]

....which luckily has risen from the dead

 

[joefromhun]

Hi ,
my test result is 7 min /20 Celsius in self-made D76, at 400 ASA. Joe

 

[Aurelien]

I made tests with this emulsion. Best results were obtained using this film at EI200. I develop it in Rodinal but I don't remember dilution and time. I will look at my database when I'll be at home

 

[Aurelien]

Well I have checked 6 min in rodinal 1+50 @ 24°C. Very full range of greys.

 

[AgX]

Be careful, these two films are very different. APX 400 is conventional film, whereas Agfapan 400s is surveillance film, nearly infrared effect. I have some, but I have not succied in developping it nicely yet.

You seem to be wrong:

I got here the datasheet of the "Agfapan S 400" from Jan 1992
Which in March 1996 I renamed as of the "Agfapan APX 400 S"

The data of the film above is identical to that from the datasheet of that period of the "Agfapan APX 400" with the exception that the former has a 100µ polyester base. The base of the latter is not stated, but widely regarded as to be of 135µ triacetate.


However,

The “Agfapan APX 200 S” (Jan. 1992, polyester-based too) had an extented red sensitivity, a bit like the current “Aviphot 400 S”, but with a more pronounced shoulder at 730nm.

 

[AgX]

I bet this does not interest anybody, but anyway:
in my post above it must be 120µ …

 

[Aurelien]

Well if they are the same, it's great My informations were wrong, it could happen So I am happy, I have 200 meters in my fridge