Max this is an extremely extensive review and I can imagine the time it took to shoot and develop. I can see you're into film for the love of the format. I've done a few lens reviews that took me over a month to finish but I look at it as give it my all or nothing. Respect
Thanks so much for your kind comment. I'm really glad that you can appreciate the time and effort that Jules and I put into it. Hope you could get something from it!
Thank you so much for this. Such a thorough review. I have just bought 2x rolls for testing this weekend purely due to your extensive research. So excited! So thank you very much for the inspiration guys
thanks. This was a great video. I really enjoyed seeing the results, and hearing your thoughts on how it responded to different developers. THanks so much for putting it together.
Such a great review, especially the use of different developers with the film. The more developing of black and white I do, the more I want to experiment with different films and different developers (and methods such as stand - so far only with Rodinal). Great work and great photos - thank you so much for such excellent insights!
Another awesome video! I just developed my first role of Pancro 400 120 format shot with a bronica and was very pleased with the results. I purchased the film based on your video review. Keep up the great work.
Very well done. I really appreciate how in depth you get by including results with several developers and shooting this film in so many different locations and conditions. It's evident that you both put a lot of work into your videos. Please keep up the great work!
Interesting video, even the length and the extensively content ! I like also the tips about developing this type of film with different developers. Very useful video !!
As usual an excellent and useful review of a very intriguing film! The photography you and Jules did with it is gorgeous and the examples of the effects of different developers is really helpful and interesting. As a result I'm am very interested in giving this film a try. Thanks Max (and Jules), once again very well done!
Fantastic review Max! I appreciate the variety of samples and that you used different developers! Many thanks! Can't wait to finish the roll I just started and see how it does in HC110.
Thanks so much for your positive feedback. Glad to hear that you liked the review. Let us know how development in HC110 worked out. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. :)
It's been a wile till I discovered and watched this video but now I really wanted to say a big thank you to you both for making this video and including the development tipps as well. It made me curious about this film and I also decided to buy a test package in 4x5 and give the Acurol-N 1+50 a chance. It turned out for me like being my favourite 4x5 film now for contrasty scenes (for low contrast scenes I still prefer the TRI-X 320). In the development I almost follow your 13 minutes for EI 200 but I often add some seconds in the beginning and at the end to give a little extra punch. Now soon I will try the 8x10 version of this film but will use a bigger, rotating drum. I am already looking forward giving this a try and see how the development times etc. need to be adjusted. Please keep on doing your great work. I enjoy your videos a lot! Greetings from my current home China.
Excellent review! I've been trying this film out recently, but not tried developing yet. When properly exposed, the quality is lovely. Once I have a bit more experience shooting film, I'll give it another try. I love the industrial decay subject matter, and that lens is an absolute gem!! I have a slight case of camera envy now....
Thanks so much for your kind comment and link to your own sample shots. :) You are probably aware that we were exclusively testing the 120 version of this film which naturally turns out less grainy than the 35mm version. Just in case you are looking for less grain, trying Pancro 400 as medium format film might be interesting. :)
I've been really keen to try it in medium format for a while now, but it's relying on my borrowing a suitable camera. I very nearly bought a Yashicamat 124 recently (I'm kicking myself that I didn't buy it in the end, it was in beautiful condition) with the intention of trying the 120. When I can borrow one, I will definately give it a go. In the mean time, my 35mm rolls of it arrived this morning so Christmas photos are all good to go!
The Hat Ah, the Yashica Mat 124G is indeed an incredible camera. Also a great way to get into medium format. Take a look at my review video (one of the earliest videos) if you’re interested.
I'll have a watch now. I'm still kicking myself for not buying it. A friend was selling it online and offered it to me in exchange for a 30m bulk roll of HP5. It was really tempting, but the roll was half of what the camera solld for in the end and I didn't want to shot change him. Likely going to get a Yashica FX-D which he's restored though which will be quite interesting to play with.
Hello Guys. A great review, very accurate and exciting. I just ordered the Panaro 400 as roll film and 4x5``. I hope I can share some experiences and pictures with you after Christmas holidays. Best regards, Greg
A very thoughtfully put together film - well done. The Bergger looks very similar to old Adox CHS and of course printed, not scanned. One thing I would say though, is ditch the brush when prepping negatives - it just keeps on depositing dust. Wipe the glass carriers with the back of your hand, and draw (pull) the film GENTLY between your index and second finger before you put it in the carrier -it works wonders. These are two tips from the late Barry Thornton and also the woman who prints the HCB archive prints.
@@ctrentelmanHi - yeah - been using film/processing/printing for 40 years - the scissor finger wipe works incredibly well. Obviously you haven't been eating sausages or fish and chips with your fingers before you do it, but there's little natural grease between your fingers. It was a technique used by HCB's printer and was also widely used by old photo-dogs working in the newspaper print trade. Try it!
I'm very impressed with your channel, your delivery, content, presentation, expression in English, editing, and music selection. Would love to build a channel as informative and interesting as yours.
Dj Toman Thanks so much for your kind words. Jules and I really appreciate it. We just take our time and slowly build up this channel and learn along the way. My earlier videos were certainly not on the same production level as the ones we are releasing by now. ;)
Thank you for this review; I've been searching for a film and developer combination for portraits and fine art landscapes. I think that this could be it for my style. regards Ken
Very nice! I like that you added the unedited scan also, it gives me an impression of how it might be to work with in the darkroom! Personally I have (until now) only shot this film using 4x5" and developed in rodinal; I love the amount of detail it gives. But now I will try more developers :-)
johanglindgren Thanks for your comment. Glad you enjoyed our comparison to the unedited scan. Have fun trying this film with other developers. It should really make quite a difference with a 4x5” negative.
Thanks for this extensive film review. As for Rodinal used for developing 120 rollfilm, exposed as the ASA indicates, try 1:75 solution at 20C. time, between 15 and 18 min (depending of the type of film). Result: very nice balanced negatives - not soft not to contrasty, very good sharpness and fine grain. A joy to print as well. The less diluted the solution the grainier the result will be.
Really well done plenty of insight into the film also love the fact you shown all 3 process of the film scan edited and print that is something that a lot of people miss out on love the film I just wish they would bring it out in bulk for 35mm
Thanks so much for your comment! Glad you appreciate all the prints. To be honest, Jules is the one who drew my attention to the wonderful experience of doing your own prints and the kind of opportunities this brings about. I'm getting increasingly interested ever since. And yes, a bulk version for 35mm would be nice indeed.
