Revisiting and old friend, Agfa APX 25

[destroya]

I have a lot of APX 25 in 120 frozen. over the last 5 years if I do shoot it, it has been very rarely. I would guess about 10 rolls over that time. But life is short, especially as you get older, so decided its time to start shooting this film again. So dug way down to the bottom of the film chest freezer to find the case. Its was a great feeling opening the case and see 10 10 packs nicely packed away, waiting to be shot.

I have always had a soft spot for this emulsion, along with the 100 speed. It was never the sharpest, never the smallest grain, never the fasted. but when I weighed all the criteria, it was always my favorite. there is just something special about how it renders a landscape scene, both enlarged and scanned. The tonality had a magic to it and the results just sparkled. So its time, time to start shooting more and shooting this film more. I have 2 cases, so 200 rolls and my plan is to shoot 2 to 4 rolls a month, forcing myself to get back out there and go at it. getting my pentax 67 serviced and back to working order played a key roll in this decision. the 2 paired together has given me so many keepers and prints, it always makes me smile. when I go back and look at my best shots over the last 20 years, seems to always be pentax 67 and apx 25.

This is in no way meant as a show off post. I really did feel like I was 12 again, at my grandparents, opening gifts on my b-day. you know the feeling Im talking about. so get out there and shoot!

john

 

[GregY]

I have a lot of APX 25 in 120 frozen. over the last 5 years if I do shoot it, it has been very rarely. I would guess about 10 rolls over that time. But life is short, especially as you get older, so decided its time to start shooting this film again. So dug way down to the bottom of the film chest freezer to find the case. Its was a great feeling opening the case and see 10 10 packs nicely packed away, waiting to be shot.

I have always had a soft spot for this emulsion, along with the 100 speed. It was never the sharpest, never the smallest grain, never the fasted. but when I weighed all the criteria, it was always my favorite. there is just something special about how it renders a landscape scene, both enlarged and scanned. The tonality had a magic to it and the results just sparkled. So its time, time to start shooting more and shooting this film more. I have 2 cases, so 200 rolls and my plan is to shoot 2 to 4 rolls a month, forcing myself to get back out there and go at it. getting my pentax 67 serviced and back to working order played a key roll in this decision. the 2 paired together has given me so many keepers and prints, it always makes me smile. when I go back and look at my best shots over the last 20 years, seems to always be pentax 67 and apx 25.

This is in no way meant as a show off post. I really did feel like I was 12 again, at my grandparents, opening gifts on my b-day. you know the feeling Im talking about. so get out there and shoot!

john

D, I wish I had that kind of stock Agfa 25 was indeed special......I've only got a few rolls each of 35 & 120.....
Thankfully I've been able to tweak TMax 100 and now Ilford Delta 100 to my satisfaction......but I still have big nostalgia for Agfa 25

 

[JensH]

Gratulations, my all time favorite!
Still have some, but only in 135...

 

[Ten301]

I have a lot of APX 25 in 120 frozen. over the last 5 years if I do shoot it, it has been very rarely. I would guess about 10 rolls over that time. But life is short, especially as you get older, so decided its time to start shooting this film again. So dug way down to the bottom of the film chest freezer to find the case. Its was a great feeling opening the case and see 10 10 packs nicely packed away, waiting to be shot.

I have always had a soft spot for this emulsion, along with the 100 speed. It was never the sharpest, never the smallest grain, never the fasted. but when I weighed all the criteria, it was always my favorite. there is just something special about how it renders a landscape scene, both enlarged and scanned. The tonality had a magic to it and the results just sparkled. So its time, time to start shooting more and shooting this film more. I have 2 cases, so 200 rolls and my plan is to shoot 2 to 4 rolls a month, forcing myself to get back out there and go at it. getting my pentax 67 serviced and back to working order played a key roll in this decision. the 2 paired together has given me so many keepers and prints, it always makes me smile. when I go back and look at my best shots over the last 20 years, seems to always be pentax 67 and apx 25.

This is in no way meant as a show off post. I really did feel like I was 12 again, at my grandparents, opening gifts on my b-day. you know the feeling Im talking about. so get out there and shoot!

john

“But life is short, especially as you get older…”

I’ve been thinking about that a lot recently regarding my photography hobby. I just turned 67 and have a freezer full of film, much of it film that has long been discontinued. I’ve realized I’ve been ‘saving’ it, but saving it for what? It’s time to open the freezer and use the rare stuff. Time is short.

 

[Bill Burk]

Well you certainly have enough to test speed and development time.

