Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/06/18

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Subject: [Leica] Re: Rodinal (was my M lens and b+w film test)
From: Christer Almqvist <chris@almqvist.net>
Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 22:29:28 +0000

Well, I agree with (almost) everything you say, that's why I have had a
bottle of Rodinal standing here for over two years after I had used it only
once. The results I got using Rodinal 1+25 with Agfa 100 film in 1997 were
not encouraging, to put it mildly, so Rodinal and Agfa films did not get
used any more although I understand it is a combo much liked by medium
format users. However, using a 1+100 dilution with Agfa 25 film is quite
another story. And that little bottle has a few advantages: it hardly takes
up any space, keeps forever (it seems) even in partly filled plastic
bottles, and it is dirt cheap. I just got technical data sheets from Agfa
and also their new 88 page --simply beautiful-- booklet on their b+w
products, but there is no mention of development times for 1+100 anywhere
there. Try 15 mins at 68° as a starting point if your are adventurous

>Dan Cardish wrote:
>>
>> That's strange.  A book I recently picked up (The Film Developing Cookbook
>> by Anchell and Troop) mentions that the grain of Agfa 400 developed in
>> Rodinal 1:50 is finer than Tri-X.  To quote them: "It [Rodinal] is most
>> successful with Agfa 400, a film that exhibits noticeably finer grain, than
>> Tri-X."   I suppose they mean when developed in similar developers.
>>
>> Elsewhere they comment that Agfa 400 exhibits the best gradation of all 400
>> speed films.
>>
>> TheY
>>
>> Dan C.
>I do remember reading that and they said a number of other things when
>went against my  and general direct experience but I still think they're
>swell.
>I believe there is a consensus among photographers that Agfa films
>gradate real well but you pay for it with mucho extra grain. Rodinal
>anyone knows is grain city. Combine the two and what have you got: grain
>on your grain, with some more grain added for good measure. Just run out
>and buy a roll, shoot it and run it and if you don't agree I'll
>personally say "sun of a gun!". I get more grain with Agfapan 100 and
>Rodinal than I do with Tri X. But strait line gradation like you never
>saw; creamy mid tones and highlights.
>Mark Rabiner


- --
christer almqvist
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