Off-label use of AGfa Portrait XPS 160?

[Murray@uptowngallery]

I bought a cold 5-pack of Feb-04 220 Agfa XPS 160 to experiment with. I SHOULD try some portrait work since I have people and pets in my family, but I've never been inspired to try it.

I really bought the film because it was 1/2 off and I just wanted some 220 film to try the half-crazy idea of hand counting exposures in a 6x9 folder (and not opening the film-counting window). The commitment to the experiment is there because I already have to 6x9 folders and the film!

So, what I would like to know is what other subject matter be good for with it's low saturation and recommended colors (no to green/blue I read).

Although not recommended as a landscape film I wonder it might be possible to get some of those misty images that are hard to distinguish whether they are color or b/w? I always wondered how that was accomplished...some people seem to like saturation when shooting color, even going to transparency film.

I would like to know if there is any advice out there in intelligently 'misusing' this film for interesting effects, before I just blindly go off and skew the experiment even further by mismatching subject matter with the film qualities. Architecture? Farms in the fall (brown grain/corn plants etc?)

Thank you

Murray

 

[Ed Sukach]

I bought a cold 5-pack of Feb-04 220 Agfa XPS 160 to experiment with. I SHOULD try some portrait work since I have people and pets in my family, but I've never been inspired to try it.
..
So, what I would like to know is what other subject matter be good for with it's low saturation and recommended colors (no to green/blue I read).

I've used Agfacolor Portrait XPS 160 - a lot. It is *subtly* less saturated - a "good thing" for many who do portraiture.

I don't know about "recommendations" - I've learned NOT to put too much faith in them (read "ignore"). The differences between Portrait 160 and Optima 100/ 200/ 400 are NOT crushingly great ... as I've said, "subtle".

I would not hesitate for a nanosecond to use it for landscapes, or ... whatever. As always, film choice is a *very* personal thing - aesthetics, again.

Certainly, if your try it, there is very little chance of an explosion ... so go for it!!

 

[Murray@uptowngallery]

Thanks Ed

Certainly, if you try it, there is very little chance of an explosion ... so go for it!![/QUOTE]


OK! For external use only!

I take things too literally. At least I don't ask the questions like "What's the best lens...filmholder...etc.

Thanks

Murray

 

[Peter Osuchowski]

personally i LOVE the color quality of desaturated film. i use portra NC a lot--even for vacation pics. landscapes will be subtler, perhaps more realistic than ultra-saturated films. more meditative? definitely more painterly, which is something i like. fog rolling across green pastures or whatever.

it's definitely a subjective judgement, as someone mentioned above.

one way to abuse the film is to underexpose it so that it gets even more pastel-like and desaturated. i've wanted to play around with that, but never had a good idea of what to photograph that way, but i've seen somebody do it. shadows & the film edge will go green or brown or whatever, though.

 

[Murray@uptowngallery]

I've shot two rolls in 120 a cam so far and I am officially sick of trying to do it! I got a couple decent (usable) snapshots, nothing artistic. The experience of handcounting was interesting (to me anyway).

I'll leave the rest of the 220 in the fridge until I find an orphan 220 back to hack onto a crown graphic...I guess I'm still not looking for the easy way out. Or maybe a panoramic crude-cam with handcounting and NO red window. I bought some real film with paper behind it while I lick my wounds.

Murray

 

[Nick Zentena]

If all you want is to use some 220 then pick up a Kiev 6C. You'll be hard pressed to find a rollfilm back for much less then a whole 6C kit.

OTOH if anybody knows of a cheap 6x9 graflok back that uses 220 I'd be interested to -)

 

[Donald Qualls]

If you have a TLR with a frame counter, you may be able to reset the counter mid-roll and use the 220 in that. I'm pretty certain I could do that with my Kodak Reflex II (though taking up on a 620 spool and then trying to be certain I get the spool back complicate life a bit); I'd just have to be sure not to wind through after 12, but reset to 1 instead -- that alone would get me 23, and that camera will put 13 on a roll as is (with similar trickery), so another reset at the proper time might get me 26 on a 220 roll. Let's see the lab figure *that* one out.

Of course, I could try it with TXP, and develop that myself -- then I don't have to worry about getting the spool back...

 

[Gordon Cooper]

I have used Agfa Portrait 160 for photos outdoors of a wedding. Shooting it in my Rolleicord, with the lens wide open, created a very soft look everywhere but in the middle. The edges of the image are dark and softy colored, the centre is crisply focussed but the colors are subdued.

This is IMHO a great and under-used film.

 

[Murray@uptowngallery]

OK, two interesting answers...but ugh, all I need is another camera :O)

But I'll check out the prices...:O)