Topic: Tell me about Agfa APX 100

[Pete_R]

Anyone use it? What do you dev it in?

I just bought a brick of it from Speed Graphic as it was cheap (£3.29 a roll) and I've read good things about it but I've never used it before. Seems there was a previous version of it which was the same as Rollei something or other. The only technical spec I can find for it is dated 2003 so not sure if it applies to the previous version or this.

Anyone?

[Late Developer]

Peter, if I may, I'll piggy-back onto this query.

I bought a few rolls from Silverprint at Photographica a some years ago and shot one within a few weeks. I didn't process it myself (it went to a reputable lab - and I can't remember which one). 

I was a bit underwhelmed by the results.  It seemed quite grainy compared to FP4+ and Delta 100 so I haven't shot any of the other few rolls - yet.  This could have been down to "average" processing, of course.  The remaining rolls are in my fridge and I suspect slightly out of date - but I must get round to either shooting them or offering them up to a fellow FWer who could benefit from them.

Just found these:

http://www1.lupus-imaging-media.com/images/downloads/apx100gb1.pdf

http://shootfilmridesteel.com/i-love-you-and-im-not-even-sure-who-you-are-afga-apx100-film/

[Pete_R]

Hi Paul. That second link pretty much sums up the confusion around the film.

I was looking for cheap film to test cameras with so it's not critical to me what it's like but, as with the photographer in your second link, it seems some people think it's good but it's not always clear if they are using the new or old stuff. I think the new version is made by Harman but they're not giving away any real information. It all seems a bit strange to me that no one really knows what it is.

[Late Developer]

Hi Paul. That second link pretty much sums up the confusion around the film.

I was looking for cheap film to test cameras with so it's not critical to me what it's like but, as with the photographer in your second link, it seems some people think it's good but it's not always clear if they are using the new or old stuff. I think the new version is made by Harman but they're not giving away any real information. It all seems a bit strange to me that no one really knows what it is.

It's a real pity that Agfa isn't around as an independent manufacturer anymore.  They used to produce some seriously good film and just using their name as a proxy for Rollei or Kentmere (or whatever) seems disingenuous to me.

[chris667]

Are they just a name now, then?

I have really enjoyed using Agfa Vista 200, available in Poundland. I suspected they were making film somewhere else, though, as the cassettes themselves are now purple and don't say Agfa anywhere at all.

[Late Developer]

Are they just a name now, then?

I have really enjoyed using Agfa Vista 200, available in Poundland. I suspected they were making film somewhere else, though, as the cassettes themselves are now purple and don't say Agfa anywhere at all.

To be honest, Chris, I'm not sure.  I thought I'd read that someone had acquired their name under which they were putting out film stock from various sources.  I can't confirm that as 100% true but it wouldn't surprise me - much in the same way as other companies used to re-package 3M film under their own banner.

If you like the film, then absolutely no reason not to use it, irrespective of whoever's name is on the box.

[02Pilot]

Everything I've read indicates that the current APX 100 is very likely to be Kentmere 100 under a different label.

Vista 200 and 400, as well as Precisa, are all Fuji products.

[imagesfrugales]

It all seems a bit strange to me that no one really knows what it is.

It's not a real secret. The Agfaphoto  (trademark, no producer) APX (with or without the addition "new emulsion") are identical with the Kentmere brothers, both 100 and 400. All Agfaphoto films show a red dot instead of the original red Agfa rhombus. It's so easy.

Agfa and red rhombus = original Agfa Germany
Agfaphoto and red dot = Harman/Kentmere equivalent for bw or Fujifilm color neg and slide films

A bit of confusion (or a lot, to be honest) came with the RPX films, which are also made by harman and at least at the beginning were slightly different, especially the 400 was clearly superiour to the Kentmere. Then the quality seemed to swich to Kentmere 400, then back to the better first batch quality and now again is 100 % identical with the Kentmere/APX 400. I just checked that 3 weeks ago.

So, no matter if you have APX, RPX or Kentmere, you have identical emulsions today.

The APX 100 is a very good film. Of course not as fine grained as a Delta 100, but not "worse" than the FP4+ imho. I get real ISO 200 speed regarding zone I density with Caffenol-C. The APX 400 is mediocre. If you want very nice and sharp but quite big grain, this is you film at 400. But the film seems to be rather push resistant, I don't get more than a solid 400. The first RPX400 was much better in terms of fine grain and pushing behaviour.

I shoot a lot of APX 100 new, available here at a big drugstore chain for 3,50 Eur.

German Agfa (without "photo") closed the doors in 2005. The frozen stock is completely sold out.

[imagesfrugales]

My rants on the Agfaphoto APX films:

http://caffenol.blogspot.de/2016/08/apx-new-emulsion.html

http://caffenol.blogspot.de/2016/08/apx-new-emulsion-2.html

[Pete_R]

Thanks for that Reinhold.

[gsgary]

This is out of date original APX100 developed in Rodinal need i say more

[imagesfrugales]

Original Agfa APX 100 was a legend, no doubt. APX 100 new is not worse imho and available. From 24x36 mm neg, 1st cropped to pano:


Niederrhein analog by Imagesfrugales, on Flickr


Niederrhein analog by Imagesfrugales, on Flickr

[chris667]

Vista 200 and 400, as well as Precisa, are all Fuji products.

That would make sense. My cassettes of Vista all say "Made in Japan". And, although I've never really tested it scientifically, I think they're really ISO 100. Incredible stuff, if you rate it at ISO100, you can still overexpose by five stops.

[gsgary]

Agfa Vista 200 is Fuji C200

[Indofunk]

I've shot one roll of new APX100 and dev'd it in HC110H for 14 minutes (2 min longer than I dev TMax100, and 4min longer than Tri-X @400). I liked it quite a bit.




Step Aside by Satish Indofunk, on Flickr

[jojonas~]

I scored a bunch of Rollei Retro 100 twin packs from a friend, I think he said that it was old stock apx 100? Though I've seen some differing emulsion numbers on it online

anyway, I'm at my last rolls and that's too bad cause I liked what I got out of it

[Pete_R]

So I decided to use a couple of rolls to do some tests. I developed one in FD10 (8.5 mins) and the other in Ilfosol 3 (5 mins). I'm liking it in Ilfosol 3. Even more so than the Acros I've been using recently.



Off on a few days away tomorrow and just took the Acros out of my bag and put the APX in.

[MiguelCampano]

So I decided to use a couple of rolls to do some tests. I developed one in FD10 (8.5 mins) and the other in Ilfosol 3 (5 mins). I'm liking it in Ilfosol 3. Even more so than the Acros I've been using recently.



Off on a few days away tomorrow and just took the Acros out of my bag and put the APX in.

Beautiful! I would like to try it too, as I'm becoming more inclined to use 100 ISO films over 400 ones, and Ilfosol-3 being my only developer works dandy with them as far as I can tell.