old fashioned

During the last few weeks I’ve been developing film and only looking at the results with a magnifying glass rather than scanning them right away. It was an exercise in patience and now I’m getting all sorts of pleasant surprises when looking at my finished scans. First of all I was unsure about my decision to shoot so much of an unknown emulsion while I was travelling. What if I had been mistaken in my assumption that Rollei RPX 400 is in reality Kentmere 400 or something very similar? What if I hadn’t liked the results? However, I’m glad that I gave this a chance, since I’m really pleased with this first scanned roll at least. I developed these just the way I would have developed Kentmere 400 – 10 minutes longer in Rodinal stand – and they came out just the way I would have expected for K400 too. So far I still can’t yet say whether this is really Kentmere though, because the base is thicker for 120. And no matter what it is, I actually like it! Thanks to Paul Sweeney for suggesting that I try this stuff!

Another pleasant surprise with this roll was that I didn’t get my usual problem of edge overdevelopment. I had the edge overdevelopment consistently in all my bright Rollei shots before and already suspected that it was the Rollei that had some sort of problem with reflection. Turns out that it wasn’t the Rollei but that I really wasn’t agitating enough for that small tank I’m using – it only fits one 120 roll. Switching back to inversions – unlike before careful ones though – did the trick and now the negatives seem much more evenly developed.

Last but not least there is one more thing that is worth mentioning today: I am finally taking the plunge and buying that Leica M6 that I’ve been dreaming of for several years. The reason why I originally got into film photography was to be able to afford a Leica some day and now it’s really happening! The only problem is that I have to be a little more patient still: Since I’m buying it in a shop in Germany that doesn’t even have a website the problem is that they don’t ship to Spain at all. I will have to wait until I go to my hometown over Christmas until I can give it a spin. Now I only have to find the right lens to go with it as well. I will probably try to shoot my Zorki Jupiter 12 35mm lens if all else fails, but I’m still hoping that I might find the right lens before Christmas. I’m hoping that a Summicron 35mm f/2.0 will turn up, but I might also go for a Voigtländer 21mm f/4.0 that I could also use on my E-PL3. It would be tough to start out on such a wide lens though. I will have to think about it a little more.

All pictures taken with: Rolleicord V, Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar 75mm f/3.5.
Rollei RPX 400 stand-developed in Rodinal 1:100, 70min.

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

Cute car even though it’s “bad”! I also like the evaporating condensation.

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

Picnic!

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

Very elaborate skull.

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

The antlers were real ones actually.

Comments

  • Rollei RPX films are made by Harman/Ilford but they are not identical to their Kentmere films. The Rollei Retro S series are coming from Agfa Gevaert in Belgium. In fact Aviphot 80 E1 and Aviphot 200 E1 emulsions, NIR.

    • Lilly Schwartz

      I’m not sure Robert, the development times are very very similar for K400 and RPX 400 and in some developers actually the same. They have the same quirks too: they have a thin base which tears easily but dries flat, and both don’t quite achieve ISO 400 in Rodinal which is why I leave them longer. I still need to look at the 35mm scans, but to the eye the negatives do really look a lot like K400. If RPX 400 is not K400 then it’s something very very similar. In any case I always wanted K400 in 120, so I’m happy that they are so similar and maybe even the same. By the way, the new Agfa APX has the exact same development times as Kentmere too. Less variety than we think.

      • You are right about the APX-100/400 new. They are identical to Kentmere 100/400. If you want high speed you should try Rollei RPX-400 in RPX-D a formulae for push processing, made by SPUR for Rollei.
        Talking about developers, in the past Rollei-Maco had an OEM contract (up from 1984) with Amaloco Photochemicals, Ommen, the Netherlands about their AM74 = LP Supergrain = Rollei High Speed. When Amaloco closed their factory in 2008 in Holland the brand name came at the end to Nordfoto, in fact a competitor for Maco. So they gave SPUR an order to develop a simmular type AM74 developer with low Hyroquinone content (which is on the Black EU list) and this new developer is since a year available and sold under Rollei Supergrain now.

        So also here less variety then you think. Popular is also using B&W cine film. Adox Silvermax, an exact Agfa Scala copy and also used in Adox cine film cassettes. Cinestill put Kodak Double X in cassettes now. Bergger BRF400+ using the OrWo Filmotec N74+ cine film. Well they have all contacts at ilford for their special papers.

