Reviews on AgfaPhoto Agfapan APX 100 the current one

GregY · Sep 11, 2023

Is anyone using the currently available AgfaPhoto Agfapan APX 100? It's one of the less expensive films available in N America compared with TMX and TMY.
Who makes it and what are it's characteristics? How does it compare with FP4+ ? I typically develop in Pyrocat HD. Any comments are appreciated. Thanks in advance

MattKing · Sep 11, 2023

The Amazon listing includes some badging that says "Made in the UK".

mshchem · Sep 11, 2023

I wonder if Agfa-Gevaert supplies the emulsions for these films to the Ilford folks for coating? I wonder the same thing about Fujifilm Acros II, regarding who is making the emulsions and special coatings??

Who ever does know is sworn to secrecy.

M-88 · Sep 11, 2023

Wasn't it said to be Kentmere 100?

GregY · Sep 11, 2023

M-88 said:
Wasn't it said to be Kentmere 100?

I don't know... has anyone used it?

Agulliver · Sep 12, 2023

Made in UK means....Harman. This is widely believed to be Kentmere 100, or very similar to Kentmere 100. So it's perfectly good stuff in the realms of 100 ISO B&W films. Buy it if it's cheaper than Kentmere in your area.

albireo · Sep 12, 2023

If you're talking about AGFAPHOTO (and NOT Agfapan) APX 100 - I used to use it all the time. It is widely believed to be repackaged Kentmere 100. Either way, it's fantastic stuff. It used to be drugstore film in a few countries here in the EU and was widely available and extremely cheap. For example I saw it in Germany sold for 4 Euro or so until a couple of years ago. Unbeatable at that price. Now it's shot up to almost double that on the high street, so it makes more sense to just buy bulk Kentmere 100 or Foma 100/200 from online retailers.

Solid stuff, sadly the naming backfired a bit, because whenever it gets mentioned online someone will attempt to draw a comparison with the 'old/legendary' AgfaPAN 100. I wasn't around when that film was popular so the comparison is meaningless to me. All I know is that I enjoy Agfaphoto APX 100.

Here's a couple of negative scans. I don't use or know Pyro I'm afraid, but I like how the film looks in my (linear, flat, raw) negative scanning workflow using sulphite developers (D76 1+1) and Rodinal 1:50 regularly inverted (not stand, not semistand)

Agfaphoto APX 100 in an Olympus OM2n + Zuiko 28mm f/2.8 (if I remember correctly)

otto.f · Sep 12, 2023

In my memory the old Agfapan 25 was legendary. The APX line was a bit too bright for me, or how can I explain, it was as if the midtones weren’t at the party, very thin negatives too. But I do not recognize this at all in these scans: beautifull!

albireo said:
If you're talking about AGFAPHOTO (and NOT Agfapan )APX 100 - I used to use it all the time. It is widely believed to be repackaged Kentmere 100. Either way, it's fantastic stuff. It used to be drugstore film in a few countries here in the EU and was widely available and extremely cheap. For example I saw it in Germany sold for 4 Euro or so until a couple of years ago. Unbeatable at that price. Now it's shot up to almost double that on the high street, so it makes more sense to just buy bulk Kentmere 100 or Foma 100/200 from online retailers.

Solid stuff, sadly the naming backfired a bit, because whenever it gets mentioned online someone will attempt to draw a comparison with the 'old/legendary' AgfaPAN 100. I wasn't around when that film was popular so the comparison is meaningless to me. All I know is that I enjoy Agfaphoto APX 100.

Here's a couple of negative scans. I don't use or know Pyro I'm afraid, but I like how the film looks in my (linear, flat, raw) negative scanning workflow using sulphite developers (D76 1+1) and Rodinal 1:50 regularly inverted (not stand, not semistand)

Agfaphoto APX 100 in an Olympus OM2n + Zuiko 28mm f/2.8 (if I remember correctly)

pentaxuser · Sep 12, 2023

albireo said:
Solid stuff, sadly the naming backfired a bit, because whenever it gets mentioned online someone will attempt to draw a comparison with the 'old/legendary' AgfaPAN 100.

