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Anyone used Adox Scala film


Geoff Marshall

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Hi all

just wondering if any members have used Adox Scala film and if so what are your thoughts on it. I shot a lot of Agfa Scala in the past and its a film I miss using so would be interested to know if it’s comparable to the old Agfa film before buying a few rolls and a dev kit only to be disappointed. 
Geoff

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I tried B&W reversal some years ago. It was either expensive to get processed or a pain for DIY. I came to the conclusion that unless you want to project B&W from an incandescent light mechanical projector, it is just as easy to take the easily and/or cheaply processed B&W negative and invert it in Photoshop after scanning. You can then project it from a digital projector (I have a 1080P Mitsubishi one).

It is not like scanning colour negative, where after years and trying all sorts of software and PS actions, I still cannot get the colour 100% to my taste. I therefore take mostly reversal for colour. I used to use Agfa Precisa CT100 (Provia emulsion on a warming substrate) until it was withdrawn about 18 months ago. I am down to my last 10 rolls of that now. However I really like the new Ektachrome 100D film. I have never particularly liked the Fuji reversal films, Velvia and more particularly Provia. Their colour balance is more tailored to Asian eyesight than Caucasian. Once Precisa had gone, I was hoping that Fuji might bring out a similar film and call it Provia W100, W being for a warming substrate. 

Wilson

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  • 4 weeks later...
Am 30.5.2020 um 00:47 schrieb Geoff Marshall:

Hi all

just wondering if any members have used Adox Scala film and if so what are your thoughts on it. I shot a lot of Agfa Scala in the past and its a film I miss using so would be interested to know if it’s comparable to the old Agfa film before buying a few rolls and a dev kit only to be disappointed. 
Geoff

@Geoff Marshall  I did a lot of both films--in my experience they are identical. I used the Scala @ 200; the Adox Scala @ 160. High contrast, little grain, good latitude. You'll need a specialized lab though. 

K. 

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On 5/30/2020 at 12:47 AM, Geoff Marshall said:

interested to know if it’s comparable to the old Agfa film

Very much. Maybe it's the same recipe actually, seeing that Adox has the quite a bit of IP (including emulsion recipes) from AGFA. It's the same film as Silvermax 100, the different ISO is because the film has different ISO when processed as negative or positive. Also, what will be defining for the quality you get, is the processing. A lab with experience at B&W reversal (not many left) will give excellent results. 

Another good option that reverses very well, is Fomapan R100. You can even get a reversal kit to do it yourself. Foma's reversal kit also works for Scala, by slightly adjusting the first dev time.

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It’s a wonderful film. I shot Scala a lot when it was made, and bought Adox Scala 160 when it was (re)released. 

DR5 do a great job processing it, as does Klaus Wehner. 

For certain subjects in certain light using Leica aspherical lenses it’s just unbeatable. But in a different mood I would use Tri-X. 
 

I hope lots of people keep buying it so we don’t lose it again. 

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  • 2 months later...

There were rumours that Adox did not make Scala film themselves but were slitting, perforating and rolling film from stock made by another company. The second company (whoever they were, maybe Agfa) stopped making the bulk film, hence the Adox decision. There have been a number of companies who have repackaged and sold old Agfa aerial colour film as "interesting results" colour film, whereas in reality it was just expired film with an odd colour balance from new for special purposes, e.g. aero-mapping.

Wilson

 

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1 hour ago, wlaidlaw said:

rumours that Adox did not make Scala film themselves

Well, it is indeed remarkable that the cartridge that contains the film can be opened with a screw cap, which is not very common with films. Which is in fact a shame because it is very handy when developing yourself. Screw caps are/were used for bulk film of say 30 meters. Maybe they just packed a frozen stock. I must say my film looks very fresh and new with a better overall tonal scale than recent TriX for instance. The Scala 50 however, will remain in the future according to my dealer, but I don’t know about its character and I wonder why they wouldn’t be able to produce a brother of brother of 160 if they can make a 50.

Edited by otto.f
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