        Looking at the chemistry in fact Tetenal is producing in Europe for Kodak, Ilford, Amaloco, partial for Rollei, partial for Adox, Compard, well in the mean time they have a big OEM list I think.

  • Roy

    Congrats on the decision to go for the Leica!
    Just as for you, a Leica has been an old dream for me to own. I guess for at least 35 years. But now, among a lot of other cameras, I also own a M6 and a M3. I just simply love these well built, small but good armored pieces of joy. I only got two lenses so far, both Summicron’s, but for the first time I don’t feel any panic to get anything else than these two lovely pieces of glass.
    Just one warning though… you might get addicted to your M6 very quickly 🙂
    Good luck, and I can’t wait to see the results some day!

    • Lilly Schwartz

      Thanks Roy! It’s been a dream of mine as well and now I’m finally making it come true! It’s a big investment, but I think it will help me improve further. I also suspect that my gear acquisition syndrome will subside with this purchase. Once I get my hands on a couple of Leica lenses I don’t think I’ll need any other 35mm gear. I can only imagine that I might invest in medium or large format gear after this. And even medium format is unlikely because I really love my Rolleicord and don’t see a need for anything else right now. And yes, I’ll get addicted to that Leica for sure!

  • A Leica ? Great! It took me many years before buying a pre-owned Leica, an m7 with a 50mm cron. Later I added a 35 cron (all pre owned). You’ll like this new tool for your work.
    robert

    • Lilly Schwartz

      Well, I lusted after a Leica for quite a number of years. Basically since I started engaging with photography on a daily basis and discovered ShootTokyo, which was very early on for me. Later I decided that I just need to start working towards it which is why I got into analog photography in the first place, because I just don’t see the point of investing in a digital Leica yet when they still lose so much value in just a few years. My M6 is also pre-owned and will probably keep its value over many years and keep going for another 20+ years too. I got a new Zeiss lens mainly because it was an economical alternative even new and I just couldn’t find it pre-owned. Just like you I will have to wait until I can get a pre-owned Leica lens. That’s the really expensive part. And even though it’s not a Leica lens, I think the Zeiss will be a *huge* step up from anything 35mm I have right now!

  • A Leica M is really enjoying this type of photography. I am also owning a M7 (0,58) with C.V. 15mm-M, 21mm Elmarit, 28mm Elmarit, 50mm Summicron and a 75mm Summarit which took years but is my favorit camera together with a C.V. Bessa III 667 but that is MF. If you have the chance grab it!
    Zeiss, made by Cosina is also very good and their prices are more moderate. In fact your Jupiter lenses are also Zeiss design lenses.

    • Lilly Schwartz

      Wow, that is quite a collection you have there! I mostly shoot 35mm lenses myself, so I think that one will serve me well. Zeiss does seem like a great alternative and there are some who even prefer it.

      • I personally like it wider. My Elmarit 28mm is one of my favorit lenses. But also 15mm or 21mm can be nice, To prevent to many external finders I bought that nice zoom VF 15mm-35mm from C.V. in the clearance for Eur. 300, sold the Leica 21mm finder for Eur. 150 which was second hand together with that 21mm Elmarit for Eur. 600. New lenses were only that Summarit 75mm (Eur. 950 at that time) and the Summicron 50mm when the Dutch Leica distributor went bankrupted just in a “stupid” bid for Eur. 550,- and then nobody else did something. Not the most expensive Leica lenses but when I am printing on my (Split Grade) enlarger 24x30cm or bigger you can see it immediately.

        • Lilly Schwartz

          You got an Elmarit for 600€ with finder? Where did you manage to find that? That’s one hell of a price! I just had an offer for like double the price and that was a real bargain for the prices right now. I just can’t afford it right now or else I would have jumped at it.

          • I am mostly buying on analogue photo fora. Never on E-bay because most of those prices are rediculous.
            My Elmarit 21mm is a “made in Canada” , so not the asferical version or so and you see them normally around EUR. 800 – 900. It is a good lens but also not very special. You can buy a Zeiss 21mm new for that amount of money (also F/2,8 or at least the F4,5) where the F/4,5 -21mm has even a very low distorsion.
            I have also bought on the Dutch analogue photo forum a Zorki-4K (refurbished with a new shutter), J-8 and a J-12 for EUR. 100,- . And on the German analogue photo forum a FED-5b with I-61 L/D, almost in new condition for EUR. 30,- Alternative sometimes I buy my FSU material directly from Ukraine.

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