Another great review...I've tried Bergger before, and loved the results in rodinol, and will definitely have to see what images look like with the new Pancro 400...I may also have to give the Spur Acurol a try...Loved the images Jules achieved with the Yashica Mat, and I've always said it's a much overlooked, affordable MF camera...Keep up the great work.
Timothy Anderson Thanks for your comment. Yes, that’s true. The Yashica is a wonderful little camera. I have a review of it up on the channel if you’re interested. :)
I used a Yashica Mat 124G back in the early 90's in a photography course at The University of Texas, along with Kodak T-Max 400, Ilford HP5, and Agfapan films (even tried some positive films) with the built-in meter, and got some good results...I'm looking to get back into MF, and regret getting rid of my old Pentacon I had with 3 lenses...Thank you for your prompt replies, and I hope you both have a great holiday season.
Thanks for your vote of confidence and great feedback, Yosep. We are glad to hear that you liked our video! And, of course, we also hope that our little channel keeps growing a bit more. :)
Lots of work in this video! Congratulations! I bought 2 rolls of 35mm and 120. I already shot one of each. Still undecided about it Ive used d76 1+1 and 35mm looked to me very grainy but 120 was better (printed the images in my darkroom not scans). It is a bit flat to my taste but look like you can get the contrast you desire for what i can tell from your video. Next rolls will try with rollei supergrain and Rodinal how it does. Again thank you for sharing your tests and your lovely chelo shots.
Thanks a lot for your feedback, Joan. Glad to see that you appreciate all the effort we put into this film. Thank you also for sharing your own first experiences which appear to be in line with ours. I actually like the fact that it provides such a flat "foundation" for either scanning or printing. Looking forward to your results with Rollei Supergrain. You should share them somewhere. :)
Great video guys and you tube site, You guys know when using Jobo tanks you meant to compress the inter part of lid then put on the tank, which causes a vacum seal to stop leaks when turning it over or running on a jobo auto agitator as chemical can vent gases
Great work! Film photography will always me a magical exerience. I really liked the expression on your face taking out the first roll of developed film (5:21). Did I sense a breathing technique (holding your breath before tripping the shutter) at 15:40?
Thanks for your lovely comment. Yes, good spot. I was indeed holding my breath since this shot was taken at 1/30th of a second. :) And yes, I sometimes get quite excited about seeing negatives for the first time. This will probably never cease to amaze me.
I tried Pancro 400 in 35mm - in rodinal 1:25 the 8 minutes of development time is not enough at all. Everything was stop underexposed and I metered on shadows as I always do with HP5... I will give it a shot metering for 200... And the grain was too much.
with my two videos I'm guilty trying to catch the Zeitgeist, but you guys took it to the next level! I really enjoyed the video! Now I want to buy a roll or two of this film again and more convinced that I want to buy an enlarger as well :) keep up the great work!
Sure, I've been shooting digital. That being said, I still REALLY love using my 35mm and medium format film cameras! Having inherited a rather substantial Hasselblad kit, I especially love to shoot medium format. My 35mm arsenal includes a Minolta CLE, Minolta X-700, a Pentax SP 1000 and an Olympus OM-1. Love your videos. Keep up the good work.
Hi Xavier, thanks for your feedback. I have actually tried Rollei Superpan 200 a couple of times lately and am very pleased with the results. I will probably not end up creating such an in-depth review but maybe I can do a shorter video (or section within a video) on it. Would that help? Are you interested in anything specific? I really liked the negative's sharpness and fine grain this film brought about. I usually developed it in D-76 if I remember correctly. :)
I liked all of the results! My favourites might be the Rodinal and Acurol ones. I might get myself some Spur Acurol-N for future developments after seeing this video
Hi Marvin! Thanks for your feedback. And, of course, it makes us happy to read that we piqued your interest in Spur Acurol-N. Enjoy exploring this very nice developer. :)
@@AnalogInsights Coming back to this video after a year and saw my comment and your response. I bought some Acurol-N shortly after I mentioned it here and I must say, that it might be my favourite developer at the moment. I have no way of fully appreciating the sharpness, but the scans from the flatbet scanner are as sharp as I can get it. I tried it now with HP5+, Acros and RPX 25 in medium format and Tri-X and APX 100 (new emulsion) in 35mm (if not more) and I liked almost everything I got with it. Of course there is much testing to be done on my part to get the images to look exactly like I prefer it, but it's a good starting point I think. I would like to try Pancro with Acurol-N and I'll take your developing times as a starting point because I liked what you got with 1+50 @ 13-15min and I found no information online from the massive dev chart or the official SPUR datasheet. Let me know if you have done further tests with this combination. Anyway, thanks again for making this video!
Sehr schön! Max, Wollen Sie weiter probieren, Pancro 400 mit Kodak Xtol und Ilford DD-X zu entwickeln? Der Spur Acurol-N ist nicht so übrig und sehr schwer in China zu kaufen. Trotzdem wollte ich diesen Entwickler testen.
Loves the video , thanks for doing it. I have a question about your equipment. I'm looking for 1000ml bottles just like that. Can you share where you got them?
Thanks for your comment and please excuse my late response. Sure, I get all my development equipment at either Macodirect or Fotoimpex. Hope this helps.
Your fantastic audio makes the video quality spectacular. May I ask what your audio equipment setup is? I really enjoy seeing this type of in-depth film/scan/print review with behind-the-scenes darkroom b-roll. Well done! Thanks so much!!
Paul Moffett Thanks so much for your kind comment. Our audio equipment is actually quite limited. I am using an inexpensive Rode Smartlav+ recording to my iPhone and the sometimes difficult atmo sounds from our small Lumix GX80.
I love your in depth reviews! I really want to try Pancro 400, the price is nice and it looks like it has a unique tonality for a 400 speed film. Aside from Tri-X many 400 speed films are similar to HP5+ which has a heavy middle grey but this is more airy but still has great highlights and shadows, it kind of reminds me of how Portra 400 looks but in b&w
Always fascinating to see dakroom print by scans. I've been doing some printing lately from pictures I've already scanned, and when I turn the normal light on it almost makes me jump when I see the print in the tray! An interesting video...I'm looking at other options for 400 speed 120 film alongside my usual Kodak Tri-X 400. Looking for something a bit more "silky" than Tri-X, which I do love, but at times, I like that Acros look with 400 speed films. And Adox CMS films seem unavailable in 120.
