If you could shoot only one Black & White film, what would it be?

Ivo Stunga · Dec 5, 2023

tokam said:
Can you give me some guidelines for exposure / processing. I think that I have read elsewhere that the same film was marketed as RPX 25 by Rollei.

Rollei Retro 80S and RPX 25 is the same film: Aviphot Pan 80, just repackaged and sold with imaginary ISO's and random dev times by Rollei.

Many sources quote that Aviphot "80" is a aerial rating where you don't need much shadow detail.
For pictorial contrast or "on earth" though, one need those shadows. And a lot of shadows, as ISO standard is tied to shadow exposure if I'm not mistaken. Sooo, to achieve pictorial ISO and give shadows a chance, one must expose Aviphot a stop or two slower. Making Rollei RPX 25 rating quite apt, but Retro 80S - a hard miss.

And HR-50 / Scala 50 is reworked/ISO boosted Aviphot Pan 80, targeting ISO 50 for pictorial contrast. And cheaper than Rollei offering lol - so I choose Scala 50/HR-50 as the best iteration of Aviphot 80 in 135 consumer market.

Similarly with other Rollei products. Rollei isn't a film coater. Rollei was a camera manufacturer. And film is sold by rolleianalog... So they don't make their own films.

Superpan 200, Retro 400S and Infrared 400 - all the same emulsion in different boxes with different look and pricing: Avihot Pan 200

Rollei RPX 100 and 400? It's repackaged Kentmere 100 and 400...

Source?
- talk on photrio and elsewhere:

Here: List of repackaged Agfa Aviphot Pan 80 and 200 films and Kentmere 100 and 400 films

I just want to fulfill a wish by some forum members and a moderator: Here is the list of current repackaged (rebranded) Agfa Aviphot Pan 80 and 200 films and Kentmere 100 and 400 films: Agfa Aviphot Pan 80: Repackaged as Rollei Retro 80s and Rollei RPX 25. Agfa Aviphot Pan 200: Repackaged as...

www.photrio.com

- personal experimentation (by eye) showing it's the same fucking film, repackaged ad nauseam in "the late-stage capitalism".
- Curves and spectral sensitivity data gathered The Naked Photographer on YouTube show the same performance regardless of what he saw in each individual case not suspecting it being the same film...

tokam · Dec 5, 2023

Thanks guys. This is all a big help.

@Mr Flibble I will try box speed in HC-110 per your suggestions. I think that my syrupy, old-style HC-110 is still good. I will test on a piece of film leader first. My bottle of Adox Adonal is now about 8 years old and a dark tea colour. Will have to test it before serious use.

@Ivo Stunga From what I've read in the recent past regarding the repackaging and relabelling of Rollei films they are, to put it politely, more than a bit shonky.
I haven't looked to see what the availability / price of the HR and Scala 50 films is like in Australia. For slow films I have a stack of Pan F 50 to get through first but I may get to the Adox films eventually.

I'll have to keep track of those other Rollei films as I think I have a few Retro 400S in 120 format yet to be exposed. Good to know what the original source film is when looking for processing recommendations, even though the Massive Dev chart advice can be quite variable, (to put it politely!).

Ivo Stunga · Dec 5, 2023

Quite an anti-consumer times we're living in. It's like we have to know the kitchen from inside out to spot funky activities.

I'd encourage to experiment for yourself with the remaining stock - rate the same, develop the same and see how they look. If they're completely different films, you'll see that right away.

Then again - making technical emulsions available to general public is nice and congratulations to that, but doing it this shady way leaves nothing but a bad taste in sensitive people's mouths.

Chuck1 · Dec 15, 2023

I was thinking about waiting for adox cms ii 20 120 film to be available, but in reading about thin film, potential coating issues and taking into consideration the expense(shipping from germany) of adotech iv I'm not so sure.
The aspect of starting out hot and letting the developer cool is just enough to make me look for something else.

When I was active in photography I used apx25 and rodinal 1+25. Which I was very happy with.
Is aviphot 80 and rodinal the closest I could hope for?
Open to suggestions, thanks

Keith Tapscott. · Dec 17, 2023

I only use FP4 Plus and HP5 Plus films these days. If I could only choose one it would have to be the latter for it's more versatile speed.
I process them both in D76 1+1.

