Rollei Retro 400, an user review

[Muihlinn]

I just Dead Link Removed with this new Rollei emulsion in my website, with this URL Dead Link Removed.

Anyone there shooting it to share ideas?

 

[Amund]

Uh, isn`t the Retro 400 just repackaged APX 400?
http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00DXdu

Anyway, as Agfa has stopped making APX 100/400 in 120-format I hope the Rollei Retro series IS APX, as I love the 100....

 

[Muihlinn]

I don't think that it's just plain repackaged g'n'old APX, and I consider those comments more free forumorology than any other thing. Counting in my experience with the Retro 400 the base looks different, the developing times in the same developer are also different, the spectral sensitivity is a bit tighter (about 50nm less), but in the other hand that film share a very similar curve, have the same resolution of 110 lpm and the layer thickness has the same 10 units (nothing much, most 400 films behave in that way).

Personally I do find that it looks as the best APX (which I loved too) but with some features of other well-know films that I've used extensively.

Perhaps, speculatively speaking, they pulled an agfa's dead investigation line and bringed up a revamped APX, or perhaps they took a look at the market and finally heard some users. Who knows? the only thing that really counts is that it's here for good.

PS: 120 format isn't available yet AFAIK. It's scheduled for late October or Early November, so there is another clue to do not think that it's just repackaged APX.

 

[marko_trebusak]

Do you know, if this film(s) will also be available in sheets further down the road?

Marko

 

[Muihlinn]

AFAIK Retro and Pan25 aren't planned in sheets. R3, ortho25 and infrared yes. Anyway I'm just an user, not an insider, so things may change.

 

[fred]

Wouldn't it better, in general speaking, to be "clear" about all the OEM lines in b & w photography?

It treats of confidence. The more the producers gives the right information about the origin of their b & w products, the more they will win the confidence of the b & w on_film_photographers.

We b & w photographers, we don’t need to have an unlimited choice of different films. What we do need is, in every format (24/36 120, 4/5 and 8/10 inch), for different sensitivity (25, 125, 400 and 3200 (which is most of the time 1250) one or two producers/suppliers. We do need consistency in production (a good from lot to lot variation) and a reasonable delivery time worldwide at a correct price.

So let's not divide the energy for producing good b & w products.

Fred

 

[Muihlinn]

It will be better, yes, but speculative forumorology beyond facts doesn't help so much, it might be funny to figure what are the ropes behind the big guys on the market, but nothing solid, or at very least nothing sure.

I fully agree with you about the number of different films, in fact I have been sticking with a few from Ilford, agfa and kodak depending how it suits the planned results for my own taste. Now Kodak has changed the Tri-X and it sucks (for what I was used to get), agfa has discontinued the lovely 25 and the 120 format; Ilford it's the only keeper. So I'm just looking for replacements of my former films.

Apart that, I live in a small village. No labs, no photography shops, and the nearest ones are moving quickly to digital and they do carry only not-so-cheap color consumer film. A few months ago I had to spend a day, travel to the city and come back with supplies if they were available. Nowadays I only have to call to the guy who brings up those films and the next day I have premium quality film -whose consistency I've stated by my own tests-, along with my chemicals and papers of choice delivered right to my house's door at lesser price than I had to pay even before the digital boom.

Perhaps others should move their arse and stop moaning about profit looses.