I was surprised it needed longer development time than documentation suggests so I wrote to PE who suggested gelatin hardening may be involved.

I found it has full 25 speed still.

 

[Craig]

I have one roll that was given to me, so I don't want to sacrifice it for testing. What is the recommended development time, likely in D76 or Xtol?

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I've got some stored away, too, as well as some 100 and 400, kindly given to me by a subscriber on my channel. I shot a few rolls of the 100 over in the Japan. Upon returning home to the darkroom, I was pleasantly surprised with how well it had rendered the scene. Looking forward to giving the 25 a whirl. I regret not ever shooting Agfapan films back when they were readily available...

 

[AZD]

I too wish I had paid more attention to Agfa products when they were available. Agfa made top quality products.

Last year I lucked into a bulk roll of Agfapan 100 rebranded as Arista. Still good and apparently refrigerated along with a huge stash of other films by an old retired pro. Anyway… it’s really great stuff. My first test roll produced a very nice image of my favorite test subject - my dog of course. After making a few test prints and strips on contemporary papers I made an 8x10 on the last of two sheets of Portriga I had been saving for something worthwhile. It turned out really well with such nice tonality.

 

[AZD]

I have one roll that was given to me, so I don't want to sacrifice it for testing. What is the recommended development time, likely in D76 or Xtol?

Here’s a link to the data sheet:

https://125px.com/docs/film/agfa/agfapanapx25.pdf

 

[xkaes]

Here's a Peterson's article on APX 25. It basically says that shooting APX 25 gives you the same results as shooting 400 speed film in a 4x5:

www.subclub.org/apx25.pdf

 

[Kodachromeguy]

Agfapan 25 was a favorite in the 1980s. I do not know if Agfapan 25 was the same emulsion as the newer APX25, but regardless, it was wonderful for scenics and sunny days. Here are some examples from that previous life:

https://worldofdecay.blogspot.com/2021/10/before-crisis-ciudad-acuna-mexico-in.html

There are more 1980s negs from Texas to scan (in my non-spare time....)

Update on saving film: Time to use my remaining rolls of 120 Panatomic-X. Why save them for what special scenes?

 

[Bill Burk]

Going back to Texas to the same haunts?

I use Panatomic-X for old places I’ve been to get a second chance for a good picture of the place, fill in gaps. It looks the same.

 

[Kodachromeguy]

Going back to Texas to the same haunts?

Maybe. I will probably delay a trip until December. Summer in Houston is horrifying, but the Christmas season is fun.

 

[koraks]

I really did feel like I was 12 again, at my grandparents, opening gifts on my b-day.

That alone is worth it!
Have fun with your treasure!

 

[halfaman]

I only had the oportunity to try the original APX 100 with Rodinal, and the rendering was really something special to me and different to other films.

 

[destroya]

“But life is short, especially as you get older…”

I’ve been thinking about that a lot recently regarding my photography hobby. I just turned 67 and have a freezer full of film, much of it film that has long been discontinued. I’ve realized I’ve been ‘saving’ it, but saving it for what? It’s time to open the freezer and use the rare stuff. Time is short.

In 2010 I thought at the time that color film was going to go away for good (I dont thing the digital will every replace B&W) so I loaded up on velvia 50 as well as all the astia I could find. Figured provia was kinda the general all purpose slide film from fuji and would be the last man standing, so never really stock piled it. And like you, I was saving the films for special occasions and found other film to shoot as my every day film. But like a lot of things, I slowly realized that it had been years and i still hadn't shot a lot of the "special" film. So why did I buy it? then the ah ha moment hit. Everyday is a special day! Covid really hammered that home for me with a lot of things, as did the death of a very close friend from an accident. So life changes came. Not sure why shooting my saved film came last, but it has arrived. It started with deciding Im gonna start drinking my "good" wine and went from there. I did a count and have way more film in the freezer then I thought I did.

Last night, while I was enjoying a special bottle of wine (why, because I have it and decided to drink it), I was loading up some velvia 50 in my 4x5 holders and thought, this is fun. Why did I wait so long. those all day developing marathons are worth it. There is just something specail about when you finish a batch and hang them to dry, especaily slide film, it makes everythig that came before it worth it.

OK, now I'm happy! I am very grateful that I can enjoy this hobby and share it with family and friends via prints and the all boring slide shows (I still love em, but the others, maybe not so much). Having a cumminty tike we do here, Its great to see that Im not the onyl one who feels this way.

john

 

[xkaes]

I did a count and have way more film in the freezer then I thought I did.