Did it backfire? Surely the reason AgfaPhoto was chosen as the name was that new users would think that it was like the legendary AgfaPan

In marketing/sales terms few new names, if any, are careless or stupid choices. They may get it wrong occasionally but not by lack of attention. Babylon 13 and Fantome 8 sounded as if they were thought up by "clowns" to the likes of me who but I never was part of the market at which these were aimed. However they were clowns who from a sales point of view were hoping to "clown" all the way to the bank

The most apt clown in these terms above that I can think of is Steven King's "Pennywise" I don't want to take the grandkids to the circus he is performing at

pentaxuser

albireo · Sep 12, 2023

otto.f said:
In my memory the old Agfapan 25 was legendary. The APX line was a bit too bright for me, or how can I explain, it was as if the midtones weren’t at the party, very thin negatives too. But I do not recognize this at all in these scans: beautifull!

Thank you Otto. When you say APX, are we talking about the same film? To clarify, this is the film I was talking about and to which the examples above refer:

otto.f · Sep 12, 2023

Yes! But as others pointed out above, it is not at all certain that the APX which is now on the market is the same film as the last APX line made by AGFA themselves

brbo · Sep 12, 2023

otto.f said:
Yes! But as others pointed out above, it is not at all certain that the APX which is now on the market is the same film as the last APX line made by AGFA themselves

?! Nobody even came close to saying that this is the same film as former APX produces by Agfa.

GregY · Sep 12, 2023

brbo said:
?! Nobody even came close to saying that this is the same film as former APX produces by Agfa.

Exactly. I copied the current name out of B&H description. I still have some Agfapan 25 (the old stuff) both in 120 and 35 and it is magic stuff. I was wondering about the film that is being sold in stores now. Thank you especially to Albireo for the photo exapmles.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1621180-REG/agfaphoto_6a1360_apx_pan_100_professional.html

MattKing · Sep 12, 2023

albireo said:
Thank you Otto. When you say APX, are we talking about the same film? To clarify, this is the film I was talking about and to which the examples above refer:

That version seems to have "Made in EU" on the top side of the box.
Which might mean it is n old illustration of a product that can no longer say that, because of Brexit.
Or it may mean that it is an entirely different product.

albireo · Sep 12, 2023

MattKing said:
That version seems to have "Made in EU" on the top side of the box.
Which might mean it is n old illustration of a product that can no longer say that, because of Brexit.
Or it may mean that it is an entirely different product.

Hi Matt

That image is from the Maco website - that's what they're selling currently

AgfaPHOTO APX 100 35mm 36 exposures

AgfaPhoto APX 100 is a medium-speed black and white negative film with a nominal sensitivity of ISO 100/21°. This film can be used universally and…

www.macodirect.de

Well spotted on the 'made in the EU'. I wonder what the implications, if any, are.

GregY · Sep 12, 2023

Has any one else used the current iteration?

retina_restoration · Sep 12, 2023

FWIW, I have used the Rollei RPX100 and found it to be virtually identical to Kentmere 100, right down to the base dye. I expect the "Agfa" product is also in this family of films.

GregY · Sep 12, 2023

retina_restoration said:
FWIW, I have used the Rollei RPX100 and found it to be virtually identical to Kentmere 100, right down to the base dye. I expect the "Agfa" product is also in this family of films.

Thank you.... for kind of answer i was looking for.

MattKing · Sep 12, 2023

albireo said:
Well spotted on the 'made in the EU'. I wonder what the implications, if any, are.

Probably that they haven't bothered to update the illustration.
We see that regularly for all sorts of things on the sites for the big US internet retailers.

pentaxuser · Sep 12, 2023

Only two threads from this one is a thread with a list by Film Niko on which films are made by or are identical to other named films. It is worth a look

pentaxuser

GregY · Sep 12, 2023

pentaxuser said:
Only two threads from this one is a thread with a list by Film Niko on which films are made by or are identical to other named films. It is worth a look

pentaxuser

I was actually more interested in what development & printing results people had, than in the who-made-it & what does the print on the box say. What are its characteristics? How does it hold shadow detail? Does it in any way resemble the lost & lamented Silvermax 100? What developer did you find worked best? Do you like it more/less than FP4+ for example. Has it become your favourite 100 iso film. It seems it hasn't made much impact on the market

pentaxuser · Sep 12, 2023

OK GregY It was just that retina-restoration said this :
"FWIW, I have used the Rollei RPX100 and found it to be virtually identical to Kentmere 100, right down to the base dye. I expect the "Agfa" product is also in this family of films"