I finally got a chance to sit down and watch the entire review! I loved it, such an intensive review. It makes me want to try out some of this film. It really reminds me of the flat results I get from HP5. Did you guys try any scenarios where you pushed the film to 1600 or 3200? I would be curious to see the grain structure at those rates. Anyways, thank you for the time you guys put into this video, it had to have been so much work. It turned out wonderful!
Thanks so much for your lovely comment, Nick! We really appreciate it, especially since it's coming from you. To be honest, both Jules and I are not terribly fond of pushing film and did not try it for Pancro 400. Otherwise we would have included it in the review, of course. ;) Sorry! Something you need to try for yourself. ;)
I completely understand. Pushing film isnt for everyone. haha. If/when I get my hands on some of this I will give it a shot and see for myself. Thanks brotha
Four years on and I found this video 😊. Very informative and very entertaining. Now..I'm just about to use my very first 120 roll of Bergger in my Zeiss 532, and intend to develope in Acurol -N and will be following your suggestions on development. When it comes to fixing I understand it's 1-4 Ilford rapid fix for 6 minutes. How often did you agitate while fixing?? I personally with other films ( HP5 AND FP4) agitate for the first 30 seconds then four inversions every thirty seconds until the end of development. Could you advise? Thanks again for the video. Cheers, Kit.
Thanks for the really helpful video. I bought 8 rolls of Pancro (7x 35mm, 1 x 120) and I developed my first roll in D-76 1+1 for 17 minutes. My negatives seem really dark and I struggled to get a decent scan. They do seem to print ok in my darkroom with perhaps a longer exposure than normal. How did your D-76 negatives look?
Paul Giverin Hi Paul, my Pancro negatives which were developed in D-76 looked excellent with 17 minutes developing time for 120 film. Maybe there was a problem with the temperature? Besides that, I have no idea since the developing times are the same for the 35mm version. Or some unintentional overexposure?
Hi Max, the temperature was 20 degrees when the developer went in. It was quite a hot day so maybe the temperature was higher than 20 degrees after 17 minutes. I will also shoot another roll in another body in case the metering was out. Thanks.
Hi and thanks for the great video. About to try Pancro with Spur myself and I like what you did with the stand method. When using Rodinal, I use 5ml per roll, regardless of dilution. then use the Ansel Adams stand of agitate first and every 3rd minute for 18 minutes. When you did the 1-200 stand for 2 hrs, how much spur did you use per roll?
The prints looked much better than the scanned negatives, and I think the film better in Rodinal than D76, but that’s just my personal opinion. The Spur scanned negatives, looked more like the prints, and I like that very much. I used Bergger films in 2004, but was never happy with the results, and quit using them after 10 rolls. It seems I need to try Spur developer with this film, to achieve the optimum results. May be a good replacement for Neopan 400 in Rodinal, which I used for years on Maui. Thanks for such a thorough testing, and showing all the results. By the way, where is that beautiful temple? Austria? It is indeed impressive & timeless. Cheers, Joe.
Thanks a lot for your comment. Interesting to hear about all your experience with different film stocks and developers. A real fan of Rodinal it seems. :) The "temple" is close to Regensburg in Germany. :)
From the look of the pics, it's possible that Pancro (if a cubic grain film) is better exposed at 200ASA. So, Spur Acurol would probably require a 100ASA. The blacks are grayish. Only T-grains films seem to come in at 400. Rodinal is not really more for contrast, but rather to maximize acutance (especially with poorer lenses).
I find myself revisiting this video (i don't remember if its my 2nd or 3rd time) since i purchased some 120 Bergger Pancro last week to test it out. Thanks for the extensive review and the lot of effort you put in here, really appreciate people that share knowledge for free. If you are selling prints (or negatives that i could print myself haha) let me know, will like to support someway your work. Do you remember which paper were you printing in*?
Fantastic video guys. I tried D76 and didn't like that developer at all. My preference is RLS followed by RPX as developer of choice. I have never tried Acurol - interesting though. Yes this film has quickly become my favorite over Acros and HP5+. I am awaiting to test some Ferrania P30 before committing to buy a bulk load of Pancro 400. I think P30 might finally be the end of film searching for me if production can be ironed out.
Thanks for your feedback and interesting comment. Glad to hear that you also enjoy Pancro over HP5+ and other prior favorites. I still need to test Ferrania P30 as well - once it's actually available. Interesting choice of developers. I might take a look at these at some point. Thanks for your input! :)
Great photography! I used to own a Yashica Matt 124. Can you get Bergger Pancro 400 in 35mm? I noticed in your darkroom you had a color enlarger with a color head do you print color the old fashioned way in the darkroom with filters and type C prints or Cibachrome?
Thanks for your comment, Lonnie. Yes, Bergger Pancro 400 is available as 35mm film and has been for quite a while. My friend Jules does not use the color head of his enlarger for printing color. The focus is on black and white prints only. :)
An interesting and intelligent video. I've subscribed. Have to say it's not entirely clear what the Spur developer did for you. I haven't tried the Bergger film yet, but I routinely shoot HP-5 and Tri-X at 200 and develop 10 to 20% less in conventional developers like D76 and Xtol. Same as with your use of Spur, this results in finer grain and softer gradation, which makes both printing and scanning easier. Better shadow detail (from the extra exposure) and more delicate highlights from the reduced development. Kind of the opposite of the "push to 1600 - soot and chalk" school. Also, I'd like to see the whole video over again, but with 35mm, which is more demanding in terms of grain and sharpness and gradation. Pretty much all films look better in medium format. :-)
asparis145149 Thanks for your thoughtful and kind comment. Please excuse my late response. As you mention, what you describe is a typical pull process, so the opposite of pushing. For Acurol-N, the company Spur recommends shooting films at certain ISO and developing times in order to get a certain contrast on your negatives. In the case of Spur Acurol-N, to achieve standard contrast you often need to shoot a ISO 400 film at ISO 200 or 250 for instance. The same holds true for other film speeds as well. So the developer needs a bit more light to achieve standard contrast and this therefore differs from a standard pull process. I hope I managed to bring this point across. There are certainly much better explanations on Spur's website. :)
Ah. I will go and look at the Spur website. From your explanation, though, it sounds like Spur is similar to some of the old "fine grain" developers like Microdol. The common explanation of those developers was that they contained solvent chemicals that "ate' the edges off the silver grains after they developed, making the grains smaller and softer, but resulting in less density. So needing more exposure. (I have no idea whether that explanation is correct, or just an old wive's tale.) Could be that they were just less active developers that produced less density for a given exposure and therefore less grain. Anyway, thanks for your reply.
