Profile - Adox Fotowerke of Berlin, Germany

Adox is a film manufacturer that caters to film enthusiasts and artists. They plan to be around for the years to come with a complete line of B&W films, papers and chemistry, and even an experimental colour film called Implosion, designed for the look of 70s film. Lets take a brief look at where the company came from and what the it has to offer.
Adox is a brand that has been around since 1860, founded by Dr. C.  Schleussner. By 1956, they introduced a colour film and soon after a colour reversal film. Adox cameras were manufactured from the 1920s to the 1960s. Adox produced a full line of papers, films and cameras in Germany.
Eventually, the company was sold to Agfa, then production ceased when Agfa closed down its consumer film line. In 2005, the brand was revived and the Agfa MCP, MCC, APX (Silvermax) films and the entire Agfa B&W chemical line were revived.
Today, a small micro-factory brings us Adox films, papers and chemistry. There is a research lab used to formulate emulsions, sensitization dyes and prepare coatings. A sample preparation area has machines for preparing film samples by hand.
A production area has an Agfa precipitation machine that can prepare any emulsion in 35 liter batches, a coater, a film sheeter for sheet film, a master roll slitter for roll film, 35mm and 120 spooling machines and a 35mm film perforating machine [YouTube] that is accurate to cinema film specifications. The room is absent any visible light in production, but is instead lit with IR light. Workers wear goggles to ``see'' in the room.
It is worthwhile to list their B&W films as an example of the breadth Adox has. The Adox SilverMax film is a high silver content film with a clear base that offers both negative and positive (slide) options for processing. This film is available in 35mm and Super8 format.
Adox CHS 100 Type II is a classic emulsion film with two emulsions in one layer, giving a wide exposure latitude.
Adox claims that CMS 20 II developed in ADOTECH II developer has an up to 800 lp/mm of resolution at ISO 20(!). With a good enough lens, Adox claims the equivalent of 500 megapixels resolution from 35mm film! Handheld shots are possible in daylight with a sufficiently open lens, preferably an f/1.4 lens stopped down one or two stops. The developer is expensive though, at US$26 for enough to develop 6 rolls. Fans of the former Kodak TechPan may want to try this film.
See this 90MP scan of CMS 20 II depicting a Porsche [Adox], processed with Scala reversal process, that demonstrates what the film is capable of.
Similarly, the company offers traditional B&W papers and inkjet papers, a full line of chemistry including developers, stop baths, fixer and toners. Of special note, is a B&W paper that the company is working on, Polywarmtone. This is a resurrection of the Forte Polywarmtone paper, with warm blacks and a potential for lith processing. This paper will be formulated to print identically to the original Polywarmtone paper, but have greater choice of gradations.
With this depth and breadth in product line, they will be around for a while.
ADOX - Lets make film!

LRF Engines Restarted!

Film Ferrania is pleased to announce that its engines are restarted! The Big Chiller and Little Chiller are being prepared for permanent installation. This is the final step and the elimination of a huge roadblock in the progress of making film. Both Chillers are involved in the climate control of various rooms in the LRF building and for cooling the film after coating. The film is coated with chemistry in a gelatin suspension (called the emulsion). Like supermarket gelatin, the emulsion must cool and set before the film is wound onto a spool for cutting.

The next major hurdle to overcome is accreditation of building's services by the Italian government. More surprises are expected, so a there is no schedule for delivery of Kickstarter rewards yet. The Domino effect that has delayed production so far is being righted, so stay tuned for more developments.

News from the Front

Tim Rudman issued his latest Lith printing newsletter, with news of the latest happenings in the anolog photography market. Being that film photography mostly requires someone to make the materials we use, this is always interesting. First up, was the acquisition of Ilford Photo by Pmeberstone. Tim notes that the announcement may have caused some shortages in the market as people stocked up, but that Ilford will continue to produce film and paper for osme time to come.

Next up is news from Adox, who have purchased a medium-scale coating machine to produce sufficient papers and films for their market on their own. Note that Ilford Switzerland, which sold the machinery, is a separate entity from Ilford Photo/Harman in England. Tim speculates that Adox will be able to produce a paper similar to Forte's Polywarmtone variable contrast paper. The plant will also be able to produce film, so coating their own CHS 100 film (review) may be a possibility.

Mr. Rudman is now back on schedule in publishing his photo book 'Iceland. An Uneasy Calm'. His book should start shipping mid-October for the first edition and should be released for all editions in time for Christmas. Due to the slippage in release, Tim has printed extra books, which are available for order here.

If you like Tim's photo books, he recommends his fellow photographer, Craig Alan Huber, who has a Kickstarter campaign for his latest book, 'The Spirit Within Saint Junipero'.

Visit Tim Rudman on on Facebook for more info and tips.

Voigtlander Rangefinder Cameras Discontinued

It has been widely reported that the Voigtlander flim cameras are being discontinued due to declining sales. Rangefinder Forum reports the loss. These cameras were known for their wide angle capabilities and for covering four of the major lens mounting systems, including Leica screw, Leica M, Nikon Rangefinder, and Zeiss Contax Rangefinder. The cameras, sold under license by Cosina have a storied history. Founded by bJohann Christoph Voigtländer in 1756. company was sold to Rollei, then a company called Ringfoto that in turn licensed the Voigtlander name to Cosina.

The Physics of Multi-coated Filters

A part of nearly every photographer's kit are lens filters. These simple, but effective items transform the light entering the lens for effects that are difficult to obtain otherwise. A UV or haze filter can penetrate haze and distance to bring in a clear image. A polarizer can darken blue sky and eliminate reflections from glass. However, cheaper filters can introduce a haze of their own, from stray light reflecting off the surface of the filter itself. This is one reason that many people recommend against stacking filters on the lens.

So, how can this problem of stray light be avoided? Simple, by applying special coatings to the filter. If one coating is added, the manufacturer usually refers to the filter as coated. If more than one coating is applied to the filter, the term multi-coated is often used. There is no way to easily tell if more than two layers are used, though better performance can be had with more coatings.

To understand why, Hoya FIlter, a maker of glass filters, explains the physics of coatings. While Hoya advertizes their solid glass filters, most filters have glass on the outer layers and so work similarly. The issue with light reflecting on the outer (front) surface of the filter is the main cause of issues. Ken Rockwell has a simple method to identify coated filters, simply hold a pen a few millimeters above the filter (not touching it). If you see the pen reflected twice in the surface, the filter is not coated. That is light that is not making it to the lens and a source of ghosting (usually not noticable, but it reduces the efficacy of the lens).