Atomal 49

[baachitraka]

I placed an order on ILFord Delta 100 and ILFord Pan F 50 and wondering how will it goes these films go with Atomal 49.

Yeah, I have no experience on developers should have take Rodinal path. Nevertheless, I would like know you experience in this regard.

Target shooting: Portraits with flash and landscapes.

 

[Роберт]

PAN F 50 in an ultra fine grain developer (like A-49) is about the finest grain you can get (except from Efke 25) in regular B&W films.
Alternative type developers in this way:
CG-512/RLS
W665 (based on Ortho Phenylene Diamine)
Perceptol
Microdol-X

A-49 has some CD ingredients like the W665 has. The sharpness will be less with these type of developers. Further you will have speed loss but that's not so important when doing landscape photography.

 

[baachitraka]

Another big problem is there is no proper data sheets. Well, it is my mistake to into wild with reading proper routes. Can any body share the dev times for stock, 1+1 and 1+2 for Delta 100 and PanF?

 

[Роберт]

Sharpness in A-49 stock is an issue so most people are using at least 1+1. I take the CG-512 (1+4) in my CPA-2 on 24C. Better sharpness:
http://www.ottobausw.de/CG512.htm

 

[Brac]

I used Agfa Atomal in the 1980's & early 1990's as a stock solution. One litre could develop about 12 films and from memory I increased the development time by one minute more for each film I developed after the first. I don't know if this is the same developer as Atomal 49 (there was also an Atomal FF, which I never used).

I can't agree about a speed loss. I never found that. Indeed in an Agfa brochure of 1990, this is what it said:-

"Very fine grain negative developer with compensating effect in powder form with maximum speed yield. Suitable for pushing fast films (eg Agfapan 400 Professional)."

Unfortunately most of the films the brochure gives times for, have been replaced by updated emulsions, so it's not much use me scanning it. However with most films, the brochure gives slightly increased speeds, which exactly tallies with what I found. Agfapan APX 100 gives ISO 160 at 11 mins. I found it quite a gutsy developer. although how it would work with Delta 100 & Pan F Plus I don't know. The original Pan F required 18 mins and gave a speed of ISO 80. But maybe, as I say. Atomal 49 is something quite different.

 

[john_s]

I have the Agfa pdf files from the more recent era when there were recommendations for Atomal FF, referred to as "extremely fine grain film developer," and the recommended times were for significant speed loss (more than a stop for some films).

But I suppose Atomal 49 is something different.

I have a typed sheet from Agfa from around the late 1970s where they list separate times for Atomal FF and Atomal (this latter with no letters or numbers after its name).

 

[piu58]

Here
http://www.adox.de/atomal49entwicklertabelle.pdf
you can find a developping chart for Atomal 49. In the GDR the name Atomal was not permitted to use. The product was named "A 49". You can find lots of information about this.
I used A 49 in the 70th and still use it. Usually I dilute 1+1 and use it as single shot.

 

[georg16nik]

I second that there is no speed loss with Atomal 49 at least with Agfa / Adox emulsions.
Still keep 2 sealed glass bottles of the ORWO A 49 (dated 1976) and the paper instructions for it. So, its clearly stated that:
"The speed of the film is fully utilized"
From what I know, Adox's version is not much different than ORWO A 49.
Back in the days, ORWO was somewhat of the East Germany AGFA
Interestingly, ORWO's version (A 49) of Atomal almost always gave us better results than the Agfa Atomal.. probably because we were using mostly ORWO films.. NP22, NP15
Uwe Pilz posted the data with times so - good luck!

 

[Роберт]

Calbe Chemie is the actual manufacturer, former OrWo chemicals.

Here is their original datasheet:
http://www.calbe-chemie.de/prod/pdf/A 49.pdf

 

[baachitraka]

I made the first development with Atomal 49 1+1 for 10mins with 135 HP5+ and the results are surprising. I do not see any grain but I cannot say anything about speed loss. Since, I give it to the labs for printing.

I am very happy now with the results.

 

[piticu]

Agfa APX 100 developed 9min in Atomal 49

All film frames: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.688919218223284&type=3