Thank you! And yes, all the IR photos, for instance, were taken in the last ten days. That's what held this video up from being released in April, the IR section. Anyway, I can hike up to 2 miles at a time now. As soon as I can stand up and lower myself back into place with just my left foot, without help from the dresser, 30 times in a day, I'm back to 100%. Right now everything is healed, but I've still got all the nerve pain that comes with the last stages of recovery. But that will fade in the next few months. Thank you for asking!
Great review of the film. I especially liked the concentration on the development to bring out the film's characteristics and the learning curve description including a development workflow description that ensures that one learns the strengths and weaknesses of the film
Great video! There is some fantastic work on Rollei Retro 80S @ ISO 25 (and stand develloped in Caffenol) by Frank Wesp, that I found quite inspirational
Great stuff! I was in Toronto yesterday and within an ace of picking some of this stuff up - in retrospect I'm glad I didn't; I might have messed up horribly with it before I had a chance to watch this. It almost feels like the best thing to do with it if you are a serious 35mm film photographer with a broad library of developing chemistry at your fingertips is to buy a 100ft roll at once, load short cassettes (6-12 exposures) and go play.
I really like the extreme contrast. I'm going to try it as a replacement for Tech Pan. It looks pretty close in terms of high contrast, and even a bit faster. I've used Tech Pan at between ISO 20 and 40. Usually I use a yellow or red filter on Tech Pan and get the look I'm after.
There is something about the ridiculous contrast that makes it so rewarding when you nail it! I think you summed it up pretty expertly in this video though, it's great for portrait and landscape but it is a very unique film with a distinct set of limitations.
I just tried it for the first time. Used HC-110 dilution B, 8 minutes @20C - which is the new recommended time listed on the box of film itself. Strangely, this recommended time is nowhere to be found on the internet. Online still recommends 5 minutes. I had very good luck with the new, longer time. Wonderful contrast.
Very interesting info. I picked up two rolls of this sometime ago, but hadn't used it till yesterday when I ran out of my go-to bulk loaded film and was in too much of a rush to spool some more. Being overcast and an ISO 80 film didn't seem to be the best combination, but the results turned out fanastic developed in Ilford ID-11 (12.5 minutes, 1+1, 20 deg. c, @ ISO 80). I know you said that it doesn't like D76 older than a week or so, and my understanding is that D76 and ID-11 are pretty much the same, but it didn't seem to have any issues with a few months old developer. I think that because it was overcast, I didn't blow any highlights and the contrast seemed pretty natural - just enough to create visual interestest without being over to top. I think that I was lucky because normally Iprobably wouln't have grabbed this film for the conditions, but I'm so glad I did. They turned out to be really fine grained, with tons of detail and good tonal range. As you mentioned - Two of my favorite shots are 2 outdoor portraits which came out perfectly. In future, in bright sun, I may need to pull it to ISO 40 to retain details, as you've done. Thanks.
David thanks for your many videos,helpful! What is most similar to discontinued Kodak PlusX.PLEASE no theories, experience or research. I have gotten many answers based on ISO but very different look. Thanks,Joe
I wonder how well low contrast Black ProMist filters would compensate for some of the overly aggressive contrast on the film. I’ve seen some stunning portraits done with this film.
Thanks for another brilliant video. How do you use your DSLR with 6x6 negs, one shot or multiple shots stitched together. I have a Canon 5Dii, 55/2,8 Micro Nikkor and I’m thinking of taking 4 shots and stitching them together but would one shot be better.
Thank you! I use a negative easel (6X6) and a light source with two white acrylic diffusion plates between it and the negative and then photograph it in a dark room with a macro lens for everything larger than 35mm.
Thank you and yes, I did. I don't recall the times (the breakers that have the ISO and developer info will have that.) But yes, I did pull to compensate when shooting at 40.
Great review of a great film. One of my favourites as well. One thing on developers: in my experience the film does very well with hc100 or ilford lc29. Still contrasty at times but gorgeous midtones and ultra fine grain. If only it wasnt made with a pet base (dust magnet)
I routinely expose this film 125-160, and get nice results doing a Rodinal semi-stand. It can be shot at 640- 800 and pushed with HC-110 "A", but the results look like fast film at 6400-12800 in terms of contrast, just cleaner. Interesting ultra high contrast look though. The most beautiful tones i got were with DD-X (no surprises) but the effective speed is indeed maximum 80, maybe 125 is bearable. Over than that DD-X just didn't develop it well.
David Hancock DD-X is fine grain, very beautiful tonality developer, midtones/creamy tones guaranteed. I love it with high contrast film, for pushing, sometimes pulling as well (Delta100 for example). It can be a bit finicky and you have to be really precise with timing, and not for low contrast situations.
