Rodinal quality ??

canuhead · Mar 29, 2006

Hey All,

Long story short, an employee at a Toronto area camera store told me that the newer batch of Rodinal is not as good as the older stuff brewed before the recent Agfa kerfuffle. Maybe they were trying to move their stock, dunno. The stuff they had was still labelled Agfaphoto and the fineprint read AgfaPhoto GmbH. Has anybody else heard similar ? Is the new Rodinal even available yet ?

If the previous mix is better, I'm heading back to get a few bottles

Thanks,

Fred

Michael Kadillak · Mar 29, 2006

Sounds to me that your first instincts were dead on. Salesmen will inherently sell as creatively as possible in this instance particularly when analog retail is a slow game.

Rodinal has been around for a very long time. The practical side of me feels that only a fool would purposefully alter a formula whose response character is essentially cast in stone. It would be financial suicide at the very least.

Onward!

Gerald Koch · Mar 29, 2006

Since A & O hasn't settled on an US distributer for the Rodinal how can this jerk of a salesman make any legitimate comment on its quality.

Wayne · Mar 29, 2006

Pre-A&O Rodinal has reared its little head right on schedule! LOL!

Wayne

canuhead · Mar 29, 2006

That's what I thought, if the US hasn't gotten it yet, then where did this info come from ? Does Europe have theirs yet ? Agree as well that it'd be lunacy to change the formula. I will say though that I miss the old glass bottles it used to come in (dating myself I think...)

Off topic, picking up a used Beseler 23c tomorrow from a co-worker. Just need carriers for 6x7 and 6x9. Thinking of filing them down as well if/when I get them. Been ages since I stood under a red light lol.

canuhead · Mar 29, 2006

Just to add to this story. While in the previously mentioned shop, upon being told that a particular batch of Rodinal was better than the coming ones, I jokingly suggested putting them on that auction site and making a few $$.

Lo and behold, check this out. This is funny, and sad.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/AGFA-RODINAL-B-W...601989722QQcategoryZ29983QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

SteveH · Mar 29, 2006

Wayne said:
Pre-A&O Rodinal has reared its little head right on schedule! LOL!

Wayne

Hahaha...That didn't take long now did it ?

Gerald Koch · Mar 29, 2006

Wayne said:
Pre-A&O Rodinal has reared its little head right on schedule! LOL! Wayne

I can see Rodinal being discussed by year like fine wine. "This is Rodinal 1953, a humorous little developer".

canuhead · Mar 29, 2006

rotflmao !

moose10101 · Mar 29, 2006

People have been auctioning Rodinal for quite a few months. I've seen winning bids up to $50 for 500ml.

john_s · Mar 29, 2006

There is a precendent for this concern over Rodinal batches. Here in Australia, because of low turnover and the long shelf life, it appears that Rodinal was imported by Agfa Australia at long intervals. My first bottle of Rodinal in the early 1970s was quite dark. Some years later, I bought a bottle that was fairly pale. Being a cynic, I cursed the manufacturers for meddling with the formula, but it still worked. I have since read that many customers here and in New Zealand were also disturbed by this, but as far as I know there really was no difference.

Does anyone know if the formula did change in the last 50 years?

Turnover here is still low. There was plenty of Rodinal at Vanbar North Melbourne last time I looked.

Dave Parker · Mar 29, 2006

I had three cases of Rodinal before Christmas and sold them, people were paying to much to keep it around, sorry call me a whore, but it did pay for a nice Christmas Holiday for me and the wife...

I know, I am a cad, interested in nothing but profit, what can I say...

Dave

Lee L · Mar 29, 2006

I have a nice bottle of the '54 that I'm saving for just the right occasion.

Lee

reggie · Mar 29, 2006

Satinsnow said:
I had three cases of Rodinal before Christmas and sold them, people were paying to much to keep it around, sorry call me a whore, but it did pay for a nice Christmas Holiday for me and the wife...

I know, I am a cad, interested in nothing but profit, what can I say...

Dave

You would only be a cad if you replaced about 30% of each bottle with water
to stretch your profits. That's what I did ;>)

-R

cperez · Mar 29, 2006

Swill, I tell you. Nothing compares to a nice '45, '59, or '61

Lee L said:
I have a nice bottle of the '54 that I'm saving for just the right occasion.

Lee

Tom Hoskinson · Mar 29, 2006

Oh well, back in the "OH MY GOD AGFA RODINAL IS GOING AWAY FOREVER!" Crisis of the 1970's, I bought a pound of photo grade p-aminophenol (Base). Still have plenty left!

john_s · Mar 29, 2006

Tom Hoskinson said:
Oh well, back in the "OH MY GOD AGFA RODINAL IS GOING AWAY FOREVER!" Crisis of the 1970's, I bought a pound of photo grade p-aminophenol (Base). Still have plenty left!

Has it kept well? One spec sheet I read suggested quite a short shelf life due to oxidation.

david b · Mar 29, 2006

I've gotta be honest and think I've had some issues with the rodinal I bought about 3 months. I can't quite explain it but something looks wrong. I'lll have to pull out the negs to look again.

MattCarey · Mar 30, 2006

I know this isn't fair, but on reading "Rodinal Quality" I immediately thought:

Jumbo Shrimp
Military Intelligence
fail safe
serious fun....

Matt

Tom Hoskinson · Mar 30, 2006

john_s said:
Has it kept well? One spec sheet I read suggested quite a short shelf life due to oxidation.

I'd better take it down off the shelf and test it.

Rodinal quality ??

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