Bessachrom Platte

Ian Grant · Apr 13, 2007

Just acquired a box of Voigtlander & Sohn, Bessacchrom Platte, does anyone have any idea of the original speed of this material.

These 9x12 glass plates are "Hochortthochromatisch-Lichthoffrefrei"

Ian

AgX · Apr 13, 2007

Well, there some typing errors in your German...

-) I never heard of Voigtländer producing sensitive material. If bought from a film/plate manufacturer then it could be that the original also had `-chrom´(without `e´ as I ensured by looking at package photo) in its name.

-) `Hochorthochromatisch´ most probably means something as orthopanchromatic or rectepanchromatic. To my knowledge these terms were never closely defined.

-) `Lichthoffrei´ means free of halation

Not actually answering your question...

Ian Grant · Apr 13, 2007

Apologies for the typos, and thanks for enlightening me.

It's strange you never heard of Voigtlander (your ä is not on my keyboard) producing film or rather plates, but then until a couple of weeks ago I had no idea Goerz had made film but they certainly did CP Goerz's sons bought a company in the US and manufactured film in the early 1900's.

Look at the message header for the "-chrom"

Just noticed on the box two stamped bits, one is 2.40 which means nothing but the other is a really faint 18°Din which is without checking but thinking back along way is 50 ISO

So from your translations I should expect a colour sensitivity similar to Adox/EFKE 25, probably similar speed due to ageing

I have a box of a dozen plates and 4 loaded darkslides

Ian

AgX · Apr 13, 2007

-chrom

There was a tradition in the German photographic industry to use the suffix `–chrom´, to name B&W material with extended (natural) red-sensitivity as your Bessachrom, or chromogenic color material as Orwochrom, or a hybrid color system as Pantachrom.

Most reluctant to the Kodachrome spelling was the Orwochrom which got its `e´ just in 1991 and died soon after...
But most long going was Fomachrom, until its end 1994.

AgX · Apr 13, 2007

sensitivity

Ian,

please look again at that faint stamp/stencil:

Does it say 18° or 18° Sch or really 18° DIN?

The latter is most unlikely. The two former cases would refer to the predecessor of the DIN sensitivity system: the Scheiner system

18° Scheiner = 8° DIN (=5 ASA)

But please don't nail me down on the exact Scheiner/DIN conversion. I had a smaller difference in mind, can't look it up myself now and got this ratio from the net...

This will even be complicated as there was a small change even within the DIN normalisation.

AgX · Apr 13, 2007

You were right...

Yes, the Voigtländer company produced plates and films,... and no:

There was a chemical company (and still is as pharmaceutical company) Schering AG which manufactured plates and films. In 1929 this company aquired Voigtländer, kept the Voigtländer works and brand and started marketing their plates and films under the Voigtländer brand.

As the changeover to the DIN sensitivity normalisation took place in 1934, there is a good chance that your plates were 18° DIN then. If that change within DIN should have applied to this film, it would today have 16°DIN, which would make it at some 30 ASA.

PHOTOTONE · Apr 14, 2007

I have a 50 roll bulk box of Voigtlander V-Chrome 35mm color slide film that is current. I think it is private labeled Fuji film, though.

Ian Grant · Apr 14, 2007

It's definitely 18º Din

Ian

AgX said:
Does it say 18° or 18° Sch or really 18° DIN?

The latter is most unlikely. The two former cases would refer to the predecessor of the DIN sensitivity system: the Scheiner system

18° Scheiner = 8° DIN (=5 ASA)

AgX · Apr 14, 2007

PHOTOTONE said:
I have a 50 roll bulk box of Voigtlander V-Chrome 35mm color slide film that is current. I think it is private labeled Fuji film, though.

I don’t know when Schering went out of photographic products, they sold Voigtländer to Zeiss in 1958 who closed them in 1971. It was reanimated for a year or so by Rollei and from then on up to now is nothing more than a brand name held by different owners.

Bessachrom Platte

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