Very useful, thanks! I bought 3 120 rolls a couple of weeks ago and I use Ilford ID-11 for my developing, do you know if this will have the same problems as D-76?
Thank you, and good question. I don't know the answer for certain. I would think yes, but I could be wrong. And some of the D-76 photos I took turned out well, so ID-11 is definitely worth trying.
But in some way your are a really bad guy. :)) Your favourite devleopers seems to be the out phased ones. Like DK-50 and Microdol-X. Is perceptol a good alternative to microdol?
I'm not entirely sure having not use perceptol. I have used a Microdol alternative, on which I'm blanking on the name of, by Arista maybe. I found it worked comparably to Microdol-X on this.
Using the D 76 and pulling the film to 40 looked very nice. I just finished shooting my only roll on a portrait shoot. I metered at ASA80. What would you suggest as far as processing it for the best possible results. No filters were used.
At 80 ISO, D-76 at 1+3 looked good, I think, if I recall correctly. But check the video description for time stamps that show all the different developer/ISO combinations. You can check out the developers that I used for 80 ISO and see what results you like the best for your intended result.
Hi David, amazing video, truly helpful as always. I have a question, you mentioned that pushing this film gives too much contrast, would that be the case also at 100ISO?
Thank you! For my tastes, yes. I liked this as a 40 ISO film. If you have an idea that would benefit from contrast, pushing to 100 would probably do it.
Thanks a lot David for this series of videos, it is super helpful. By any chance, would you have some info on reciprocity failure on this specific film stock? It's very difficult to find any kind of info about that. I read online most people use PanF reciprocity as a starting point, and I was wondering if you tried that maybe
Hi David thenks for this videos, I buy a bunch of retro 80s and you solved a lot of doubts I have. But 1 thing is not clear to me and you probably can help me. If I want to use the retro 80s with a red filter, I have a cokin square red filter that have 3 stops. So if I compensate the exposure in the shutter speed 3 stops the exposure is not ready yet?? Y hace to correct the filter factor of the film? That is 2 stops? So the correct exposure have a correction of only 1 stop? Or you have to add the stops and the correct exposure is 5 stops compensate? Thenks for your videos!!!!
I would strongly recommend against a red filter with 80S. You'l end up with images that have basically no gray tones. A yellow filter will give you results that look like a red filter on most films. If you do want to use a red filter, I think you would be okay with the standard filter factor for it.
I've only shot one roll of this (also at ISO 40) and mixed some infrared shots into the mix. I metered at ISO 1.5 for the IR shots and dare I say they rivaled the look of the countless rolls of Rollei IR400 I've shot.
Microdol-X is my favorite developer, bar none. I've been unable to find any for a long time so D-76 is my typical go-to, but the tonal range and minimal grain from Microdol-X are fantastic. I was given the formula for it some years ago but have misplaced it so I haven't been able to make my own yet.
Ah, no kidding. Kodak discontinued it years ago but Legacy makes a clone, which is what I was given. www.freestylephoto.biz/749710-LegacyPro-Mic-X-Film-Developer-(Makes-1-Gallon)
Have you ever developed it in D76 1:1 and if so at what time? Most reviews I have seen show that it was not exposed at box speed but at 40ASA. Thank you in advance; I shoot 120 via a Fuji GSW690 III and Minolta Spotmeter and print in a darkroom. Up until now Tri-X rated at 200 with the lightest yellow filter. Would it screw up the balance of this film?
I see you mentioned FRESH D76 at 40ASA as a close second but you did not like D76 1:1. What was your development time with the the stock D76 at 40ASA? Thanks!
Thanks for these super comprehensive videos. I’ve shot 80s inn120 and liked it, and I’ve shot RPX 25 in 35mm and loved it. I was wanting to know if pushing RPX 25 to 100 would work ok, and looking on the internet it seems people are saying it and 80S are the same film stock. Do you know if this is true?
Thank you! Insofar as I know RPX 25 and 80S are different. I don't have the specific business knowledge to guarantee that as I don't work for Gaevert, but I can say that they perform VERY differently. RPX 25 has far greater dynamic range than does 80S in complex lighting conditions. So I can't say that they're different, but I can say it would surprise me a whole lot if they were the same.
That was user error. The photos in this video span about three years (the exact date range is in the description) and over that time I've improved and revised my digitizing process. So the photos with problematic light are my oldest images and were part of my digitizing learning curve.
Okay I gotcha. It looks consistent with uneven development, so I'm curious how the scanner did it. Sorry I don't mean to harp, I'm curious in case it ever happens to me. You say it's scanning, Are you using a DSLR setup with a light table?