Randy Stewart · Dec 20, 2023

HP-5+, because I have used it for years and calibrated my medium format cameras to use it in a developer of my own "development". FP-4+ would be the alternative where finer grain or sharper imaging is critical. Overall, I find that the advantages of a true 400 ISO in terms of higher shutter speed or smaller aperture availability to outweigh considerations of film sharpness or grain. I suspect that I'd move to Delta films if I wanted to take the time to calibrate them, but at 77, I'd rather just shoot what I have and know than spend hours doing technical work in my darkroom.

railwayman2 · Dec 20, 2023

I think I have to go for HP5. As a versatile general purpose film, reliable in many conditions. And maybe a bit of nostalgia, way back in the 1970's as a schoolboy starting in photography with his first half-decent camera, I used some make of free film with very poor results, and the guy at the local camera shop (the local pharmacy in those days) said "stick to Ilford HP3". Ilford and I have moved on since then, but I've never regretted the advice.

multivoiced · Apr 27, 2025

Richard Jepsen said:
if there was only one film I would shoot people with Tri-X using a mid century optic like a Summicron or Minolta 58/1.2

Do you care to say more about this? I am unfamiliar with these lenses. Do the Summicron units work with F-mount? I can search but I'm just curious about any more details or experiences you'd like to share.

Andrew O'Neill · Apr 27, 2025

From current availability of films, probably HP5.

ags2mikon · Apr 27, 2025

Tmax 400 in d-31 1:1.

Pieter12 · Apr 27, 2025

multivoiced said:
Do you care to say more about this? I am unfamiliar with these lenses. Do the Summicron units work with F-mount? I can search but I'm just curious about any more details or experiences you'd like to share.

Do some research. It is not hard to find out that Summicron is a Leica name for a lens from the early fifties, not made for any other mount. I don’t think there are adapters available, and Leica lenses won’t come cheap.

GregY · Apr 27, 2025

multivoiced said:
Do you care to say more about this? I am unfamiliar with these lenses. Do the Summicron units work with F-mount? I can search but I'm just curious about any more details or experiences you'd like to share.

They do not....either Leica M or R mounts.

Augustus Caesar · Apr 27, 2025

Paul Verizzo said:
(Cross posting to the color forum.)

Thinking 35mm, but open to other formats, certainly!

My response would be Ilford XP2 or Kodak TMY-2. Decision might involve developing/printing options.

What say you?

I use TMY-2 almost exclusively now. Just a little infrared now and then.

mshchem · Apr 27, 2025

Kodak TMY-2, Ilford FP4 Plus. Both in XTOL 1+1

AERO · Apr 28, 2025

madNbad said:
Back right where I started many years ago, Tri-X.

Me too altho I started on Kodak P1200 1/4 pl Glass plates

Sanug · Apr 28, 2025

Kentmere 100. This is my nearly-always-to-go film. It has a very good availability, good price, fine grain, good sharpness, wide exposure latitude, and very easy to use. It is very versatile at different light conditions and may be pushed uo to ISO 400 in the case that I come into a low light situation.

loccdor · Apr 28, 2025

Fuji Neopan 400.

Ivo Stunga · Apr 28, 2025

Sanug said:
Kentmere 100. This is my nearly-always-to-go film. It has a very good availability, good price, fine grain, good sharpness, wide exposure latitude, and very easy to use. It is very versatile at different light conditions and may be pushed uo to ISO 400 in the case that I come into a low light situation.

K100 is lovely indeed. And works nice reversed too, and can be pushed in reversal to 800 in my testing (eyeballing acceptable shadow details). Versatile and strong indeed.

Sanug · Apr 28, 2025

But it has a grey base. For reversal I would recommend a film with a clear base like Adox CHS-100 or HR-50 / Scala instead.

Ivo Stunga · Apr 28, 2025

It sure does, but at the end of the day the gray base has an effect similar to a ND filter - in controlled light (dark viewing room) projection setting the slightly darkened image ends up being a non-issue. Especially when you don't have clear-base films in the tray to compare to.

And agreed on HR-50, it's beautiful. But, when you need faster speeds, you surely can opt to use Kentmere 100 +2 or even +3. Or use Delta 3200, or Superpan 200/Retro 400S...

warden · Apr 28, 2025

If I had to choose only one it would be HP5. It pushes well when you need it, and you can use an ND filter if it's too bright. Great film.

Pioneer · Apr 28, 2025

For a long time it was easy for me with 35mm. I shot Efke 25 most of the time. I still like that film and I still have a bit stashed in the back of the freezer from 35mm through 4x5.

When Efke was discontinued I bounced around a lot looking for a replacement to Efke 25. Still looking. But found that I enjoyed Adox CMS 20ii more than most though the cost was a bit steep and processing was a little trickier.

Nowdays I just buy a bunch of TMX100 when I can find it on sale. I expose at EI200 from time to time. At least Kodak is unlikely to discontinue it.

Of course large format is a bit different, I find I prefer to shoot ISO400 films and Ilford's HP5+ has been my favorite now for several years. Its a nice, easy to develop film , and it is available in most sheet sizes.

GregY · Apr 28, 2025

Ultimately my choice would be a film that will be around in the long run. Nostalgia for Pan X or Efke 25 (lovely as it was!) doesn't produce any new images. If there were only one film, like Henry Ford's "you can have any color you want as long as it's black"...... i'd use it. I could happily live with just FP4 or Tri-X.....or Delta 100 or TMY-2....

randyB · Tuesday at 9:40 AM