I remember ahootin Bergger Panchromatic about 14 years ago. The results were horrid, achieving only good images with Rodinal. I’d try Fomapan films before Berger again.
@@julesbobach8129 Thank you for your reply. You say the longer development had a sharpening effect on areas with detail but was not good on larger homogeneous areas. Do you think that, in a portrait, the effect would not be positive due to homogeneous areas of skin, or would the detail dominate?
I should have mentioned these portraits are with 11x14 Pancro 400 sheet film, so in terms of size on the negative, the homogeneous areas are relatively large.
@@leonfairbanks2959 Stand and semi-stand usually suffers from uneven development and bromide drag. I would not recommend it for larger formats and portrait work. It works much better for 135/120 film and high contrast scenes like fashion shoots or architecture for example. Maybe process one sheet first or give adox atomal 49 a try.
Nice review! Rodinal always brings out quite the grain in fast film, especially 1+25. Try out 1+50 and perhaps 18-19 C, normally it works for me to have smoother grain, if that's the goal. I shot some of this stuff at EI6400 and pushed with DD-X, the results were punchy and grainy and reminded me of Delta400 in similar high rating.
Great review! Do you think you would get better results with the Rodinal using semi-stand development? Secondly, how would you compare this film to other 400 ISO B&W film?
Hallo, wieder ein sehr gelungenes Video! Wird es eventuell in Zukunft ein Video zum Olympus OM-System geben? Ich meine, dass Du das mal in einem Video als Möglichkeit in Betracht gezogen bzw. vorgeschlagen hast, da dein Kollege das OM-System nutzt. Ich würde mich über ein solches Video sehr freuen.
Someone actually gave this video a thumbs down. Regardless, it was a very good in - depth review. I wish I could view videos for all the film how this one was done.
ZommBleed Thanks a lot. :) Well, this video was really a lot of work so not something we could easily replicate for all other important films unfortunately. :)
Anyone else have issues with quality control with this film, esp in sheet form? I read a comment about this film made 5 years ago on APUG saying that QC on this film is shoddy, and the first 6 sheets of a 4x5 box I just shot had roller marks in the emulsion, ruining the shots. I thought Bergger would have its act together by now, but my results show otherwise. Maybe their roll film has better QC. Hope so.
Hi Franz! Danke für dein Feedback. Wir haben zugegebenermaßen auch darüber nachgedacht, den Entwickler von Bergger mit aufzunehmen, uns dann aber dagegen entschieden, da wir das Video bzw. unser Vorhaben nicht noch komplexer machen wollten. Es war wirklich ein kleiner Kraftakt, dieses Video mit all seinen Aspekt sauber zusammen zu bringen. :)
Side by side print/scan/edit comparison is one of the most useful things I've seen in a film review! Well done!
Max this is an extremely extensive review and I can imagine the time it took to shoot and develop. I can see you're into film for the love of the format. I've done a few lens reviews that took me over a month to finish but I look at it as give it my all or nothing. Respect
Thanks so much for your kind comment. I'm really glad that you can appreciate the time and effort that Jules and I put into it. Hope you could get something from it!
Yet to shoot the Bergger, but I tried Spur Acurol-N yesterday and the results are excellent. Without this channel I would never have known!
Thank you so much for this. Such a thorough review. I have just bought 2x rolls for testing this weekend purely due to your extensive research. So excited! So thank you very much for the inspiration guys
Watched this twice, and each time learned more. Have tried the film, using D76, and very happy with results. Thanks for your advice. Jim
A nice, quiet, well reasoned and thoughtful look at this film - and excellent example images. I enjoyed it and will subscribe.
JourneysEnd1750 Thanks a lot for your kind comment. We really appreciate it and are glad to see that you subscribed.
Fantastic review. I really appreciate that you took the time and effort to share your experiences with Bergge- Pancro. Thank you very much.
Thanks for your kind feedback. Glad to see you enjoyed it and found our video helpful. :)
Awesome video Max! Thanks for sharing your experiences and results. Great video, great photographies.
Thanks for your comment, Will. As always, we really appreciate your feedback! :)
Excellent! Very instructive.
Excellent video. Enjoyed seeing the various 120 film options.
thanks. This was a great video. I really enjoyed seeing the results, and hearing your thoughts on how it responded to different developers. THanks so much for putting it together.
Thank you for your feedback and for appreciating the effort which went into creating this video. Glad to hear that you liked it! :)
Such a great review, especially the use of different developers with the film. The more developing of black and white I do, the more I want to experiment with different films and different developers (and methods such as stand - so far only with Rodinal). Great work and great photos - thank you so much for such excellent insights!
Another awesome video! I just developed my first role of Pancro 400 120 format shot with a bronica and was very pleased with the results. I purchased the film based on your video review. Keep up the great work.
I will be trying this film next. You inspired me to start shooting film again.
A really excellent review - I was unfamiliar with this film until running across your review - excellent work! Cheers!
Very well done. I really appreciate how in depth you get by including results with several developers and shooting this film in so many different locations and conditions. It's evident that you both put a lot of work into your videos. Please keep up the great work!
Interesting video, even the length and the extensively content !
I like also the tips about developing this type of film with different developers.
Very useful video !!
Thanks a lot for your kind words and feedback. We really appreciate it, especially since this film required so much effort. :)
As usual an excellent and useful review of a very intriguing film! The photography you and Jules did with it is gorgeous and the examples of the effects of different developers is really helpful and interesting. As a result I'm am very interested in giving this film a try. Thanks Max (and Jules), once again very well done!
Fantastic review Max! I appreciate the variety of samples and that you used different developers! Many thanks! Can't wait to finish the roll I just started and see how it does in HC110.