No problem. I'm glad to answer technical questions. I make mistakes on my shots, too, and I think that my mistakes are more important to helping people learn than what I do right sometimes. That's why I'm not afraid to share a flawed image in these videos if it has some merit toward demonstrating how the film performs. I use a light table and Pentax 100mm f/2.8 macro lens for medium format. I use a Rodagon enlarger lens and a slide copier for 35mm. I enclose the gap from the enlarger lens to the slide copier in felt-lined macro tubes to eliminate hot spots. That works stunningly well now.
Great video... very useful information. The image of my icon was taken on Rollei 80s and a Holga... it seems that I got really lucky to get right... very picky film.. I wanted to ask you about how did you get 35 mm half frame images as the ones you showed in the video ? Were they post processed only or an in-camera feature? I really like the 6x7 aspect ratio in the medium format, I always wonder if I can find a way to get in-camera shots of 24x28mm in a 35mm format (24x36)...
Thank you! The half-frame shots were taken with an Olympus Pen F. In my Pen F review (ua-cam.com/video/Azr-6q35tLc/v-deo.html) you can see about 50 sample half-frame shots. It's a fun little camera, the Pen F, and it takes amazing shots.
David, I absolutely love your All about film series, but it seems you haven't posted a new one in a long time. Would you consider doing Rollei superpan200 and Retro 400s. I think it would be great to have the whole series of Rollei IR extended films covered by your excellent series.
Hey, Jessica, This year has been slow for videos in general. We're relocating to a new state this week, and we've been working on the move logistics for some months. My goal is to have the Kodak Ektar video out in 2018 and the Fuji Velvia video in early 2019 at the latest. The next Rollei film will be CN200, which is getting close to complete, too. I haven't ever used Superpan 200 and have only used Retro 400S a few times. But I do love using the Rollei films, so they'll definitely be featured sooner or later.
thanks David, looking forward to the new videos in this series. I've recently picked up some Rollei RPX400, Superpan200 and Fomapan 200 to try out. My main films are Fuji 160NS, Provia 100f, and Ektar. I'm just starting to explore BW
I’m such a big fan of your videos. So, I have a question: there is an image of using Microdol as a developer where you write ‘best combination’ but then you don’t say anything about that combo in the developer section. As I normally use D-76, I’m going to buy new developer when I dive in with 80s, would you start with Microdol or Ilfosol?
Thank you! For Microdol-X, check out the photos from 10:54 to 11:53. I would go with Mic-X from LegacyPro, which is effectively the same as Microdol-X. I am, as a rule, not an Ilfosol fan (I do like it at +60 for stand developing and on rare occasions with some Ilford films.) Mic-X will perform in a manner similar to what you're familiar with from D-76 and the concentrations are the same.
Hello, David. I love your work, superb review of one of my favourite films. But i have question regarding shooting it at different ISO, how to actually shoot it at ISO 40 and 80. Until now, i have shot it at ISO 100, because thats what i can set on my camera, there is also ISO 50 (haven't tried it yet). I think this question also applies to FP4+, how do you actually shoot it at ISO 125?
Which camera do you have? Most have dots in between the printed numbers. Those represent intermittent film speeds. So between 50 and 100 ISO are two dots. Those represent 64 and 80 ISO, respectively.
Dangit. I forgot to put that in didn't I. There's a link in the description to the technical data sheets. Sorry about forgetting that and thank you for pointing it out.
Matteo Spinelli ihave an odd film without the canister and it is 35 mm it does not have the clipping spores to the regular 35 mm camera and it comes in a kind 120 package way but on the 35 mm size
I have a question. I've got Rollei Retro 400S. Are all the specs and characteristics also apply to this film? Is it all different? I'm particularly interested in wider tonal spectrum that You mentioned about in Your review. Thanks.
400S will perform differently, yes. It's a bit more than two stops faster. It does have a similar look to 80S, and would pair well in a mixed-film shoot, but there are technical differences in performance between it and 80S.
I had trouble loading 80s onto plastic Patterson reels. I've developed every b/w film made by Ilford, Kodak and Foma and never once failed to get the film on the reel until this stuff. Have you heard of this problem? Do you use steel reels?
I only use steel reels, but loading to plastic doesn't surprise me. This has a pretty thin base that's not very rigid, compared to the other films you mentioned.
I know the problem. I believe it has to do with the electro static adhesiveness of the film base which is also the reason for the dust issue. The pet film base is just a magnet to dust. Anyway. You might try to use AP reels with the little steel balls removed. Still not perfect but manageable. Never failed to load the reel in the end.
@@DavidHancock Welcome! I found this playing around and noticing, that I don't have to adjust focus. Makes sense - current IR sensitive films are quite near visible, so it's not that far from red.
