APX100 and Tonality

I have been shooting a lot of Agfa APX100 lately, and developing in Wd2d Pyro developer. I get good

tonality, however my sky tones are lighter than I would like. Prior to this current project I have shot

extensively with Neopan 400 in D-76 1+1, and I was getting better sky tones (darker) and more

definition in clouds. I am not using a filter, but I am shooting my outside subjects (bridges) with wide

angle lenses that on my color shots render the sky deep rich blue. My question is, do you think that

APX100 in 35mm has an over sensitivity to blue in comparison to other film choices? Thus rendering

large expanses of blue (such as deep blue skies) overly light?

 

I know I could use a yellow filter, however for my project I am shooting color slide and b/w at the same

time and for many shots I have to interchange lenses between cameras, and that would mean I would

have to constantly remove and replace the filter.

 

I am using APX100, because I also shoot an ISO100 E-6 film, and to save time hassle and error I need

to keep both emulsions at the same ISO. Meter once for all camera bodies.

 

McCluney Photo

Try Fuji Acros 100. I get reasonably good skies without a yellow filter, although I prefer to use one. It has the added advantage of much, much finer grain than APX100. I never was a huge fan of APX100, mostly because of the grain.

 

Like most B&W films, the speed on the box is a little optimistic. Acros 100 is probably better shot at 50. Give it a try.

 

Acros is awesomely sharp in high acutance developers. I develop it in Beutler's...never tried it in pyro.

I can't speak about blue sensitivity, but you could try using a graduated neurtal-density filter. These filters are dark at the top and slowly go to clear on the bottom.

 

Shop around for one, however. The one I bought works well for b/w, but has a bit of a brown tint to it and it shows up on slide film; sky looks like polluted air on the horizon. The filter should be neurtal gray in color.

apx100 souped in D-76 as a 2 bath developer-

 

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/donaldmckeith/CCI00027.jpg

 

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/donaldmckeith/CCI00035.jpg

 

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/donaldmckeith/CCI00037.jpg

a couple more-

 

 

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/donaldmckeith/CCI00028.jpg

 

 

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/donaldmckeith/CCI00015.jpg

I probably should have mentioned---shot at 100 no filter--guess-o-meter.(sears tower 18b(mamiya) and signet 35)

I can't speak specifically to APX 100. However, you might want to give TMX a try. You'll easily reach box speed for this film, and it does differentiate sky and clouds a bit more than some other films without a filter. Used with a contrast enhancing filter, the results can be quite dramatic.

Why not use a polarising filter? This can be used with both colour and B&W. In fact I mostly shoot colour using a polariser, since you can also use it to control colour saturation to a certain extent.

Hi Gene.

 

Are you printing your negs, or scanning?

 

Jay

If your skies aren't dark enough, just do like everybody else, and burn in that section. It's not that difficult. Or like as suggested previously, a polarizer will also work with both your color & B&W shooting flow.

 

Personally, I don't see what's so hard about having to add/remove a filter. Geez Louise, have today's photographers gotten so lazy they can't even remove a filter? Let's see how well you would have done working in the early 1900s with their "restrictions". I doubt there would be as many photographers as today.

I'm shooting my project with three cameras (Leica "M") using lenses from 15mm to 35mm,

outside on location. I have to change lenses around on each camera for each shot, say if I

want to use the 15mm, I need to fit this to the camera carrying b/w film, then to the

cameras carrying color film. Taking and replacing a filter on the lens, as well as changing

out the lens for each and every shot is not going to happen in the limited time frame. I am

scanning my negs, not printing on photo paper. Therefore I wish to use a b/w film, ISO

100 that gives me the best sky tones without filters. I need to use ISO 100 to match the

color film stocks I am using, so I won't have any issues with exposure error due to me

forgetting to "compensate" for the different ISO's of different films between cameras.

Personally, I like APX100 in 35mm and 120. I also have had good luck in combination with W2D2+. However, I don't scan yet but do use PS when needed; I do use filters and a combination of spot & average meters + Contax G & Leica lenses. I usually overexpose by 1/4 to 1/2 stop for APX100. I think you could make some adjustments in metering shadows and adding some development tweaks which would increase contrast of the sky, but for me a Y1 filter is an easy choice as it is what I have grown up with over the past 50 years. Or you could change films, developers, those nasty old Leicas and move to digital. :-) :-)

I find Efke 100 gives nice skies without too much filtration.

 

Another option for you, since you are scanning, is just to shoot colour and use the channel mixer to convert to black and white. That way you don't have to worry about lens filters.

A yellow filter would give only a very slight effect on blue skies, and is only sufficient if they sky is really deep-blue. Orange is better under usual conditions (e.g. to bring out clouds under slightly hazy conditions).

A polarizer is pure s**t with wide-angles, as the effect is of different strength over the field-of-view. Skip this option.

 

In my experience, "modern" films like Tmax100 and Delta100 have less blue sensitivity than "older" (classic) emulsions, so you might want to give them a try.

 

Regards

 

Georg

I really like APX100 in XTOL 1+1 9:45 at 20C/68F. I'm just looking at the first results of the film in 510-Pyro (1+100). It looks promising, but its a bit early to say.