Ferrania P30 Rodinal

Tests of the first 5 Ferrania P30 Alpha 35mm films. Development in Rodinal 1+50.
The film proved to have lower sensibility than advertised, development times completely off, difficult "foot" in the curve for shadow rendition.

First attempt

Nikon F90x, exp. 80/20° ISO, 7 minutes in 24 °C, one inversion every minute.
These should be roughly equivalent to 11 minutes to 20°C

The negatives are quite thin, although the highlights developed black. I'd say underexposed and overdeveloped.

Furthermore, even with using my standard process of washing and rinsing with wetting agent, I have lime specs (you can see the white dots, not retouched)

Second attempt

Leica M2, exp. 80/20° ISO,  22°C one inversion every second minute
12 minutes.

This is also very thin. I hoped in minimal compensation from slower agitation... and wanted to exclude errors in the first attempt.

Again evident lime specks!

A completely ruined image, due to insufficient shadows and lime specks and deposit! It gets very visible because the scanner tried to read the shadows, highlighting the dirt.

Third attempt

Nikon F90x, 20°C, 17 minutes, agitation every second minute.

Still too thin. The film leader is black, but the skies in the pictures barely are. Things are becoming usable, still the film proves a magnet for lime deposit and specks!

 

Here, where the dark shadows don't disturb too much, the result is quite pleasing: nice detail in the sky, differentiated tones in oopen-shadow brickwork.

Fourth attempt

EOS 3, exposed 50/18° ISO. 20°C, 20 minutes, agitation every second minute

Finally, density is high enough, almost too high. However shadows are very thin. Even attempting exposure at 50 ISO is not enough to get full shadow detail. Almost usable now, but highlights blow easily, given the long development.

 

Greyscale card shows that things are not too bad, shadows are blocked only at the last to levels. However, this is a print in sun. Real scenes have more dynamic range.

Fifth and last attempt

Canon FT, last roll. Exposed at 64 Stand 1h 1+100 about 19°CC 

 

 

 

 

The film is capable of excellent mid-hight tone rendition:

 

 

Here again, shadows bite us. The tree is too black. Actually, there is some detail that could be recovered, Stand development helped, but images here are quite straight examples.