I shot 2 rolls of this in 35mm. First roll produced some of the best black and white photos I have ever shot. Second roll was totally blank, not even any edge markings.
Not having edge markings would indicate a development issue. The two most likely candidates are spent developer and putting the fix in before the developer.
I just wrote the script for the Vario Chrome AAF last night! I have one last roll of it to shoot and after those images come back I'll be making that one.
I realize that this video is from 2017 ;-) BTW: Great video, love the detailed review and very much enjoyed the images. ---- I was wondering if you had any experience with developing this film with HC-110? I recently shot a roll of Rollei 80S Retro 135 and pulled it one stop (40 ISO) and developed it with HC-110 (Dil B) (4 min instead of 5 min per MDC). I absolutely loved the results.
Thank you! I have used HC-110 (as LegacyPro L110) exclusively in Dilution B (1+31) but I've never used it on this film. I'm not sure how it would turn out. That's a pretty active chemistry and I think this film responded better to slower chemistry, if I recall correctly.
@@DavidHancock Thanks, David, for your response! I only have experience with HC-110 and Ilford's DD-X (which I used mostly for Delta & Tmax). I am just finishing another roll of Rollei 80S 135 as we speak ... I wonder if I should try the DD-X this time? Would you consider that one less active? Times seem to be similar on mass dev chart (5 HC-110 vs 4:30 DD-X). (I am trying to pull that one by 1 stop again.)
@@danielsigg8405 Pulling this stock one stop should help with the added contrast that tends to arise in more active chemistry. Another thing you can do is see if the MDC has times for higher dilutions. The only reason I suggest going long and slow on high-contrast films is that it helps to reduce the negative contrast. You can always add it back in post, but you can never undo it in post. Either way, feel free to drop a link to an album with some samples from each in the comments. I'd love to see what your results look like.
@@DavidHancock That makes sense, thanks, David! Here is a link to a recent blog where I posted some images taken with two Rollei 135 stocks, one RPX 100, one Rollei Retro 80S. danielsiggphotography.com/rollei-film/
For Double-X, are you talking about motion picture stock 5222? If so, yes. That will be one of the next All About Film videos after I digitize the last two rolls of the 400-foot spool I went through. I developed those last week and that video should be up in the next month-ish.
Thanks for the video about this lovely film, David. I've been using this film since 2014/15. For the RR80 fans. I like it with with Beutler, which seem to reduce the high contrast to something more manageable without sacrificing the glorious tone of the film. Development regime - at ISO 80 - 9 min at 68 deg. F - @ 1+1+8 dilution ratio. - 45-50 seconds of initial agitation then 2 inversions at 2 min, 3, 4, 5, then at 7 min. Martin Zimelka's RR80 review is pretty good to, especially for IR-like photo examples. www.martinzimelka.com/pages/Rollei_Retro80s.html
IIRC, and press been years since I made this video, there's at least a special sensitivity curve and then links to the reference docs in the description
David,you definitely made that film sing.Speechless, exhaustive and thorough presentation coupled with excellent images.Hope you're well by the way.
Thank you!
And yes, all the IR photos, for instance, were taken in the last ten days. That's what held this video up from being released in April, the IR section. Anyway, I can hike up to 2 miles at a time now. As soon as I can stand up and lower myself back into place with just my left foot, without help from the dresser, 30 times in a day, I'm back to 100%. Right now everything is healed, but I've still got all the nerve pain that comes with the last stages of recovery. But that will fade in the next few months. Thank you for asking!
Great review of the film. I especially liked the concentration on the development to bring out the film's characteristics and the learning curve description including a development workflow description that ensures that one learns the strengths and weaknesses of the film
Thank you!
Great video! There is some fantastic work on Rollei Retro 80S @ ISO 25 (and stand develloped in Caffenol) by Frank Wesp, that I found quite inspirational
Thank you!
Great stuff! I was in Toronto yesterday and within an ace of picking some of this stuff up - in retrospect I'm glad I didn't; I might have messed up horribly with it before I had a chance to watch this.
It almost feels like the best thing to do with it if you are a serious 35mm film photographer with a broad library of developing chemistry at your fingertips is to buy a 100ft roll at once, load short cassettes (6-12 exposures) and go play.
That's exactly what I do when I start learning to use a new film. A few test rolls, different developers, and then I build from there.
I really like the extreme contrast. I'm going to try it as a replacement for Tech Pan. It looks pretty close in terms of high contrast, and even a bit faster. I've used Tech Pan at between ISO 20 and 40. Usually I use a yellow or red filter on Tech Pan and get the look I'm after.
Nice! Thank you. I do like Retro with a yellow filter sometimes, and even an orange filter can provide really nice results in some settings.
Probably my favorite B&W film! so great in full sun with a red filter!