Thanks so much for your positive feedback. Glad to hear that you liked the review. Let us know how development in HC110 worked out. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. :)
really enjoyed this video Max thanks for taking the time to make it 🖒🖒🖒🖒
Thanks a lot for your comment, Matthew! We really appreciate it. :)
Great review, I just bought a roll of Pancro 400 and now I'm even more excited to start shooting with it!
Alexander Corne Cool. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. :)
Very detailed discussion - thanks for taking the time to put together this video sharing your thoughts and experiences.
Thanks for your comment and for appreciating our effort. :)
Excellent review, well rounded and in depth, thanks!
Thanks, Kenny. Glad to see that you appreciate our review and the amount of thought that went into it. :)
Just bought several rolls of this film. Can’t wait to try it out.
Really thorough and useful review, thanks so much! I'm looking forward to trying this film for portraits.
That was awesome Max! Well done.
It's been a wile till I discovered and watched this video but now I really wanted to say a big thank you to you both for making this video and including the development tipps as well. It made me curious about this film and I also decided to buy a test package in 4x5 and give the Acurol-N 1+50 a chance. It turned out for me like being my favourite 4x5 film now for contrasty scenes (for low contrast scenes I still prefer the TRI-X 320). In the development I almost follow your 13 minutes for EI 200 but I often add some seconds in the beginning and at the end to give a little extra punch. Now soon I will try the 8x10 version of this film but will use a bigger, rotating drum. I am already looking forward giving this a try and see how the development times etc. need to be adjusted. Please keep on doing your great work. I enjoy your videos a lot! Greetings from my current home China.
Miguel Mueller Thanks so much for your elaborate comment. Happy to hear that our recommendations were useful and that you like using the film. :)
Really loved this video, always impressed by your thoughtful approach to everything
Excellent review! I've been trying this film out recently, but not tried developing yet. When properly exposed, the quality is lovely. Once I have a bit more experience shooting film, I'll give it another try.
I love the industrial decay subject matter, and that lens is an absolute gem!! I have a slight case of camera envy now....
Thanks so much for your kind comment and link to your own sample shots. :) You are probably aware that we were exclusively testing the 120 version of this film which naturally turns out less grainy than the 35mm version. Just in case you are looking for less grain, trying Pancro 400 as medium format film might be interesting. :)
I've been really keen to try it in medium format for a while now, but it's relying on my borrowing a suitable camera.
I very nearly bought a Yashicamat 124 recently (I'm kicking myself that I didn't buy it in the end, it was in beautiful condition) with the intention of trying the 120.
When I can borrow one, I will definately give it a go. In the mean time, my 35mm rolls of it arrived this morning so Christmas photos are all good to go!
The Hat Ah, the Yashica Mat 124G is indeed an incredible camera. Also a great way to get into medium format. Take a look at my review video (one of the earliest videos) if you’re interested.
I'll have a watch now. I'm still kicking myself for not buying it.
A friend was selling it online and offered it to me in exchange for a 30m bulk roll of HP5.
It was really tempting, but the roll was half of what the camera solld for in the end and I didn't want to shot change him.
Likely going to get a Yashica FX-D which he's restored though which will be quite interesting to play with.
Another great video, thanks for the info will need to see what other films are suited to Spur,
These images are soooooo good! The how sharp the Hassy just delivers amazing results!
Thanks sooooooo much. :)
Thank you! Very insightful, looking forward to try Pancro myself.
Marcel Schepers Thanks for your comment. Glad you liked it. Enjoy trying Pancro! :)
Very nice work. Well done!
Thanks so much, Richard. We really appreciate it. :)
Solid review guys! Many thanks :)
I really love your videos, thank you so much
Hello Guys. A great review, very accurate and exciting. I just ordered the Panaro 400 as roll film and 4x5``. I hope I can share some experiences and pictures with you after Christmas holidays. Best regards, Greg
Thanks so much for your comment, Greg. Looking forward to your photos! Merry Christmas and enjoy your holidays shooting some Pancro 400. :)
A very thoughtfully put together film - well done.
The Bergger looks very similar to old Adox CHS and of course printed, not scanned.
One thing I would say though, is ditch the brush when prepping negatives - it just keeps on depositing dust. Wipe the glass carriers with the back of your hand, and draw (pull) the film GENTLY between your index and second finger before you put it in the carrier -it works wonders. These are two tips from the late Barry Thornton and also the woman who prints the HCB archive prints.
Are you kidding? Run the film through your fingers? Hmmm.
@@ctrentelmanHi - yeah - been using film/processing/printing for 40 years - the scissor finger wipe works incredibly well. Obviously you haven't been eating sausages or fish and chips with your fingers before you do it, but there's little natural grease between your fingers. It was a technique used by HCB's printer and was also widely used by old photo-dogs working in the newspaper print trade. Try it!
I really enjoyed this review. It was very complete and informative.
Henry Chavez Thanks a lot. Happy to hear that! :)
You are lucky to have a friend who shares your love of photography and film development.
I'm very impressed with your channel, your delivery, content, presentation, expression in English, editing, and music selection. Would love to build a channel as informative and interesting as yours.
Dj Toman Thanks so much for your kind words. Jules and I really appreciate it. We just take our time and slowly build up this channel and learn along the way. My earlier videos were certainly not on the same production level as the ones we are releasing by now. ;)
It's a brilliant channel. Keep it up!
Great video, I have just purchased this film in 35mm and 120 and I will develop it in D76 1+1 as you suggest, thanks again.
Thank you for this review; I've been searching for a film and developer combination for portraits and fine art landscapes. I think that this could be it for my style. regards Ken
Very nice! I like that you added the unedited scan also, it gives me an impression of how it might be to work with in the darkroom!
Personally I have (until now) only shot this film using 4x5" and developed in rodinal; I love the amount of detail it gives. But now I will try more developers :-)
johanglindgren Thanks for your comment. Glad you enjoyed our comparison to the unedited scan.
Have fun trying this film with other developers. It should really make quite a difference with a 4x5” negative.
This is such a great resource, thank you!
David Thrower You’re welcome. Glad you like it. :)
Super video and a helpful resource. Thank you :)
Very helpful. I have a roll of Beggar Pancro in my Fuji gx680 right now.
