Hi,

I like to get some feedback from users of Agfapan APX 25 and Pan F 50.

How do you feel the films compare in terms of contrast, sharpness, grain, etc.

James Loftus

-- James Loftus (jdloftus@earthlink.net), December 01, 1999

Answers

Based on a series of lens resolution tests I ran with medium format equipment about 2 years ago, the APX-25 has significantly higher resolution (APX-25 in Rodinol; Pan-F in PMK).

-- John Lehman (ffjal@uaf.edu), December 01, 1999.

I don't know Pan F 50 from experience, but on formats of 6*6 and larger you can easily win 2 F-stops by using Delta100 instead of APX25. Delta100 is much more easy in terms of contrast-control and won't disappoint in resolution compared to APX25.

On 35mm I use APX25 to deliberately work with small DoF.

-- Lot Wouda (lotw@wxs.nl), December 01, 1999.

I ran tests last year and found Agfapan 25 (ISO25)in Rodinol 1+50 and Ilford Pan F Plus in Ilfosol (ISO50), to give exactly the same grain and sharpness. They are both easy to develop and print. Kodak Tech Pan (ISO25) in Technidol beat then both, but is a tricky b...h to develop. TMax 100 (ISO125)in Rodinol 1+50 is sharper than either, but shows a little more grain.

-- Bill Mitchell (bmitch@home.com), December 01, 1999.

These days I only use APX 25 when I require the slowest film I can get, such as for long exposures with moving water. I rate it at 12. I love the Pan F+ because it has very fine grain and an excellent tonal scale. I typically rate it at 25 and develop in PMK.

It doesn't surprise me that APX 25 is finer-grained, but when I make 11x14 prints from 6x7 film, I can't tell the difference between the two.

-- Ed Buffaloe (edbuffaloe@unblinkingeye.com), December 03, 1999.

APX-25 is a wonderful film. I find that it has a wonderful tonal range is sharp and has minimal grain. In fact, when processed in PMK Pyro I have a tough time using a grain magnifier.....almost can't see the grain.

T-Max 100 is another favorite of mine. Wonderful straight line H&C curve. Sharp as they come with lovely tonal values.

As Ed says, APX-25 is great for scenes with moving water. Yesterday a friend and I spent the whold day in the Big Cypress Swamp near the Everglades. There has been a lot of rainfall and the water was flowing like we had never seen. I loaded the camera with APX-25 at an EI of 16. I shot 20 rolls of 120 6x6. The negatives were processed this morning and the water movement looks silky and very cool.

Good luck, there are some great films on the market.

-- Mike Kravit (mkravit@mindspring.com), December 05, 1999.

Simple answer APX25 slow but very good and the best lens you can buy is a tripod!!!

-- David A. Henderson (four.bananas@lineone.net), January 15, 2000.