Efke R25 and...?

[VoidoidRamone]

I have never used a thick emulsion film before and had heard that I definitely needed to try Eke R25 or R50, I am used to using APX 100 and PanF+. My question is... when using these films will Rodinal (1:25 or 1:50) provide nice results or should I get that Neofin blue... or Pyro? Any suggestions would help as I am new to this stuff. Also I will be shooting 6x7 format, if that makes any difference. Thanks -Grant

 

[Ole]

I have never used a thick emulsion film before and had heard that I definitely needed to try Eke R25 or R50,
...
when using these films will Rodinal (1:25 or 1:50) provide nice results or should I get that Neofin blue... or Pyro?
...

Some of the most beautiful negatives I've ever made were on EFKE R50 (then called R17) developed in Neofin Blue. If you can wait a little, I'm running a comparison test on EFKE PL25 in five different developers today (Pyrocat-HD, FX-2, Neofin Blue, "Beutler's", D-76). I'm only interested in tonality and speed in this quick test, the grain is insignificant on my 5x7" negatives anyway.

BTW, the EFKE films are not thick emulsion! They are derived from the very first thin emulsion films, the ADOX KB films made by Fa. Dr. C. Schleussner in 1950. NOT THICK!

 

[VoidoidRamone]

Thanks for the comments. I am anxious to see your results Ole. I think I'm going to get some rolls of the Efke 25 and 50 speed films. Maybe I'll run a little mini test of my own, comparing the Efke with the APX and PanF. My developer of choice is Rodinal by the way, which I'll probably use to begin with... then branch out from there. Also you're correct Ole, I mis-spoke about the thick emulsion. Thanks for the help. -Grant

 

[mikewhi]

I recently used Rodinal 1:50 with EFKE 25 5"x7" and was very impressed with the negatives. THis looks like a good combination to me....

-Mike

 

[titrisol]

can you post any images?

 

[noseoil]

Efke 25 is a great film. If you can use a dilution which gives plenty of time for development, you will have more luck when it comes to N- development. It prints itself with PMK pyro in rollfilm formats, but ABC pyro is another story. I've found that a dilution which is too slow for most films is the only way to work with Efke 25 and ABC. Exposure and development are critical to get the best results, but it is well worth the effort. Film testing is the first step in good prints.

 

[Tom Hoskinson]

I use Efke 25 (120 roll, 4x5, 5x7, 8x10) and agree with noseoil. I develop it semi-stand, in Pyrocat-HD (details in another APUG thread).

Take a look at some of George Provost's Efke 25 Azo contact prints, an example: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=66465&item=3723379613

George's Ebay store: http://stores.ebay.com/George-Provost-Azo-Photography

George hangs out on Michael and Paula's Azo website: http://www.michaelandpaula.com/mp/index_skip.html

 

[Tom Stanworth]

How does and orthopanchromatic fim look?

Hi,

I have not tried an orthopanchromatic film like efke 25 before, so how will it look outdoors for lanscapes with blue skies and green foliage. Does it cause problems with using filters? With Ilford (hopefully not) falling apart we may be without a fine grained slow film in ISO100 in 10x8 (apart from Tmax100 which I do not particularly like). FP4 was unbeatable as an all rounder and efke pl100 lovely, but a may be a little grainy for giant enlargements (40" FB prints). Therefore it may be efke 100 in a fine grain developer (isnt the paterson range of devs underated - Aculux 2 is superb!) or efke 25...???

 

[gma]

Francesco uses Efke 100 often. The results speak well for his refined techniques and photographic vision. That he uses Efke film means something. He can better answer the questions regarding suitibility for specific subjects.