25 ISO Film

Howdy everyone.

Going thru my rolls of film, in an effort to get everything into a refrigerator since I'm not shooting much right now, I found a roll of Agfa APX 25 ISO film I picked up somewhere along the line.Trying to figure out what to do with it, would it be possible to use it outdoors on a bright day, with say, longer exposure times?

 

Am I correct in assuming that lower ISO films need more light (wider aperture) or time (longer exposure)? Just did some searching around on the 'net, I see folks liked this film, nice fine grain, super detail... I just have the one roll so I would like not to mess this up!

Help, please.

Thanks!

Tom

Very slow so needs lots of light. Kodachrome 25 was one of my films back in the day. I think you set the film iso in the camera, which calibrates a light meter (I used an F3). For better color saturation, a trick I learned reading Galen Rowel was to set it at 37.5, or one third notch up from 25 which gave a slight under expose, and more saturation. It is probably best as a tripod film, with non-moving subjects like landscapes. That is where I used 25 iso film.

As someone who HAS shot a lot of film, but only got in on photography seriously in the mid-2000s, I've shot exactly two rolls of ASA 25 film in my life.

 

The first was in-date Efke 25 back when it was still available. The second was last year, when I found a small stash of Ektar 25 and shot one roll of it. I ended up shooting the Ektar at ASA 12 to compensate for its age, and it did have a decent amount of base fog. I also shot some Pan-X, which is ASA 32, along the way. The Efke was nice and had a lot of the same character of the rest of the Efke line-it was a "high silver" and "thin" emulsion, which combined to make it very sharp but IMO the grain wasn't appreciably finer than something like Ilford Pan F(or TMAX 100). With the caveat that color film doesn't necessarily age all that gracefully, IMO I didn't see anything in it that would make me want to hunt up a bunch of it and shoot it in place of Ektar 100(a film that's benefited from ~25 years of development over Ektar 25 and is readily available fresh in all common formats).

 

In any case, in full sun on a clear day it's hand-holdable even with a slowish lens stopped down a bit or with a faster lens if you want to throw on a light-eating filter. When things start getting overcast or dreary, or too much into dawn/dusk you probably want f/2.8 or faster glass and avoid too strong of a filter if you want to hand hold(I still shoot a whole lot of Velvia 50, which of course is only one stop better and I've been known to shoot it at EI 40). Otherwise, you'll want a tripod.

 

For that matter, if you want to be sure you're getting as much as possible out of this film, shooting at moderate apertures(f/5.6-f/8 for many lenses) and on a tripod regardless of the lighting conditions can help you extract as much detail as possible. This is true regardless of the capture medium-it's just that slow films and high resolution digital are most likely to show less than perfect technique. Also be aware that, on a tripod, depending on the focal length, shutter speeds of 1/30-2s are often considered to be in something of a "danger zone" since camera vibration can show up. A cable release is a good idea(or the self timer in lieu of one), and if using an SLR the mirror lock-up or mirror pre-fire function is especially useful in that speed range.

 

Depending on how old the roll you found is and how it's been stored, use your judgement but it might not be a bad idea to shoot it at EI 12 or so. Most B&W films will tolerate one stop of overexposure without too much fuss(it may not give you an OPTIMUM negative, but will give you something you can work with) and the extra stop can compensate for the base fog that the film has likely accumulated. A lot of folks like HC-110 for expired film, and I'm no exception to that rule-I use a lot of D-76 and Rodinal for in-date film(and Rodinal in a lot of ways is almost perfect for an ASA 25 Agfa film) but HC-110 seems to handle base fog a bit more gracefully than other developers.

Using the sunny 16 rule to determine exposure:

 

f/16 = 1/30 sec.

f/11 = 1/60 sec

f/8 = 1/125 sec

f/5.6 = 1/250 sec

Set ISO 25 on your camera and use it on a sunny day in the same way as you would any other film. Just remember the old rule that you may suffer from blur due to camera shake at any shutter speed longer than 1 over the focal length of the lens.

Or get a tripod!

I think the original Kodachrome was 10 ASA. It didn't stop Robert Capa from using it for war pictures:

 

elrectanguloenlamano: ROBERT CAPA, CHINA 1938: FIRST KODACHROME WAR PHOTOGRAPHIES IN HISTORY

Yes, slow films are less sensitive to light, but they are very usable in good light as James' "Sunny 16" exposures point out.

Ektar 25 always shot on a tripod. Of course, these are quite old.

Search: ektar | Flickr

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I'm using a Hasselblad 500CM so

no metering in camera

no ISO/ASA setting

 

The older Zeiss lenses I have (50mm, 80mm, 180mm) all have EV (same as EI?) scales on them, it's a bit confusing in that the charts I've found don't tend to actually list ISO although ISO would make a difference in exact settings, yes?

 

I found a nice EV calculator here: Camera EV - Exposure Value, EV chart, calculator

 

There's a fair amount of technical information that is a bit beyond me currently but there is also a calculator that shifts up and down the EV scale as you change f stops and shutter speeds.

 

Oh, I will use a tripod

and this is B&W film.

EV is not the same as EI--a specific EV # refers to a collection of f/stop and shutter speed combinations that should give the same exposure to your film. EI is exposure index, a number that indicates the light sensitivity of the film that you are using. Film manufacturers assign an ISO # (formerly ASA in the US) that should be set on your light meter unless you know that for your work the ISO # will lead to results that you aren't satisfied with. Examples can include photographers deliberately setting a higher ISO # and then increasing development time (pushing film) or compensating for known meter inaccuracy by setting a different ISO/ASA to get correct exposure.