That's a pretty bold combination!
There is something about the ridiculous contrast that makes it so rewarding when you nail it! I think you summed it up pretty expertly in this video though, it's great for portrait and landscape but it is a very unique film with a distinct set of limitations.
I just tried it for the first time. Used HC-110 dilution B, 8 minutes @20C - which is the new recommended time listed on the box of film itself. Strangely, this recommended time is nowhere to be found on the internet. Online still recommends 5 minutes. I had very good luck with the new, longer time. Wonderful contrast.
Nice! I wonder if the 5 was a typo. With 110-B, that's a HUGE developing time difference.
Very interesting info. I picked up two rolls of this sometime ago, but hadn't used it till yesterday when I ran out of my go-to bulk loaded film and was in too much of a rush to spool some more. Being overcast and an ISO 80 film didn't seem to be the best combination, but the results turned out fanastic developed in Ilford ID-11 (12.5 minutes, 1+1, 20 deg. c, @ ISO 80). I know you said that it doesn't like D76 older than a week or so, and my understanding is that D76 and ID-11 are pretty much the same, but it didn't seem to have any issues with a few months old developer. I think that because it was overcast, I didn't blow any highlights and the contrast seemed pretty natural - just enough to create visual interestest without being over to top. I think that I was lucky because normally Iprobably wouln't have grabbed this film for the conditions, but I'm so glad I did. They turned out to be really fine grained, with tons of detail and good tonal range. As you mentioned - Two of my favorite shots are 2 outdoor portraits which came out perfectly. In future, in bright sun, I may need to pull it to ISO 40 to retain details, as you've done. Thanks.
Very nice and thank you very much!
David thanks for your many videos,helpful!
What is most similar to discontinued Kodak PlusX.PLEASE no theories, experience or research.
I have gotten many answers based on ISO but very different look. Thanks,Joe
So Plus-X was my favorite black and white film. I've looked around a lot for something that looks like it and nothing does.
I wonder how well low contrast Black ProMist filters would compensate for some of the overly aggressive contrast on the film. I’ve seen some stunning portraits done with this film.
Not sure. I haven't used those before.
Thanks for another brilliant video. How do you use your DSLR with 6x6 negs, one shot or multiple shots stitched together. I have a Canon 5Dii, 55/2,8 Micro Nikkor and I’m thinking of taking 4 shots and stitching them together but would one shot be better.
Thank you! I use a negative easel (6X6) and a light source with two white acrylic diffusion plates between it and the negative and then photograph it in a dark room with a macro lens for everything larger than 35mm.
Thank you David for the great content as always.❤ Did you pull in development after shooting retro 80s at 40 iso?
Thank you and yes, I did. I don't recall the times (the breakers that have the ISO and developer info will have that.) But yes, I did pull to compensate when shooting at 40.
Great review of a great film. One of my favourites as well.
One thing on developers: in my experience the film does very well with hc100 or ilford lc29. Still contrasty at times but gorgeous midtones and ultra fine grain.
If only it wasnt made with a pet base (dust magnet)
Thank you! I didn't get to try those developers, so I'm glad to hear they work well.
I routinely expose this film 125-160, and get nice results doing a Rodinal semi-stand. It can be shot at 640- 800 and pushed with HC-110 "A", but the results look like fast film at 6400-12800 in terms of contrast, just cleaner. Interesting ultra high contrast look though.
The most beautiful tones i got were with DD-X (no surprises) but the effective speed is indeed maximum 80, maybe 125 is bearable. Over than that DD-X just didn't develop it well.
Thank you! I haven't tried DD-X before. What's it like as a developer, in general.
David Hancock DD-X is fine grain, very beautiful tonality developer, midtones/creamy tones guaranteed. I love it with high contrast film, for pushing, sometimes pulling as well (Delta100 for example). It can be a bit finicky and you have to be really precise with timing, and not for low contrast situations.
Very useful, thanks! I bought 3 120 rolls a couple of weeks ago and I use Ilford ID-11 for my developing, do you know if this will have the same problems as D-76?
Thank you, and good question. I don't know the answer for certain. I would think yes, but I could be wrong. And some of the D-76 photos I took turned out well, so ID-11 is definitely worth trying.
David Hancock I'll just go with it and see what happens then, thanks!
you made stunning pictures,....just for testing a film. Great job!!
Thank you!
But in some way your are a really bad guy. :)) Your favourite devleopers seems to be the out phased ones. Like DK-50 and Microdol-X. Is perceptol a good alternative to microdol?
I'm not entirely sure having not use perceptol. I have used a Microdol alternative, on which I'm blanking on the name of, by Arista maybe. I found it worked comparably to Microdol-X on this.
well, thanks for that suggestion.
