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12-03-2021, 09:39 AM   #31
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QuoteOriginally posted by pres589 Quote
I've been happy with the AP plastic tanks and reels that I've used. The reels have to be kept clean or the bearings stick and it all goes sideways. I *think* AP went out of business a couple of years ago, though but I was able to buy some AP hardware through Adorama last year; it was under their own store brand label.
If AP went out of business, someone either bought up a huge amount of existing stock, or bought the company and/or production rights. Many of the darkroom equipment suppliers here in the UK sell AP products. This is what Firstcall Photographic lists (the bulk loader is showing "Unavailable", but everything else is in stock):

AP Photographic Equipment - Darkroom Equipment, Slide Viewer - Firstcall Photographic Ltd

12-03-2021, 09:42 AM   #32
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QuoteOriginally posted by pres589 Quote
I've been happy with the AP plastic tanks and reels that I've used. The reels have to be kept clean or the bearings stick and it all goes sideways. I *think* AP went out of business a couple of years ago, though but I was able to buy some AP hardware through Adorama last year; it was under their own store brand label.

Good to know. Thanks for that. Looks like the house brand reels are AP after all. I will buy some soon then. Well worth it to avoid all that frustration. And buy some film while I'm at it :-)
12-03-2021, 09:52 AM   #33
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QuoteOriginally posted by BigMackCam Quote
If AP went out of business, someone either bought up a huge amount of existing stock, or bought the company and/or production rights. Many of the darkroom equipment suppliers here in the UK sell AP products. This is what Firstcall Photographic lists (the bulk loader is showing "Unavailable", but everything else is in stock):

AP Photographic Equipment - Darkroom Equipment, Slide Viewer - Firstcall Photographic Ltd
I'm not having an easy time finding a website for AP Photo Group. B&H seem to list all of their parts out of stock. Photo Warehouse (ultrafineonline.com) seems to have some of their stuff. Adorama doesn't list them at all. It may have been a temporary issue that has been corrected; in 2020 it seemed like they were not a functional company.

I still like the stuff of theirs that I've purchased and would look for their stuff first if I need something that they cover.
12-03-2021, 10:26 AM - 2 Likes   #34
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I started with Rodinal doing semi-stand, from there I went to 1:50 and 1:25 dilutions (around 10-11 min and 5-7 min respectively) and I like the latter couple better than semi-stand for your average B&W film. Semi-stand will actually increase the visible grain, but it will also compensate the highest and lowest contrast areas, so it can be helpful with really contrasty situations and with scanning film, since you can always add back in contrast to "flat" scans. But I feel 1:50 and 1:25 both bring out the character of the film better. Also, some Fomapan films seem extra sensitive to bromide drag in my experience (especially Foma 100), so semi-stand still brings the possibility of that to the film.

Of course there's no reason not to try it out, it won't ruin your film, but I find Fomapan looks really great with the two aforementioned dilutions.

12-03-2021, 10:31 AM - 1 Like   #35
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You didn't seem to have any issues with your first, and only roll. Don't worry about needing a 'better' reel, of any material, until you have a problem. As long as what you are using is functioning and your volume is low enough to allow adequate time for them to dry you're golden. SS would be good if you need to do more and have concerns over moisture on the plastic reels, but they have a set of potential issues and a learning curve all their own.
12-03-2021, 02:32 PM   #36
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QuoteOriginally posted by Viking42 Quote
Do the Jobo reels fit Paterson tanks?
I have never tested that, and I don't have any tanks here at present.
12-03-2021, 02:46 PM   #37
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Maybe you should shoot a couple rolls specifically to see what the differences are. Develop one semi-stand and one the other direction at 1:25, and see what you think.

12-03-2021, 03:03 PM   #38
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Maybe you should shoot a couple rolls specifically to see what the differences are. Develop one semi-stand and one the other direction at 1:25, and see what you think.
I'm definitely going to try stand - or, rather, semi-stand - development... but I've decided I'm going to wait until I expose a roll of that HP5+ I have in the freezer. I've seen some great results with HP5+ and Rodinal using semi-stand, and I've heard this film and developer combo works better with this approach compared to regular development. Until then, I'm going to stick with regular development and build up a little experience, learn to understand the results I'm getting and why, and see if I can improve those results through a combination of exposure, development time, agitation etc.

Last edited by BigMackCam; 12-03-2021 at 03:18 PM.
12-03-2021, 10:25 PM - 1 Like   #39
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QuoteOriginally posted by pres589 Quote
I've been happy with the AP plastic tanks and reels that I've used. The reels have to be kept clean or the bearings stick and it all goes sideways. I *think* AP went out of business a couple of years ago, though but I was able to buy some AP hardware through Adorama last year; it was under their own store brand label.
AP is still readily available in Europe, but not here in the U.S. As you noted, Adorama sells something similar.


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12-04-2021, 08:51 AM - 1 Like   #40
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AP tanks and reels are sold in USA by Freestyle under their Arista Premium brand.

Freestyle Arista Premium tanks & reels

Chris
12-04-2021, 09:11 AM   #41
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QuoteOriginally posted by ChrisPlatt Quote
AP tanks and reels are sold in USA by Freestyle under their Arista Premium brand.

Freestyle Arista Premium tanks & reels

Chris
I saw that yesterday. Looks like AP to me! Come to think of it, I think that may be where I got mine.
12-04-2021, 01:44 PM   #42
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Stand development is susceptible to uneven development/bromide patches when you don't remove that byproduct common to the boundary layer of the film loaded on reels. Larger film area like 120 roll and sheet film have more opportunity for that to happen.

