Now…all that having been said, I’ve been shooting a lot of film lately. I really do love the look of certain films. I’m just not a proponent of using the same film for everything; different films & different developers give different results. So, I use a variety of both color & B&W film, and I’m always on the lookout for something interesting to load into my camera. Case in point – I recently picked up a few rolls of Adox Silvermax 100 to try out.
Why Silvermax? Well…Adox makes some pretty interesting claims on their site – fine grain, higher silver content, and a very wide exposure latitude – they claim a 14 zone tonal range! I’ve gotta admit, it was the latter that initially caught my interest. Who couldn’t use a bit more exposure latitude shooting in LA’s contrasty urban canyons? Besides, I also wanted to see whether there were any additional visual differences that the higher silver content would deliver.
So I ordered a few rolls – at $9 per roll! Yup. 9 Bucks! For black and white film, that’s kinda’ steep. I was thinking if it turns out Silvermax is really good, it would only be used for REALLY special occasions, like Barrack Obama’s third inauguration or something like that. I later discovered that if I buy the 100 ft bulk roll, the cost is a bit more wallet friendly…moot point – unless it’s really good.
I was really eager to see the results, so I began processing the film as soon as I got home. Of course, Adox suggests the only way to get the maximum exposure latitude is with their own Silvermax developer. At 9 bucks a roll, I wasn’t taking any chances, so I adhered to the manufacturers recommendation. In less than 20 minutes, I was looking at wet, but beautiful, platinum-colored negatives. It was clear even from the dripping neg’ that there was descent detail captured in most images. “Most” because, of course, stuff (aka user error) happens.
Yeah, I kinda’ dig this film and think it meets my criteria for really good. Hmmm…I just found a new “favorite” film. Moving forward, I plan on trying it in a variety of lighting situations and maybe with a different developer or two – just to see what happens. And, yes, before you ask…I am definitely going to purchase that 100 ft bulk roll. 🙂
I hope you enjoy the images and thanks for visiting my site.
Reggie
Equipment Used:
- Leica M6ttl
- Leica 50 Summilux ASPH
- Leica 35 Summicron ASPH/Orange Filter
- Voigtlander 28 Ultron II
Film processing:
- Adox Silvermax 100 rated at 100
- Developed in Adox Silvermax developer
- Scanned with a Plustek Opticfilm 120