Thanks for this extensive film review. As for Rodinal used for developing 120 rollfilm, exposed as the ASA indicates, try 1:75 solution at 20C. time, between 15 and 18 min (depending of the type of film). Result: very nice balanced negatives - not soft not to contrasty, very good sharpness and fine grain. A joy to print as well. The less diluted the solution the grainier the result will be.
Really well done plenty of insight into the film also love the fact you shown all 3 process of the film scan edited and print that is something that a lot of people miss out on love the film I just wish they would bring it out in bulk for 35mm
Thanks so much for your comment! Glad you appreciate all the prints. To be honest, Jules is the one who drew my attention to the wonderful experience of doing your own prints and the kind of opportunities this brings about. I'm getting increasingly interested ever since.
And yes, a bulk version for 35mm would be nice indeed.
I was able to print for the first time in years today even done a shot from my roll of pancro too and I'm so pleased with the experience
That's awesome! :)
Excellent review!
Great job guys. This film looks very promising in terms of prints.
Thanks a lot for your comment. Yes, it's really well-suited for prints. :)
Another great review...I've tried Bergger before, and loved the results in rodinol, and will definitely have to see what images look like with the new Pancro 400...I may also have to give the Spur Acurol a try...Loved the images Jules achieved with the Yashica Mat, and I've always said it's a much overlooked, affordable MF camera...Keep up the great work.
Timothy Anderson Thanks for your comment. Yes, that’s true. The Yashica is a wonderful little camera. I have a review of it up on the channel if you’re interested. :)
I used a Yashica Mat 124G back in the early 90's in a photography course at The University of Texas, along with Kodak T-Max 400, Ilford HP5, and Agfapan films (even tried some positive films) with the built-in meter, and got some good results...I'm looking to get back into MF, and regret getting rid of my old Pentacon I had with 3 lenses...Thank you for your prompt replies, and I hope you both have a great holiday season.
Wow you guys are amazing, this is really a great content I hope your channel gets more-more subscriber. hidup film fotografi
Thanks for your vote of confidence and great feedback, Yosep. We are glad to hear that you liked our video! And, of course, we also hope that our little channel keeps growing a bit more. :)
Lots of work in this video! Congratulations! I bought 2 rolls of 35mm and 120. I already shot one of each. Still undecided about it Ive used d76 1+1 and 35mm looked to me very grainy but 120 was better (printed the images in my darkroom not scans). It is a bit flat to my taste but look like you can get the contrast you desire for what i can tell from your video. Next rolls will try with rollei supergrain and Rodinal how it does. Again thank you for sharing your tests and your lovely chelo shots.
Thanks a lot for your feedback, Joan. Glad to see that you appreciate all the effort we put into this film. Thank you also for sharing your own first experiences which appear to be in line with ours. I actually like the fact that it provides such a flat "foundation" for either scanning or printing. Looking forward to your results with Rollei Supergrain. You should share them somewhere. :)
Great video guys and you tube site, You guys know when using Jobo tanks you meant to compress the inter part of lid then put on the tank, which causes a vacum seal to stop leaks when turning it over or running on a jobo auto agitator as chemical can vent gases
Great work! Film photography will always me a magical exerience. I really liked the expression on your face taking out the first roll of developed film (5:21). Did I sense a breathing technique (holding your breath before tripping the shutter) at 15:40?
Thanks for your lovely comment. Yes, good spot. I was indeed holding my breath since this shot was taken at 1/30th of a second. :) And yes, I sometimes get quite excited about seeing negatives for the first time. This will probably never cease to amaze me.
Informative Video !! Thanks so much !
Thanks for your feedback, Dhiraj. :)
I tried Pancro 400 in 35mm - in rodinal 1:25 the 8 minutes of development time is not enough at all. Everything was stop underexposed and I metered on shadows as I always do with HP5... I will give it a shot metering for 200... And the grain was too much.
What are the new results
with my two videos I'm guilty trying to catch the Zeitgeist, but you guys took it to the next level! I really enjoyed the video! Now I want to buy a roll or two of this film again and more convinced that I want to buy an enlarger as well :) keep up the great work!
Thanks so much for your comment. And yes, go for the enlarger! :)
Sure, I've been shooting digital. That being said, I still REALLY love using my 35mm and medium format film cameras! Having inherited a rather substantial Hasselblad kit, I especially love to shoot medium format. My 35mm arsenal includes a Minolta CLE, Minolta X-700, a Pentax SP 1000 and an Olympus OM-1. Love your videos. Keep up the good work.
Hello Max,
Nice in depth video
Can you review the Rollei Superpan 200
Merci encore. 👍👍👍
Hi Xavier,
thanks for your feedback.
I have actually tried Rollei Superpan 200 a couple of times lately and am very pleased with the results. I will probably not end up creating such an in-depth review but maybe I can do a shorter video (or section within a video) on it. Would that help? Are you interested in anything specific?
I really liked the negative's sharpness and fine grain this film brought about. I usually developed it in D-76 if I remember correctly. :)
I liked all of the results! My favourites might be the Rodinal and Acurol ones. I might get myself some Spur Acurol-N for future developments after seeing this video
Hi Marvin! Thanks for your feedback. And, of course, it makes us happy to read that we piqued your interest in Spur Acurol-N. Enjoy exploring this very nice developer. :)
@@AnalogInsights Coming back to this video after a year and saw my comment and your response. I bought some Acurol-N shortly after I mentioned it here and I must say, that it might be my favourite developer at the moment. I have no way of fully appreciating the sharpness, but the scans from the flatbet scanner are as sharp as I can get it. I tried it now with HP5+, Acros and RPX 25 in medium format and Tri-X and APX 100 (new emulsion) in 35mm (if not more) and I liked almost everything I got with it. Of course there is much testing to be done on my part to get the images to look exactly like I prefer it, but it's a good starting point I think. I would like to try Pancro with Acurol-N and I'll take your developing times as a starting point because I liked what you got with 1+50 @ 13-15min and I found no information online from the massive dev chart or the official SPUR datasheet. Let me know if you have done further tests with this combination. Anyway, thanks again for making this video!
Those Cielo photos are amazing.
Sehr schön!
Max, Wollen Sie weiter probieren, Pancro 400 mit Kodak Xtol und Ilford DD-X zu entwickeln?
Der Spur Acurol-N ist nicht so übrig und sehr schwer in China zu kaufen. Trotzdem wollte ich diesen Entwickler testen.
