[rollei_list] Re: If no more Tri-X then ?
- From: Emmanuel Bigler <Emmanuel.Bigler@xxxxxxxx>
- To: rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:46:00 +0100
I'm wondering for those of you who like Tri-X, what will you use
instead? Bob
In Europe, in 120 rolls, Ilford HP5+ is already cheaper ("street
price") that Kodak Tri-X, and hence seems to provide an obvious
"replacement" to the Euro-Patriot. However, I certainly do not claim
that both products are identical, of course. I know that Tri-X has a
long story, some special characteritics, is highly appreciated, etc...
The problem for me is that I use so little B&W film today that I
actually do not support any film manufacturer ... so I'm not qualified
to comment on what is going on in the film industry. My deep-frozen
stock of Leverkusen-made original Agfa APX 120 rolls is non-empty, and
I have 10 fresh rolls of tri-X that have been waiting me for two years
...
Regarding the supply of B&W films, I am not at all worried since the
recent evolution of B&W film & silver-gelatin paper production in
Europe has shown that this production can probably be downsized at an
industrial level without loss of quality to meet the market's demand,
and hopefully be profitable. B&W film had already virtually
dissapeared from film market statistics in France since the end of the
previous century. When the market share of a product falls below, say,
1%, nobody cares for it. However France is a very bad example for the
market of photographic products, the British and German markets being
much, much bigger, not mentionieng, of course the Northern American
market ... As far as film manufacturing and distibution is concerned,
we now have to think in terms of a global market.
(I cannot speak about Fuji's B&W films since I have no experience with
them. Same for China-made film.)
Recent fresh production of B&W films in Europe, with the exception of
Ilford HP5+, does not offer anything comparable to Tri-X.
Rollei-Maco-branded poducts come from various origins, mostly
Agfa-Mortsel, or Efke-Croatia and now also from [CENSORED] and there
is nothing comparable to Tri-X there.
Foma in the Czech Republic and Efke in Croatia offer interesting
products at an interesting prices, but those films are, say,
"classical" films, again nothing comparable to Tri-X.
Regarding fresh production of European films, one of the contributors
on http://galerie-photo.info, M. May,
http://photochemical.wordpress.com/developper-des-microfilms-avec-du-caffenol/
has stated that Agfa Mortsel has recently coated a fresh master roll
of COPEX PAN RAPID, a microfilm that you can now get in 120 rolls and
process either in low-contrast chemistry or in your home-brew
"caffenol".
I do not know why AGFA-Mortsel has decided to coat a master roll of
COPEX PAN, but for sure it is certainly not to meet the demand of a
small group of excentric rolleiphiles processing 120 rolls of
microfilms in SPUR-Nanospeed or in caffenol ;-)
But as interesting as microfilms can be, with their no-grain features
and superfluous high resolution ;-) they are desperately slow and of
course, have nothing in common with Tri-X or HP5+.
--
Emmanuel from France
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