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Experiences with ADOX CHS?

Nikanon

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Jul 11, 2009
Messages
433
Location
Chugwater, Wyoming
Format
35mm RF
Does anyone have any experience with the ADOX CHS line, is there any problems with emulsion chipping, or scratching, etc? Any positives?
 
I have been using the CHS 100 in 4X5 in a Speed Graphic and have been quite pleased. I develop with Pyrocat-HD and find it easy to print. It is an older type of emulsion so I hear it is fragile, but I have not run into issues. Others who use it in roll film format should chime in about how it handles in rolls. I am looking to buy more of the 100 speed but all I see is 25 and 50 in 4X5. I believe the Efke 100 film is the same emulsion and would be my next logical purchase if I cannot get more CHS 100. Sources anyone?
 
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This is a great line of films! I use these most of the time that I want black and white. I don't have ANYTHING bad to say about them. The film is always clean and there are no scratches that I have seen when loding the rolls int my cameras.The have a great antique look to them.
 
I use ADOX CHS 100 in 4x5" in my pinhole camera. Developed in Tanol it gives negatives which print really well at grade 2.5 to 3. Also I can use those directly for kallitypes. I do not see scratches nor emulsion lifts. And - the reason I initially tried it - it has a pretty low reciprocity factor which keeps exposure times in a comfortable range when doing pinhole photography. I have not tried it as 35mm nor 120.

Cheers
Ruediger
 
The sheet films scratch very easily. The roll films curl like crazy. Friends I trust have report horrible emulsion defects in the 8x10 sheet film that, in one instance, resulted in a loss of half of the exposures made on a trip out west. Those guys now use Tri-X. I've never had any problem with the emulsion, but I see no advantage to using Efke film so I stick with Kodak.
 
I've used a lot of it. I've never experienced any "emulsion defects". They are old style emulsions that are soft and scratch easily. What is normal handling for a modern film is rough on these films and will get you scratches, dust embedding, etc. if you treat them like a modern hardened emulsion.

I am very fond of the 25, builds contrast like nobodies business, a nice choice when things are flat:
 

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I prefer the 120 to the 35mm as the resolution is not as high as more modern films.My development is 60's style for acutance,in FX-1. BJP Jan 27 1961 gives development times 17min for the Adox 50, 12 min for Adox 25 in FX-1.
The times should be multiplied by 1.5 if agitation is only every 3 min.
 
I agree that it scratches easily and the roll film has quite a strong curl. However, careful handling and flattening the roll film work ok. I like the 25 and use it quite a lot in 120 and 5x4, because the tonality in Neofin Blau (Beutlers) is beautiful.
 
There's another thread re: this floating around. I suggest that makes good reading as well.

I've used Efke 23 in 120 size. While I love the emulsion and the image it gives, I'm not thrilled by the QC. You have to take at least two shots of everything to get one without defects/holes/ scratches, etc.

If the QC improves, I'll buy more.

BTW, I'm quite careful with all my films and I don't have these problems with Kodak, Fuji, Agfa or Ilford.
 
They are gorgeous for many things, though fragile. They are a good price too, though they seem to have gone up quite a bit just in the past two years. The other great thing (perhaps the greatest thing about them) is all the "oddball" sizes that are made.
 
I use a fair bit and haven't had any problems. Although I can echo others statements that the film is much more fragile than modern emulsions like TMax so extra care might be needed.
CHS 25 art

I like the films and they're well worth a try:

he above is Efke 100 in Rodinal
 
I have used the CHS 100 in both 120 and 35. At least for me, it has a unique look about it which I like very much.

Both in this and other threads, I have heard people say the have had absolutely no quality problems while others have experienced "emulsion defects." I have experience problems only one time in 120 where black "pinholes" have been seen. These were attributed to "gas bubbles" appearing in the emulsion during development when I showed scans of them them to Mirko from Adox. (The negatives in question were developed in Xtol using a nitrogen-burst dip and dunk system.)

I agree with JBrunner. The film is soft by modern standards and given that many, many people have had absolutely no problems at all, I am sure that the emulsion problems are most likely "pilot error" with this relatively fragile film.

Just treat the film with extra a little care and you will be well rewarded.
 
I've been testing in 8x20 sheets, CHS100 ISO, nice films,good range of tonality, no problem with scratches, only one sheet with a little defect on emulsion, but very little. I'm using before to develop a very diluited pre-hardener,5ml of Tetenal hardener in a liter of water.
Stefano
 
i tried a couple of 4x5 this weekend with an old brass lens to shoot portraits.
My first experience is that is is very gentle with exposure.
I made 2 at 2 seconds, and one with more sun at some shorter time (i used a large cardboard with a 15 degrees edge cut out which i move in front of the lens from dark to op to dark so i can get a fast speed simulated. This also worked fine and the neg does not look overexposed as it does when using fp4+.
They are drying now, cant way to print.

In the past i used it but was not that fond because of pinholes and unpredicatable iso values between two different emulsion numbers.
But that was some years ago. Best way is to buy a pack, it's cheap so for testing it's also a good value for less.
 
I personally find these films terrible. I find the chs 100 has a speed of about 40, which is ok I suppose. Someone I know said he had even less. I developed the film in Rodinal and had a very pronounced S-curve with a toe that goes on for ever (being very flat). Resulting in awful shadow details, at least that is what happened to me. The mid tones have a strong seperation and the shoulder is pronounced as well.
I find this film difficult to enlarge having to work more during enlarging.
There have been a few reports that the emulsions differ a lot from charge to charge.
Andreas
 
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I use the CHS 50 in 120 quite often and I really like it. It's true, the film does scratch fairly easily and it requires a bit of extra care, but this does not bother me at all. Some things are worth a little bit of extra effort.

The film has a very unique look that works very well with certain subjects. I love the way it renders blue sky with a bit of a dark grey tone, even without filters and it looks fabulous when i'm shooting nudes, especially when photographing people with very pale skin.
 
I've shot some Efke 25 in 135 and have not experienced the pinhole problems on frames that some have. I attribute this to good fortune. The appearnace of the film leaders does not inspire confidence...

I shoot the ISO 25 Efke film at an EI of 12 in contrasty light. My starting point for all films is to expose them at 1 stop greater than their ISO rating when the light is contrasty, so I can't claim any particular special treatment there.

Properly handled, Efke 25 is a sharp, fine-grained, and high contrast film. These are all qualities attributable to slow-speed films.

I like playing around with these films but, at this point, I would not use it for efforts where failure is costly.
 
I've gone through a 50 sheet box of Adox CHS 50 (2 more left) that was developed in replenished undiluted xtol (dip 'n dunk) and for my particular practice-technique-taste I find the tones the film gives me just beautiful (for the record I've used hp5, txp & tmy). I have not found coating defects, if I do I'll report them here, but for the time being this is my main and only film for landscape. When Freestyle has it back in stock I'll order a few boxes.
 
Used lots in 120 and never had any trouble.
 
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