Rollei RPX 400 Black and White Film
In my last blog I wrote about my experience shooting Fomapan 400, which I like a lot. I have also been shooting a bit of Rollei RPX 400 lately and it has quickly become another film stock that I will look forward to shooting more of in the future. This is not a technical review by any means but just some examples of photos and my personal take on this film stock. Based on the current developer I am using I feel RPX 400 has a different look than the the Foma 400. RPX 400 has a bit smoother look in tonality and slightly finer grain, closer to HP5 where Fomapan has a bit more bite or contrast. I like both of these films. I love the way Fomapan films render deep rich black tones but I also enjoy the slightly flatter smoother tonal range of this Rollei film. It's always nice to have a choice.
Getting ready to go out and shoot some Rollei RPX 400
Now of course results can vary for each photographer depending on the type of developer one chooses as well as the shooting and processing techniques involved. Results can also vary if you print in the darkroom or you scan and edit on your computer. I currently develop my own film and pretty much use Clayton F76+ / Arista Premium liquid developer as my go to. There are so many choices of film developers and each photographer has their favorite. I choose to scan my negatives and then edit the scans in Photoshop. All these factors affect the final result.
RPX400 shot @ ISO 320 - Clayton F76+ dilution 1:9 for 6 1/4 minuets @ 68 degrees
RPX400 shot @ ISO 320 - Clayton F76+ dilution 1:9 for 6 1/4 minuets @ 68 degrees
As I mentioned previously, since different film developers and varying processing techniques can affect the final result, I needed to keep my opinion and comparison of the two film stocks based on the same film developer and processing technique. I shot the photos in this blog at ISO 320 instead of 400 and decreased my developing time by 10% to compensate for the extra exposure. I then compared my results with several rolls of Fomapan 400 that were shot and processed likewise to formulate my opinion as noted at the beginning of this blog.
PX400 shot @ ISO 320 - Clayton F76+ dilution 1:9 for 6 1/4 minuets @ 68 degrees
All being said, I shoot with a variety of 35mm black and white film stocks. If you have read my previous blogs you will see that I am partial to Fomapan film in all three speeds - 100 , 200 and 400. I have to say though, I am pleasantly surprised with the results of Rollei RPX 400, having nice smooth tonality, grain that's not over the top and with the big increase in price of HP5 this may be a good alternative. For sure I will be keeping several rolls of this film stock on hand to keep my Fomapan film company.
RPX400 shot @ ISO 320 - Clayton F76+ dilution 1:9 for 6 1/4 minuets @ 68 degrees
All the photos in this blog and accompanying gallery were shot with Rollei RPX400 at the following locations. AC Boardwalk - NJ, Collingswood - NJ, Lambertville - NJ, New Hope - Pa., Allaire State Forest - NJ and a local Jeep show in Cherry Hill NJ.
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