You thanked him for the response and all I was trying to do was to say why his response was what it was. Namely that according to Film-Niko the films are identical so any time you see someone giving their experience with Kentmere you can take it that this pertains to Rollei RPX 100 as well. At the same time I thought I'd say what other films Film-Niko also mentioned that were identical to other non manufactured films whose difference is simply the name it has

If this information is of no value or little value to you then that's fine as well. I'll try and remember this as there's no point in me responding if it not required or helpful

pentaxuser

GregY · Sep 12, 2023

pentaxuser said:
OK GregY It was just that retina-restoration said this :
"FWIW, I have used the Rollei RPX100 and found it to be virtually identical to Kentmere 100, right down to the base dye. I expect the "Agfa" product is also in this family of films"

You thanked him for the response and all I was trying to do was to say why his response was what it was. Namely that according to Film-Niko the films are identical so any time you see someone giving their experience with Kentmere you can take it that this pertains to Rollei RPX 100 as well. At the same time I thought I'd say what other films Film-Niko also mentioned that were identical to other non manufactured films whose difference is simply the name it has

If this information is of no value or little value to you then that's fine as well. I'll try and remember this as there's no point in me responding if it not required or helpful

pentaxuser

Thanks pentaxuser, now i understand your intention.

albireo · Sep 13, 2023

GregY said:
I was actually more interested in what development & printing results people had, than in the who-made-it & what does the print on the box say. What are its characteristics? How does it hold shadow detail? Does it in any way resemble the lost & lamented Silvermax 100? What developer did you find worked best? Do you like it more/less than FP4+ for example. Has it become your favourite 100 iso film. It seems it hasn't made much impact on the market

Are you familiar with the work of the Naked Photographer on youtube? He has been doing a long term comparison between Tri-X and all the 35mm film he was able to buy at B&H. He does a basic curve comparison, then develops both films in D76 and finally compares his prints.

Here's the Agfaphoto APX 100 episode

Here's his curve comparison bit

Here's the spectral response comparison bit. Tri-X on the right, Agfaphoto APX on the left

Note the slightly hotter highlights on the APX 100 print. It's not a fault of the APX per se, it's just that Greg is intimately familiar with developing TriX in D76, but not intimately familiar with developing the competing film in D76. So he just goes by the book (leaflet) which sometimes leads to sub-optimal development (in this case, slight overdevelopment of the APX 100). With good practice, the APX looks even better.

Anyhow - take homes for me: nice straight curve in stock D76. Great classic panchromatic response without major red/blue oddities. Exactly as I've observed myself. Excellent Caucasian skin tone rendition.

A couple more observations from me: very dark base, just like Kentmere and Rollei RPX. Extremely high quality and consistency. I've used 50+ rolls and never once found a defect.

You mention Silvermax 100. I happened to use that as well when it was a available. No, the two films were definitely different. Both beautiful in their own right. One immediate difference was finer grain in Silvermax 100. I have never used FP4+ in 35mm so can't comment (though I occasionally use it in 120 and it's an astoundingly good film).

Agulliver · Sep 13, 2023

Eugen Mezei said:
That may be, but still it does not compare to what was APX. It is not APX so the labeling is nothing less than fraud. If it is a good emulsion why not simply sell it as what it is instead of suggesting it is something better?

May I suggest you calm down, perhaps with a nice cup of tea?

You come across as very angry about this.

Reviews on AgfaPhoto Agfapan APX 100 the current one

GregY

MattKing

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mshchem

M-88

GregY

Agulliver

albireo

otto.f

pentaxuser

albireo

otto.f

brbo

GregY

MattKing

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albireo

AgfaPHOTO APX 100 35mm 36 exposures

GregY

retina_restoration

GregY

MattKing

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pentaxuser

GregY

pentaxuser

GregY

albireo

Agulliver

Reviews on AgfaPhoto Agfapan APX 100 the current one

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