Hey David! did you tried the 400 speed version? if so what do you think about it? ps. as always,great work!
Thank you!
I have, in passing. I haven't used it enough to have an opinion about it yet. I think I've used two rolls.
Using the D 76 and pulling the film to 40 looked very nice. I just finished shooting my only roll on a portrait shoot. I metered at ASA80. What would you suggest as far as processing it for the best possible results. No filters were used.
At 80 ISO, D-76 at 1+3 looked good, I think, if I recall correctly. But check the video description for time stamps that show all the different developer/ISO combinations. You can check out the developers that I used for 80 ISO and see what results you like the best for your intended result.
Hi David, amazing video, truly helpful as always. I have a question, you mentioned that pushing this film gives too much contrast, would that be the case also at 100ISO?
Thank you!
For my tastes, yes. I liked this as a 40 ISO film. If you have an idea that would benefit from contrast, pushing to 100 would probably do it.
Thanks a lot David for this series of videos, it is super helpful. By any chance, would you have some info on reciprocity failure on this specific film stock? It's very difficult to find any kind of info about that. I read online most people use PanF reciprocity as a starting point, and I was wondering if you tried that maybe
I do not. I've never found reciprocity data for this stock.
@@DavidHancock Thanks, it looks like they never made one
Hi David thenks for this videos, I buy a bunch of retro 80s and you solved a lot of doubts I have. But 1 thing is not clear to me and you probably can help me. If I want to use the retro 80s with a red filter, I have a cokin square red filter that have 3 stops. So if I compensate the exposure in the shutter speed 3 stops the exposure is not ready yet?? Y hace to correct the filter factor of the film? That is 2 stops? So the correct exposure have a correction of only 1 stop? Or you have to add the stops and the correct exposure is 5 stops compensate? Thenks for your videos!!!!
I would strongly recommend against a red filter with 80S. You'l end up with images that have basically no gray tones. A yellow filter will give you results that look like a red filter on most films.
If you do want to use a red filter, I think you would be okay with the standard filter factor for it.
I've only shot one roll of this (also at ISO 40) and mixed some infrared shots into the mix. I metered at ISO 1.5 for the IR shots and dare I say they rivaled the look of the countless rolls of Rollei IR400 I've shot.
Also, what do you think of Microdol X? My buddy gave me a bag months ago but I'm just so smitten with Xtol I haven't bothered to mix it.
Microdol-X is my favorite developer, bar none. I've been unable to find any for a long time so D-76 is my typical go-to, but the tonal range and minimal grain from Microdol-X are fantastic. I was given the formula for it some years ago but have misplaced it so I haven't been able to make my own yet.
This film is fantastic for IR!
Ah, no kidding. Kodak discontinued it years ago but Legacy makes a clone, which is what I was given.
www.freestylephoto.biz/749710-LegacyPro-Mic-X-Film-Developer-(Makes-1-Gallon)
Nice! I didn't know about it. I just picked up a bag to try out in the coming couple of months. Thank you!
Have you ever developed it in D76 1:1 and if so at what time? Most reviews I have seen show that it was not exposed at box speed but at 40ASA. Thank you in advance; I shoot 120 via a Fuji GSW690 III and Minolta Spotmeter and print in a darkroom. Up until now Tri-X rated at 200 with the lightest yellow filter. Would it screw up the balance of this film?
I see you mentioned FRESH D76 at 40ASA as a close second but you did not like D76 1:1. What was your development time with the the stock D76 at 40ASA? Thanks!
Good question and the D-76 reference you found should be linked in the video description. There's an info screen that should have the info you need.
Thanks for these super comprehensive videos. I’ve shot 80s inn120 and liked it, and I’ve shot RPX 25 in 35mm and loved it. I was wanting to know if pushing RPX 25 to 100 would work ok, and looking on the internet it seems people are saying it and 80S are the same film stock. Do you know if this is true?
Thank you!
Insofar as I know RPX 25 and 80S are different. I don't have the specific business knowledge to guarantee that as I don't work for Gaevert, but I can say that they perform VERY differently. RPX 25 has far greater dynamic range than does 80S in complex lighting conditions. So I can't say that they're different, but I can say it would surprise me a whole lot if they were the same.
i enjoy your videos. I am curious though as to why many of your photos are lighter on the left.
That was user error. The photos in this video span about three years (the exact date range is in the description) and over that time I've improved and revised my digitizing process. So the photos with problematic light are my oldest images and were part of my digitizing learning curve.
Okay I gotcha. It looks consistent with uneven development, so I'm curious how the scanner did it. Sorry I don't mean to harp, I'm curious in case it ever happens to me. You say it's scanning, Are you using a DSLR setup with a light table?