So in a large volume tank, how does the highlights exhaust the developer and stop further development while the shadows keep developing? It's because only the developer common to the boundary layer of the film/developer interface is working.
12-04-2021, 04:54 PM   #43
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QuoteOriginally posted by BigMackCam Quote
I'm definitely going to try stand - or, rather, semi-stand - development... but I've decided I'm going to wait until I expose a roll of that HP5+ I have in the freezer. I've seen some great results with HP5+ and Rodinal using semi-stand, and I've heard this film and developer combo works better with this approach compared to regular development. Until then, I'm going to stick with regular development and build up a little experience, learn to understand the results I'm getting and why, and see if I can improve those results through a combination of exposure, development time, agitation etc.

That sounds like a good way to go Mike. Won't take too many rolls until you twig it and can start trying new things.

You mentioned that you value long-lasted developers that don't go off in just a few months. If semi-stand and Rodinal don't work out with HP5, then there are other long-lasting developers that would work better for that film that you might consider. Kodak HC110 comes to mind, or the Ilford version Ilfotec HC. Both are said to hold for ages in the bottle as concentrates. Something to keep in mind...

BTW, is that Agfa your only film camera? Or do you have others? Reason for the question is that if you have, say, a newer camera with a more modern lens that has more contrast, then you're likely to see some differences in contrast and punchiness in your negs. I also shoot 1950s medium format folding Agfas (wonderful cameras!), and their lenses just render contrast differently to my newer ones, especially the triplet designs. So don't be surprised if you run across that one day and wonder what the heck is going on It's not you or your film, it's your lenses
12-04-2021, 05:11 PM   #44
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QuoteOriginally posted by pres589 Quote
I've been happy with the AP plastic tanks and reels that I've used. The reels have to be kept clean or the bearings stick and it all goes sideways.

This is true of all brands of "automatic loading" plastic reels I have used.

These use ball bearings or a metal prong to engage the sprocket holes.
The metal parts will rust if not cleaned and dried thoroughly after use.

Once again Chris' patented hair dryer treatment is highly recommended...

Chris

P.S. DO NOT use a heat gun on your plastic reels in place of a hair dryer!

Last edited by ChrisPlatt; 12-05-2021 at 08:35 AM.
12-05-2021, 12:52 AM   #45
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QuoteOriginally posted by Viking42 Quote
That sounds like a good way to go Mike. Won't take too many rolls until you twig it and can start trying new things.

You mentioned that you value long-lasted developers that don't go off in just a few months. If semi-stand and Rodinal don't work out with HP5, then there are other long-lasting developers that would work better for that film that you might consider. Kodak HC110 comes to mind, or the Ilford version Ilfotec HC. Both are said to hold for ages in the bottle as concentrates. Something to keep in mind...
Thanks for the info, Svend. Funnily enough. HC110 was one of the developers I considered starting off with, and I'd narrowed it down to that or Rodinal. It seems like there's a big following for HC110 and, hence, lots of developing data, which I find very reassuring. Ilfotec HC is quite a bit cheaper here than the Kodak formulation, though still more expensive than the Fomadon R09 "Rodinal" I'm currently using - but I see it can be used at 1+47 dilution with a similarly-forgiving dev time of around 9 minutes for HP5+ at box speed, so it's still very economical. When I'm ready, that's probably what I'll go for.

QuoteOriginally posted by Viking42 Quote
BTW, is that Agfa your only film camera? Or do you have others? Reason for the question is that if you have, say, a newer camera with a more modern lens that has more contrast, then you're likely to see some differences in contrast and punchiness in your negs. I also shoot 1950s medium format folding Agfas (wonderful cameras!), and their lenses just render contrast differently to my newer ones, especially the triplet designs. So don't be surprised if you run across that one day and wonder what the heck is going on It's not you or your film, it's your lenses
The Agfa was merely a recent impulse purchase that I picked up for very little money (GBP £10 including shipping, and it was fully serviced ). If it wasn't for that Agfa, though, I might not have started this whole journey into film. I desperately wanted to see the results it was capable of, so I bought a few rolls of film and resolved to shoot with it and use a lab for developing and scanning... but when I looked at the prices for those services, I realised it wouldn't take long for the costs to mount up. It seemed like a better use of my funds to invest in my own developing and scanning equipment, and learn some new skills at the same time. In truth, due to the low volume of film I expect to get through, it would probably have been cheaper to use a lab (at the very least, it will take me a few years to break even ), but the opportunity to learn something and have complete control over my results is worth it

Back to cameras... I'm an unapologetic gear nut / casual collector, and over the years I've acquired a number of film cameras, only a couple of which I've ever used - so this new-found interest in shooting and developing film gives me the opportunity and motivation to use them. Most are old and quite simple optically, so I'm not expecting much from them... but I've a Pentax ME Super and MX-10 that I can use with many of my K-mount and M42 lenses, and a Minolta Dynax 404si that works with my Minolta AF glass. Since I already know how those lenses perform on digital, it'll be interesting to see how they translate to film. My next outing, though, is with a little Olympus Trip 35 that I bought years ago and have never used. I've just replaced the light seals and tested the selenium meter (which is working fine), so she's ready to go. The Trip 35's Tessar-like lens is quite well-regarded, and the photos I've seen on Flickr suggest it has pretty decent contrast for its age and relative simplicity

Last edited by BigMackCam; 12-05-2021 at 05:45 AM.
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