I'm sure a lot of us are in the same boat. I discovered the other day that I have several boxes of 4x5" Kodak Royal-X Pan -- instead of just one or two.

 

[Chuck1]

In 2010 I thought at the time that color film was going to go away for good (I dont thing the digital will every replace B&W) so I loaded up on velvia 50 as well as all the astia I could find. Figured provia was kinda the general all purpose slide film from fuji and would be the last man standing, so never really stock piled it. And like you, I was saving the films for special occasions and found other film to shoot as my every day film. But like a lot of things, I slowly realized that it had been years and i still hadn't shot a lot of the "special" film. So why did I buy it? then the ah ha moment hit. Everyday is a special day! Covid really hammered that home for me with a lot of things, as did the death of a very close friend from an accident. So life changes came. Not sure why shooting my saved film came last, but it has arrived. It started with deciding Im gonna start drinking my "good" wine and went from there. I did a count and have way more film in the freezer then I thought I did.

Last night, while I was enjoying a special bottle of wine (why, because I have it and decided to drink it), I was loading up some velvia 50 in my 4x5 holders and thought, this is fun. Why did I wait so long. those all day developing marathons are worth it. There is just something specail about when you finish a batch and hang them to dry, especaily slide film, it makes everythig that came before it worth it.

OK, now I'm happy! I am very grateful that I can enjoy this hobby and share it with family and friends via prints and the all boring slide shows (I still love em, but the others, maybe not so much). Having a cumminty tike we do here, Its great to see that Im not the onyl one who feels this way.

john

It is a truly exceptional film
Enjoy it and the wine too
If anyone has any apx they could spare
I'd shoot it

 

[Craig]

Here’s a link to the data sheet:

https://125px.com/docs/film/agfa/agfapanapx25.pdf

I'm not familiar with most of the Agfa developers noted on that sheet, aside from Rodinal. What are the equivalents to Refinal or Atomal FF, or are they unique developers?

 

[npl]

Agfapan 25 was a favorite in the 1980s. I do not know if Agfapan 25 was the same emulsion as the newer APX25, but regardless, it was wonderful for scenics and sunny days. Here are some examples from that previous life:

https://worldofdecay.blogspot.com/2021/10/before-crisis-ciudad-acuna-mexico-in.html

There are more 1980s negs from Texas to scan (in my non-spare time....)

Update on saving film: Time to use my remaining rolls of 120 Panatomic-X. Why save them for what special scenes?

Very nice photographs and article.

ISO 25 seems low to me even in sunlight (assuming you shot the APX at box speed), but I'm used to SLR's. The Leica seems the right tool for the job here

 

[Kodachromeguy]

Very nice photographs and article.

ISO 25 seems low to me even in sunlight (assuming you shot the APX at box speed), but I'm used to SLR's. The Leica seems the right tool for the job here

Thanks! I was a Kodachrome 25 user, so Agfapan 25 was comfortable.

 

[GregY]

Very nice photographs and article.

ISO 25 seems low to me even in sunlight (assuming you shot the APX at box speed), but I'm used to SLR's. The Leica seems the right tool for the job here

I save my A25 for tripod images....

 

[Chuck1]

I have to agree with a tripod

 

[GregY]

I have to agree with a tripod

A few years back I was off to the Dolomites and planned to visit this place. I had been shooting with a Rolleiflex, but I had this (rectangular) image in mind so I bought a Fuji GW680lll..... (a 4x5 was impractical for the trip). I got this photo on one of my few precious rolls of Agfapan 25/120. The 20x24" print turned out pretty fine. In the big scheme of things if i never find more A25..... Agfa owes me nothing...but this image is a keeper for me.
It had been a dull rainy september day & we returned to our guest house... this shot from the tiny balcony (tripod of course)

 

[braxus]

I've got some stored away, too, as well as some 100 and 400, kindly given to me by a subscriber on my channel. I shot a few rolls of the 100 over in the Japan. Upon returning home to the darkroom, I was pleasantly surprised with how well it had rendered the scene. Looking forward to giving the 25 a whirl. I regret not ever shooting Agfapan films back when they were readily available...

You'll love it Andy! Its not like Efke 25, but more so has a stronger contrast to it. I have my own stash of the 25 ISO film in 35mm and and I think 120 too. Im saving it for something special. You do find it on Ebay now and then. But as per usual, when people see stuff online about a certain film, usually the price goes up on it. Panatomic X is an example.