Loves the video , thanks for doing it. I have a question about your equipment. I'm looking for 1000ml bottles just like that. Can you share where you got them?
Thanks for your comment and please excuse my late response.
Sure, I get all my development equipment at either Macodirect or Fotoimpex. Hope this helps.
adding a stop is right on, groovy
Great video thank you learned so much
Your fantastic audio makes the video quality spectacular. May I ask what your audio equipment setup is?
I really enjoy seeing this type of in-depth film/scan/print review with behind-the-scenes darkroom b-roll. Well done! Thanks so much!!
Paul Moffett Thanks so much for your kind comment. Our audio equipment is actually quite limited. I am using an inexpensive Rode Smartlav+ recording to my iPhone and the sometimes difficult atmo sounds from our small Lumix GX80.
I love your in depth reviews! I really want to try Pancro 400, the price is nice and it looks like it has a unique tonality for a 400 speed film. Aside from Tri-X many 400 speed films are similar to HP5+ which has a heavy middle grey but this is more airy but still has great highlights and shadows, it kind of reminds me of how Portra 400 looks but in b&w
Always fascinating to see dakroom print by scans. I've been doing some printing lately from pictures I've already scanned, and when I turn the normal light on it almost makes me jump when I see the print in the tray! An interesting video...I'm looking at other options for 400 speed 120 film alongside my usual Kodak Tri-X 400. Looking for something a bit more "silky" than Tri-X, which I do love, but at times, I like that Acros look with 400 speed films. And Adox CMS films seem unavailable in 120.
I finally got a chance to sit down and watch the entire review! I loved it, such an intensive review. It makes me want to try out some of this film. It really reminds me of the flat results I get from HP5. Did you guys try any scenarios where you pushed the film to 1600 or 3200? I would be curious to see the grain structure at those rates. Anyways, thank you for the time you guys put into this video, it had to have been so much work. It turned out wonderful!
Thanks so much for your lovely comment, Nick! We really appreciate it, especially since it's coming from you.
To be honest, both Jules and I are not terribly fond of pushing film and did not try it for Pancro 400. Otherwise we would have included it in the review, of course. ;) Sorry! Something you need to try for yourself. ;)
I completely understand. Pushing film isnt for everyone. haha. If/when I get my hands on some of this I will give it a shot and see for myself. Thanks brotha
great review from MAX，👍
Four years on and I found this video 😊. Very informative and very entertaining. Now..I'm just about to use my very first 120 roll of Bergger in my Zeiss 532, and intend to develope in Acurol -N and will be following your suggestions on development. When it comes to fixing I understand it's 1-4 Ilford rapid fix for 6 minutes. How often did you agitate while fixing?? I personally with other films ( HP5 AND FP4) agitate for the first 30 seconds then four inversions every thirty seconds until the end of development. Could you advise? Thanks again for the video. Cheers, Kit.
Thanks for the really helpful video. I bought 8 rolls of Pancro (7x 35mm, 1 x 120) and I developed my first roll in D-76 1+1 for 17 minutes. My negatives seem really dark and I struggled to get a decent scan. They do seem to print ok in my darkroom with perhaps a longer exposure than normal. How did your D-76 negatives look?
Paul Giverin Hi Paul, my Pancro negatives which were developed in D-76 looked excellent with 17 minutes developing time for 120 film. Maybe there was a problem with the temperature? Besides that, I have no idea since the developing times are the same for the 35mm version. Or some unintentional overexposure?
Hi Max, the temperature was 20 degrees when the developer went in. It was quite a hot day so maybe the temperature was higher than 20 degrees after 17 minutes. I will also shoot another roll in another body in case the metering was out. Thanks.
quality video and film results.
Thanks a lot for your kind comment. :)
Hi and thanks for the great video. About to try Pancro with Spur myself and I like what you did with the stand method. When using Rodinal, I use 5ml per roll, regardless of dilution. then use the Ansel Adams stand of agitate first and every 3rd minute for 18 minutes.
When you did the 1-200 stand for 2 hrs, how much spur did you use per roll?
I love this video! Can you tell me the name of clock that you use for develop (phone)? Thanks for your work!! ❤️
Jono Domongos Thanks a lot for your feedback. The app is called Massive Dev Chart. :)
thanks! You make my day! ❤️ Analog Insights
omg, the Acurol dev'd images were stunning
CHRISTOPHER FOX Thanks a lot for your comment. Glad you liked the Acurol results.
Thanks for the great video guy's 🤙😊🤙
Hey, thank you for this video. I’ve got one question, how do you darken your kitchen, especially the window (when you use it as a darkroom)?
The prints looked much better than the scanned negatives, and I think the film better in Rodinal than D76, but that’s just my personal opinion. The Spur scanned negatives, looked more like the prints, and I like that very much. I used Bergger films in 2004, but was never happy with the results, and quit using them after 10 rolls. It seems I need to try Spur developer with this film, to achieve the optimum results. May be a good replacement for Neopan 400 in Rodinal, which I used for years on Maui. Thanks for such a thorough testing, and showing all the results. By the way, where is that beautiful temple? Austria? It is indeed impressive & timeless. Cheers, Joe.
Thanks a lot for your comment. Interesting to hear about all your experience with different film stocks and developers. A real fan of Rodinal it seems. :)
The "temple" is close to Regensburg in Germany. :)
Ich mag deine Stimme! Danke für deine vielen Videos.
Thanks! Very helpful!
From the look of the pics, it's possible that Pancro (if a cubic grain film) is better exposed at 200ASA. So, Spur Acurol would probably require a 100ASA. The blacks are grayish. Only T-grains films seem to come in at 400. Rodinal is not really more for contrast, but rather to maximize acutance (especially with poorer lenses).
I find myself revisiting this video (i don't remember if its my 2nd or 3rd time) since i purchased some 120 Bergger Pancro last week to test it out. Thanks for the extensive review and the lot of effort you put in here, really appreciate people that share knowledge for free. If you are selling prints (or negatives that i could print myself haha) let me know, will like to support someway your work. Do you remember which paper were you printing in*?
Fantastic video guys. I tried D76 and didn't like that developer at all. My preference is RLS followed by RPX as developer of choice. I have never tried Acurol - interesting though. Yes this film has quickly become my favorite over Acros and HP5+. I am awaiting to test some Ferrania P30 before committing to buy a bulk load of Pancro 400. I think P30 might finally be the end of film searching for me if production can be ironed out.