No problem. I'm glad to answer technical questions. I make mistakes on my shots, too, and I think that my mistakes are more important to helping people learn than what I do right sometimes. That's why I'm not afraid to share a flawed image in these videos if it has some merit toward demonstrating how the film performs.
I use a light table and Pentax 100mm f/2.8 macro lens for medium format. I use a Rodagon enlarger lens and a slide copier for 35mm. I enclose the gap from the enlarger lens to the slide copier in felt-lined macro tubes to eliminate hot spots. That works stunningly well now.
Great video... very useful information. The image of my icon was taken on Rollei 80s and a Holga... it seems that I got really lucky to get right... very picky film..
I wanted to ask you about how did you get 35 mm half frame images as the ones you showed in the video ? Were they post processed only or an in-camera feature? I really like the 6x7 aspect ratio in the medium format, I always wonder if I can find a way to get in-camera shots of 24x28mm in a 35mm format (24x36)...
Thank you!
The half-frame shots were taken with an Olympus Pen F. In my Pen F review (ua-cam.com/video/Azr-6q35tLc/v-deo.html) you can see about 50 sample half-frame shots. It's a fun little camera, the Pen F, and it takes amazing shots.
what a nice little camera..... thanks
very proffesional and informative video. Excellent shots too.
Thank you!
David, I absolutely love your All about film series, but it seems you haven't posted a new one in a long time. Would you consider doing Rollei superpan200 and Retro 400s. I think it would be great to have the whole series of Rollei IR extended films covered by your excellent series.
Hey, Jessica,
This year has been slow for videos in general. We're relocating to a new state this week, and we've been working on the move logistics for some months. My goal is to have the Kodak Ektar video out in 2018 and the Fuji Velvia video in early 2019 at the latest.
The next Rollei film will be CN200, which is getting close to complete, too.
I haven't ever used Superpan 200 and have only used Retro 400S a few times. But I do love using the Rollei films, so they'll definitely be featured sooner or later.
thanks David, looking forward to the new videos in this series. I've recently picked up some Rollei RPX400, Superpan200 and Fomapan 200 to try out. My main films are Fuji 160NS, Provia 100f, and Ektar. I'm just starting to explore BW
I’m such a big fan of your videos. So, I have a question: there is an image of using Microdol as a developer where you write ‘best combination’ but then you don’t say anything about that combo in the developer section. As I normally use D-76, I’m going to buy new developer when I dive in with 80s, would you start with Microdol or Ilfosol?
Thank you! For Microdol-X, check out the photos from 10:54 to 11:53. I would go with Mic-X from LegacyPro, which is effectively the same as Microdol-X. I am, as a rule, not an Ilfosol fan (I do like it at +60 for stand developing and on rare occasions with some Ilford films.) Mic-X will perform in a manner similar to what you're familiar with from D-76 and the concentrations are the same.
Hello, David. I love your work, superb review of one of my favourite films. But i have question regarding shooting it at different ISO, how to actually shoot it at ISO 40 and 80. Until now, i have shot it at ISO 100, because thats what i can set on my camera, there is also ISO 50 (haven't tried it yet). I think this question also applies to FP4+, how do you actually shoot it at ISO 125?
Which camera do you have? Most have dots in between the printed numbers. Those represent intermittent film speeds. So between 50 and 100 ISO are two dots. Those represent 64 and 80 ISO, respectively.
Amazing quantity of useful information! Superb!
Thank you!
Matteo Spinelli has
I think the tonal curve is missing? You speak like we are looking at something else than photos at that point.
Dangit. I forgot to put that in didn't I. There's a link in the description to the technical data sheets. Sorry about forgetting that and thank you for pointing it out.
Matteo Spinelli ihave an odd film without the canister and it is 35 mm it does not have the clipping spores to the regular 35 mm camera and it comes in a kind 120 package way but on the 35 mm size
I have a question. I've got Rollei Retro 400S. Are all the specs and characteristics also apply to this film? Is it all different? I'm particularly interested in wider tonal spectrum that You mentioned about in Your review. Thanks.
400S will perform differently, yes. It's a bit more than two stops faster. It does have a similar look to 80S, and would pair well in a mixed-film shoot, but there are technical differences in performance between it and 80S.
I had trouble loading 80s onto plastic Patterson reels. I've developed every b/w film made by Ilford, Kodak and Foma and never once failed to get the film on the reel until this stuff. Have you heard of this problem? Do you use steel reels?
I only use steel reels, but loading to plastic doesn't surprise me. This has a pretty thin base that's not very rigid, compared to the other films you mentioned.
I know the problem. I believe it has to do with the electro static adhesiveness of the film base which is also the reason for the dust issue. The pet film base is just a magnet to dust.
