Testing and evaluating CatLabs "X Film 320 Pro (2022 version)

CAMDEN LOCK

A
CAMDEN LOCK

  • 0
  • 0
  • 6
Canal Boat

A
Canal Boat

  • 0
  • 0
  • 8
solarized farmhouse.jpg

A
solarized farmhouse.jpg

  • 0
  • 0
  • 10
Red Telephone Boxes

A
Red Telephone Boxes

  • 0
  • 0
  • 9

Recent Classifieds

Forum statistics

Threads
183,153
Messages
2,539,362
Members
95,750
Latest member
cyoder
Recent bookmarks
1
Joined
Mar 25, 2019
Messages
31
Location
Canada
Format
Analog
OT: I "tested" a bunch of Ferrania P30 when they (like Catlabs) had no data aside from some suggested best practices. It was contrasty like Catlabs unless I exposed it at iso50 or below, and at those speeds it worked in a way that could be scanned or wet printed without too much difficulty. But for me it was an expensive time waster only to learn that the film was too slow for my intended use. That's when I got out of the business of testing undocumented films.

I offered to give the rest of my P30 to a friend that tried one of my rolls and he declined saying he was already dealing with PTSD from the first roll. ;-)

Edit: I added the quote marks around the word tested to make sure people don't think I was doing what @aparat is doing, which is on another level entirely. I don't have those skills!

I'd be happy to finish "testing" your P30 if it's still floating around...
 
OP
OP
aparat

aparat

Subscriber
Joined
Sep 5, 2007
Messages
1,124
Location
Saint Paul,
Format
35mm
Now that I figured out how to digitize my 120 negatives with a phone, I can share a few from a recent 120 roll of CatLABS X FILM 320 Pro, developed in XTOL-R for 14 minutes. I was trying to push the film, as the Holga, despite sunny conditions, underexposed it. Fortunately, I could change the overall brightness/exposure with a phone app and salvage the underexposed images. So these are not straight, unmanipulated scans. Despite the necessary boost in brightness, I still ended up with the film's signature punch-looking images. I must say, the look is kinda growing on me, and XTOL-R seems to tame some of the unwieldy tonality that D-76 could not do quite as well.

52592392110_739eac7c77_c.jpg

52591484232_8e56b47d89_c.jpg

52592392095_aff5c890e5_c.jpg
 

Donald Qualls

Subscriber
Joined
Jan 19, 2005
Messages
10,687
Location
North Carolina
Format
Multi Format
Damn. I need to push my one exposed roll of this stuff to the head of the line, as soon as I get the three rolls of Fomapan 400 already in the tank processed. Might finally get time over New Year's; three day weekend and shouldn't need to fix my computer again...
 

Donald Qualls

Subscriber
Joined
Jan 19, 2005
Messages
10,687
Location
North Carolina
Format
Multi Format
three day weekend and shouldn't need to fix my computer again...

Me and my big mouth. Computer crapped out again, spent two days poking at it, and the third got eaten with honey-do stuff...
 

John Wiegerink

Subscriber
Joined
May 29, 2009
Messages
2,398
Location
Lake Station, MI
Format
Multi Format
These were at ISO320

I also shot some at ISO200 and developed in HC-110 1:49 https://www.auer.studio/2023

Those all look very good. Just curious as to how you are metering those scenes in which Rodinal was used as the developer. Incident or more on a zone III-IV shadow setting. The reason I ask is that it seems that most folks here want to rate this film much lower than ISO 320
 

Auer

Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2020
Messages
920
Location
sixfourfive
Format
Traditional
Those all look very good. Just curious as to how you are metering those scenes in which Rodinal was used as the developer. Incident or more on a zone III-IV shadow setting. The reason I ask is that it seems that most folks here want to rate this film much lower than ISO 320

The rodinal set was shot with a Nikon N70 which I use a lot for "first roll for me of that brand" use.
So I let the camera do the metering and shoot at box speed always for that first roll.
In this case it worked out pretty ok.
 

John Wiegerink

Subscriber
Joined
May 29, 2009
Messages
2,398
Location
Lake Station, MI
Format
Multi Format
The rodinal set was shot with a Nikon N70 which I use a lot for "first roll for me of that brand" use.
So I let the camera do the metering and shoot at box speed always for that first roll.
In this case it worked out pretty ok.

OK, thanks for that info. It makes more sense now if you are using matrix metering.
 
OP
OP
aparat

aparat

Subscriber
Joined
Sep 5, 2007
Messages
1,124
Location
Saint Paul,
Format
35mm
It's been a long time since this thread ended, but I only now got around to printing some of the photographs taken on the CatLABS X FILM 320 Pro around the time of the film's launch. Overall, my experience with printing was good. The film does not have the beautifully extended smooth tonality of, say HP5 Plus, but it does not need to. It can be printed fairly easily on Grade 2 paper, if exposed and developed for that purpose. I set my exposure meter to EI 80, if I remember correctly, and developed for in D-76 1+1 for 5:45 min. at 20C in a Jobo rotary processor.

Here's an 8x10 enlargement from a 35mm frame on the B&H Multitone VC RC Glossy paper. Grain is not visible at this magnification, and there's ample detail to be had. The banding artifacts and smudges are from my old flatbed scanner. The PET film base resists water drying marks, actually, making for a very clean negative to print. This particular print was developed in D-72 and toned in selenium 1+9 for six minutes. The scan is straight from VueScan, or as straight as I could make it.

Contractor by Nick Mazur, on Flickr
 

Romanko

Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2021
Messages
142
Location
Sydney, Australia
Format
Medium Format
Very nice! Thanks for sharing and all the work you've done on this film. This Aviphot does have pictorial potential.
 
Photrio.com contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
To read our full affiliate disclosure statement please click Here.

PHOTRIO PARTNERS EQUALLY FUNDING OUR COMMUNITY:



Ilford ADOX Freestyle Photographic Stearman Press Weldon Color Lab Blue Moon Camera & Machine
Top Bottom