I probably used more ASA 25 film (usually Kodachrome) than any other film. 95% hand held. 1/125th at f8.0? No problem

I probably used more ASA 25 film (usually Kodachrome) than any other film. 95% hand held. 1/125th at f8.0? No problem

Outdoors, in full daylight/bright sun?

I'm a heavy Hasselblad user, and all of my lenses are "EV coupled"(newer ones aren't).

 

Handheld meters like the Minolta incident I prefer can be set to read out in EVs. I also use a smartphone app that can read in EVs. Once you've set the EV, the shutter speed and aperture rings are locked together so that the shutter speed stays the same.

 

When holding a hand cranked Hasselblad body with any focal length, I like to use 1/125 as a bare minimum shutter speed, and prefer faster(I can actually get away with a stop or two slower with the motorized 500EL/M).

 

If you put the camera on a tripod, be sure you pre-fire the mirror with the small tab on the side of the camera body. If you're using slower shutter speeds(~1/30 or slower) be sure you also hold the shutter button down until you're sure the shutter has closed, or use the "T" setting on the shutter button lock collar. Otherwise, teh rear light baffles will close before the main shutter closes and you will end up with underexposure.

Outdoors, in full daylight/bright sun?

 

I should have stated "color" photos.

 

But for B&W, mostly Tri-X. (Newspaper type work)

I would think that most film photographers would like to carry a handheld light meter. There's some tricks to using handheld meters and it's actually a lot of fun to use them. I think you learn a lot about light variations within scenes by getting skilled with a light meter and just generally learning about lighting ratios. Like, what's the meter read in the shadows? What's the meter read in the highlights? Which reading do you choose for your exposure? And so forth.

I believe APX is a black and white film. I have found that slow black and white films last a long time, even not refrigerated.

 

I would shoot it at EI 25, but with all negative films, a little more exposure (lower EI) is usually good.

 

Color films don't age as well, but that isn't the case here.

 

But yes, you will find sunny days outdoors best with this film, or indoors with flash.

I think the original Kodachrome was 10 ASA

 

I think it started off a ASA 8. By the time I used it, it was 10. Around 1962, it was boosted to ASA 25, but many of us loved the deep saturation got with EI 32.

 

October 1941 Popular Photography

 

It was first offered as movie film. Was used in combat photography, but usually presented in B&W.

Edited February 26, 2019 by JDMvW

I like how back then 35mm cameras were considered "miniature".

I shot a lot of ISO/ASA Kodachrome 25 in the 70's and 80's; I even tripped across a roll of ISO/ASA 4 (Microbiology film). The slower films are very fine grained and can produce some fantastically detailed images, use your tripod and set up. As those before have said, it would be used when you want the highest resolution & finest grain, i.e., really big enlargements, very fine grained detailed images, etc. Yes, it requires more light than 400 ISO/ASA film wil, but landscapes and similar "Stills" can be captured with fine detail and low graininess. Good luck!!

Shot about ten rolls of Agfapan 25 B&W negative film in the early 80's. Of course iso 25 is slow, but on a sunny day, there's hardly any issue; if an iso 100 setting would need 1/1000 at f 5.6 (which is quite common) , then 1/250 at f 5.6 would be enough for the iso 25. That's a handholdable shutter speed for a lot of shorter focal lengths lenses like 50 mm and 35 mm. I have walked about in Rome (mostly very bright light in the daytime) with this film in my Olympus OM camera and never had any issue because of the film's insensitivity to light. You just need two more stops of light than you would at iso 100.

One can learn good hand holding technique, breathing, etc - it just takes an understanding of good theory, then application and practice to refine it.

 

At ISO 25 you're not necessarily limited to short Focal Lengths nor really bright sunshine nor necesarily Fast Lenses: certainly there are limits, but with a basis of good technique and then practice, limits can be extended.

 

It seems to me that there are few newcomers who get a kick out of using Film and the older Cameras - in these cases learning some of the "older" techniques and skills would probably be of some benefit.

 

"STAGE DOOR"

 

Sydney AUS, circa mid 1970s, Minolta SR3 (No Metering), Rokkor 135mm F/2.8 (probably shot at F/5.6), Hand Held, Kodachrome 25

 

WW

Hello everyone, just going back thru this thread to refresh myself on all that you guys have said......

Just bought some Portra 160 and am thinking again about the slower ISO. Have yet to shoot that Agfa APX 25, I think I'll take it to England with me this summer, tho.

Thanks again for all the advice and commentary! I really appreciate it.

I shot a lot of Kodachrome 10, then 25 back then. Nikon F2 photomic/F3HP photomic. Also an M3 (no meter at all, unless you had the Leica accessory...)

 

The recommendations of the Moderator above are spot on. Sunny 16 rule is the start. You don't need a light meter. compare it to faster film...simplifying it....if you had identical cameras with same lenses, and load 10 in one, and a faster film in the other: Set the two lenses with same aperture you MUST have a much slower shutter speed with ASA 10 film, compared to any faster film.

I shot many, many rolls of ASA 10, then ASA 25 Kodachrome. I often shot the Agfa colour slide film that was available. I didn't like the results shooting AGFA slide film at all. Perhaps it was the photofinishing; however, the results were no where near as good as Kodachrome developed by Kodak. I stopped using AGFA even though it was cheaper.

I would be inclined to expose that AGFA film close to home. I would hate to see bad results come out of shooting it during an expensive trip. Your mileage may vary...just my thought.