Anyway. You might try to use AP reels with the little steel balls removed. Still not perfect but manageable. Never failed to load the reel in the end.
When properly focused (unadjusted focuss), IR is not soft, so you're having focusing issues, therefore soft.
Thank you!
@@DavidHancock Welcome! I found this playing around and noticing, that I don't have to adjust focus. Makes sense - current IR sensitive films are quite near visible, so it's not that far from red.
At 9:27 Jamie from mythbusters???
Nope, just a random carnie.
David Hancock great channel & reviews. And your photos are really good
wondering if D-23 might be a option ?
Probably, but I can't say how it would perform. I've never used D-23 at all and have no familiarity with it.
I shot 2 rolls of this in 35mm. First roll produced some of the best black and white photos I have ever shot. Second roll was totally blank, not even any edge markings.
Not having edge markings would indicate a development issue. The two most likely candidates are spent developer and putting the fix in before the developer.
@@DavidHancock they were developed together in the same tank
@@tomjanowski8584 huh. That's weird. I'm not sure what happened, other than maybe one was a bad roll.
Very informative, thank you.
Thank you!
More All About Film episodes please! TMax or anything really would be great. Keep it up thanks.
I just wrote the script for the Vario Chrome AAF last night! I have one last roll of it to shoot and after those images come back I'll be making that one.
I realize that this video is from 2017 ;-) BTW: Great video, love the detailed review and very much enjoyed the images. ---- I was wondering if you had any experience with developing this film with HC-110? I recently shot a roll of Rollei 80S Retro 135 and pulled it one stop (40 ISO) and developed it with HC-110 (Dil B) (4 min instead of 5 min per MDC). I absolutely loved the results.
Thank you! I have used HC-110 (as LegacyPro L110) exclusively in Dilution B (1+31) but I've never used it on this film. I'm not sure how it would turn out. That's a pretty active chemistry and I think this film responded better to slower chemistry, if I recall correctly.
@@DavidHancock Thanks, David, for your response! I only have experience with HC-110 and Ilford's DD-X (which I used mostly for Delta & Tmax). I am just finishing another roll of Rollei 80S 135 as we speak ... I wonder if I should try the DD-X this time? Would you consider that one less active? Times seem to be similar on mass dev chart (5 HC-110 vs 4:30 DD-X). (I am trying to pull that one by 1 stop again.)
@@danielsigg8405 Pulling this stock one stop should help with the added contrast that tends to arise in more active chemistry. Another thing you can do is see if the MDC has times for higher dilutions. The only reason I suggest going long and slow on high-contrast films is that it helps to reduce the negative contrast. You can always add it back in post, but you can never undo it in post. Either way, feel free to drop a link to an album with some samples from each in the comments. I'd love to see what your results look like.
@@DavidHancock That makes sense, thanks, David! Here is a link to a recent blog where I posted some images taken with two Rollei 135 stocks, one RPX 100, one Rollei Retro 80S. danielsiggphotography.com/rollei-film/
Very nice work! The M3 and 3.5mm audio cable shots are great.
Have you try Berger 4x5 or Kodak Super Double X
For Double-X, are you talking about motion picture stock 5222? If so, yes. That will be one of the next All About Film videos after I digitize the last two rolls of the 400-foot spool I went through. I developed those last week and that video should be up in the next month-ish.
Perceptol? ID-11? Cours I have a bunch of those stuff...
I wish I could do all the developers.
I have an odd rollei retro 80s 35 mm how to load it i need a video
It does not work on my canon a1 i am crazy to use it i thought to go inside the dark room to load this film using a tape
My Canon A-1 videos will show how to load film into your camera.
Somehow I do not see most of the diagrams while you talk about them... It is just showing the example picture sideshow. Am I the only one?
I may not have kept the diagrams up for as long as I should have with this video.
Rollei is German. So the "ei" at the end is pronounced as "eye". Like in Leica.
Thank you, Timo!
@@DavidHancock You're welcome.
Thanks for the video about this lovely film, David. I've been using this film since 2014/15.
For the RR80 fans. I like it with with Beutler, which seem to reduce the high contrast to something more manageable without sacrificing the glorious tone of the film.
Development regime
- at ISO 80
- 9 min at 68 deg. F
- @ 1+1+8 dilution ratio.
- 45-50 seconds of initial agitation then 2 inversions at 2 min, 3, 4, 5, then at 7 min.
Martin Zimelka's RR80 review is pretty good to, especially for IR-like photo examples. www.martinzimelka.com/pages/Rollei_Retro80s.html
Nice! Thank you! I haven't used that developer before. Those sample images are great, too.
You never actually showed any of the various curves
IIRC, and press been years since I made this video, there's at least a special sensitivity curve and then links to the reference docs in the description