Thanks for your feedback and interesting comment. Glad to hear that you also enjoy Pancro over HP5+ and other prior favorites. I still need to test Ferrania P30 as well - once it's actually available.
Interesting choice of developers. I might take a look at these at some point. Thanks for your input! :)
Thank You. Intersting also a 35mm test.
Great photography! I used to own a Yashica Matt 124. Can you get Bergger Pancro 400 in 35mm? I noticed in your darkroom you had a color enlarger with a color head do you print color the old fashioned way in the darkroom with filters and type C prints or Cibachrome?
Thanks for your comment, Lonnie. Yes, Bergger Pancro 400 is available as 35mm film and has been for quite a while. My friend Jules does not use the color head of his enlarger for printing color. The focus is on black and white prints only. :)
An interesting and intelligent video. I've subscribed.
Have to say it's not entirely clear what the Spur developer did for you. I haven't tried the Bergger film yet, but I routinely shoot HP-5 and Tri-X at 200 and develop 10 to 20% less in conventional developers like D76 and Xtol. Same as with your use of Spur, this results in finer grain and softer gradation, which makes both printing and scanning easier. Better shadow detail (from the extra exposure) and more delicate highlights from the reduced development.
Kind of the opposite of the "push to 1600 - soot and chalk" school.
Also, I'd like to see the whole video over again, but with 35mm, which is more demanding in terms of grain and sharpness and gradation. Pretty much all films look better in medium format. :-)
asparis145149 Thanks for your thoughtful and kind comment. Please excuse my late response.
As you mention, what you describe is a typical pull process, so the opposite of pushing. For Acurol-N, the company Spur recommends shooting films at certain ISO and developing times in order to get a certain contrast on your negatives. In the case of Spur Acurol-N, to achieve standard contrast you often need to shoot a ISO 400 film at ISO 200 or 250 for instance. The same holds true for other film speeds as well. So the developer needs a bit more light to achieve standard contrast and this therefore differs from a standard pull process. I hope I managed to bring this point across. There are certainly much better explanations on Spur's website. :)
Ah. I will go and look at the Spur website.
From your explanation, though, it sounds like Spur is similar to some of the old "fine grain" developers like Microdol.
The common explanation of those developers was that they contained solvent chemicals that "ate' the edges off the silver grains after they developed, making the grains smaller and softer, but resulting in less density. So needing more exposure.
(I have no idea whether that explanation is correct, or just an old wive's tale.) Could be that they were just less active developers that produced less density for a given exposure and therefore less grain.
Anyway, thanks for your reply.
I remember ahootin Bergger Panchromatic about 14 years ago. The results were horrid, achieving only good images with Rodinal. I’d try Fomapan films before Berger again.
Wondering if you ever tried the higher dilution (1:100) and longer development with acurol-n for increased Eberhard effect. Any thoughts? Thanks.
We have used a 1:100 dilution @ 120min. in the fuji GS645S video
th-cam.com/video/wJtYhi7R2CQ/w-d-xo.html
@@julesbobach8129 Thank you for your reply. You say the longer development had a sharpening effect on areas with detail but was not good on larger homogeneous areas. Do you think that, in a portrait, the effect would not be positive due to homogeneous areas of skin, or would the detail dominate?
I should have mentioned these portraits are with 11x14 Pancro 400 sheet film, so in terms of size on the negative, the homogeneous areas are relatively large.
@@leonfairbanks2959 Stand and semi-stand usually suffers from uneven development and bromide drag.
I would not recommend it for larger formats and portrait work. It works much better for 135/120 film and high contrast scenes like fashion shoots or architecture for example.
Maybe process one sheet first or give adox atomal 49 a try.
@@julesbobach8129 For reference, in the video you say dilution was 1:200 for 120 min, agitation once every 40 min.
3 Months for a review! Talk about German "Gründlichkeit", but the result speaks for itself. Keep up the good work.
Nice review! Rodinal always brings out quite the grain in fast film, especially 1+25. Try out 1+50 and perhaps 18-19 C, normally it works for me to have smoother grain, if that's the goal.
I shot some of this stuff at EI6400 and pushed with DD-X, the results were punchy and grainy and reminded me of Delta400 in similar high rating.
excellent content. Greetings from Brazil.
Thanks. :)
Great review! Do you think you would get better results with the Rodinal using semi-stand development? Secondly, how would you compare this film to other 400 ISO B&W film?
Thank you for this great review! Would you suggest times and dilutions to develop with Acurol-N Pancro 400 shot at 400?
Hallo,
wieder ein sehr gelungenes Video! Wird es eventuell in Zukunft ein Video zum Olympus OM-System geben? Ich meine, dass Du das mal in einem Video als Möglichkeit in Betracht gezogen bzw. vorgeschlagen hast, da dein Kollege das OM-System nutzt. Ich würde mich über ein solches Video sehr freuen.
Hallo! Vielen Dank für dein Lob. Ja, in der Tat haben wir Videos zum Olympus OM-System in Planung. :) Dauert aber leider noch etwas.
Someone actually gave this video a thumbs down. Regardless, it was a very good in - depth review. I wish I could view videos for all the film how this one was done.
ZommBleed Thanks a lot. :) Well, this video was really a lot of work so not something we could easily replicate for all other important films unfortunately. :)
Great Review.
Thanks so much! :)
Anyone else have issues with quality control with this film, esp in sheet form? I read a comment about this film made 5 years ago on APUG saying that QC on this film is shoddy, and the first 6 sheets of a 4x5 box I just shot had roller marks in the emulsion, ruining the shots. I thought Bergger would have its act together by now, but my results show otherwise. Maybe their roll film has better QC. Hope so.
richtig gutes video. hätte gerne noch die hauseigenen bergger entwickler gesehen.
Hi Franz! Danke für dein Feedback. Wir haben zugegebenermaßen auch darüber nachgedacht, den Entwickler von Bergger mit aufzunehmen, uns dann aber dagegen entschieden, da wir das Video bzw. unser Vorhaben nicht noch komplexer machen wollten. Es war wirklich ein kleiner Kraftakt, dieses Video mit all seinen Aspekt sauber zusammen zu bringen. :)