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View Full Version : CatLABS X film, from Freestyle - any user information?



Willie
12-Jan-2020, 18:27
https://www.freestylephoto.biz/902810-CatLABS-X-Film-ISO-80-8x10-25-Sheets

Received this via E-mail from Freestyle Photo. Looks interesting.

Anyone have information on how it actually performs - say compared to Ilford FP4+?

Ability to handle plus or minus exposure & development? Mid range tonal separation?

Reciprocity characteristics?

Not available in 5x7 and don't know if it will be. But, would like to hear it is an alternative for some uses.

Willie
12-Jan-2020, 18:40
In my third search a topic showed up. I'll check it out - maybe it will answer some of the questions.

Michael Graves
14-Jan-2020, 06:35
Over the weekend, I developed the first batch that I shot. I have not yet printed them, but the negatives laid out on the light table suggest the following. And once again, until I print something from them, I'm withholding judgement. And these are not intended to be film tests...I was to anxious to get out and shoot something!

I shot a total of five images, two sheets each image. Three of them were shot at ISO 40 and two at 80. One sheet of each image was developed in Pyrocat HD in glycol, and the other sheet in HC110.

The sheets I shot at ISO 40 look better, regardless of which developer I used. The HC110 negs look a little too dense in the highlights and thinner in the shadows (albeit not critically so), so the contrast is a bit highe inr that developer. Hopefully I shall have an opportunity to get into the darkroom this coming weekend and print them.

Tin Can
14-Jan-2020, 07:09
Shanghai film was offered here on forum from a Chinese source in nearly any size

Some of us bought

No regrets



https://www.freestylephoto.biz/902810-CatLABS-X-Film-ISO-80-8x10-25-Sheets

Received this via E-mail from Freestyle Photo. Looks interesting.

Anyone have information on how it actually performs - say compared to Ilford FP4+?

Ability to handle plus or minus exposure & development? Mid range tonal separation?

Reciprocity characteristics?

Not available in 5x7 and don't know if it will be. But, would like to hear it is an alternative for some uses.

MultiFormat Shooter
14-Jan-2020, 11:36
Anyone have information on how it actually performs?

Here's a link to another thread (https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/catlabs-x-80-film.172404/), that I though was interesting, and has some of the information, for which you're looking.

Tin Can
16-Jan-2020, 07:22
I don't see any real evidence there.




Here's a link to another thread (https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/catlabs-x-80-film.172404/), that I though was interesting, and has some of the information, for which you're looking.

Jim Noel
16-Jan-2020, 08:47
Nor do I.

MultiFormat Shooter
16-Jan-2020, 20:39
I don't see any real evidence there.


Nor do I.

There are plenty of examples, with different developers, in the links in post #6, of said thread. I think they provide a reasonable idea of "how it actually performs."

m00dawg
25-Jan-2020, 15:50
For what it's worth, I shot this a few days ago with longish exposures. Meter was 5s at f8. I used the Reciprocity App to calculate bellows and use FP4 and CHS ii to guess where CatLabs X may have fallen. I ended up with 30s and 1m times. These appear to be more than may have been necessary. Negatives are good but highlights are a bit on the dense side. Not much different between the two exposures but the 1 minute one is more dense.

I did another set at f11 and used 1 and 2 minute exposures. Difference was even less there but again the longer exposure was more dense (though it was subtle).

My takeaway is that I probably didn't need to expose for that long and perhaps should have started with the FP4 values.

Really nice film for the cost! It won't replace my lovely CHS ii I don't think but I really like it.

Kevin Crisp
26-Jan-2020, 08:23
I'm in the process of moving the house and everything in the darkroom so didn't have time for a proper film test of the box of 4x5 I bought. But I did have a new lens to test so figured I'd shoot a couple sheets of this. I used an incident meter (Luna Star F) on a sunny day with just a little haze to shoot the high contrast subject that is my test of lens sharpness. Spot meter is packed already. My lens test target is a stucco house across the canyon at a distance of roughly 400 yards. If I can see the latch on the gate when looking at the negative with a magnifier I consider a lens pretty decent. Set the meter at ISO 80 and exposed as indicated.

Since I have some mixed up, I processed the sheet with slow constant agitation in a tray slosher. D76, 1:1, for a tedious 15 minutes at 68F. Got this number from Digital Truth or some website. This produced a very nice negative, which rarely happens for me using on line development tables. I wouldn't change a thing about it.

1. Looking at it with a very strong magnifier (enlarger already packed) I'd say it does look like a sharp, very fine grained film.

2. It has a very clean looking base. B+F is 0.07.

3. Looked at with a point light source (tensor lamp) I can see a couple very faint long scratches, something I never see. I think these may be invisible on a cold light enlarger print but couldn't check. Even under the tensor lamp I could shift the angle of the negative and they would disappear.

4. With same magnifier, scanning the sky in the negative I could see a number of very, very small places where there didn't appear to be any density. These are much smaller than what I consider a "pinhole" and far too small to ascertain shape. Way smaller than dust. I'm not sure these would be visible in a print the size I can make and of course with things packed couldn't check.

Once I get things set up in a new location I'll give it another try. It is interesting. It is packed in a heavy plastic sealed bag that is harder to open than a Kodak one. I had to cut it open with scissors in the dark. Inside that there is a folded poly bag and the film has protective thin paper between each sheet. There is no inner box lid and it is hard to fold it up in the outside bag after you cut it open so I am keeping it in an old 5x7 box.

braxus
1-Feb-2020, 17:14
I was the one who started that other thread. I wasn't conclusive on its look. Not enough people have used this film yet. I ended up getting 3 rolls of it in 120 (since 120 was all I could get at the time). I haven't sent it off to be developed yet though. Im waiting to send my batches of film off. I was told it was mid contrast in its look, and similar to Panatomic X. But I question if this new film is as good as Pan X. Certainly Pan X has better quality control.

LabRat
2-Feb-2020, 09:12
Different film, different look, different speed, way different processing options... Just hype...

Steve K

paulbarden
18-Apr-2020, 21:43
4x5 sheet of CatLabs X Film 80 exposed at 40 ASA and processed in Rodinal 1:50
I like what I see so far, but I will be rating it even lower the next time I use it.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49790773713_5bbb76098b_b.jpg

Kevin Crisp
7-Jun-2020, 11:28
Just to follow up now that I've used most of a box of 4x5 of this. It is an interesting film with its own look. And it is sharp and very fine grained. I think the official development times at ISO 80 overdo it. At least with d76 1:1 and HC110 "B."

I develop 4x5 and 5x7 and 4x10 film in my DIY sloshers. I NEVER damage emulsion doing it this way with gentle constant agitation and the film emulsion side up. This has worked for me for 30 years. But with this film, at least every other sheet has small clear emulsion free defects in it. I don't know if it is me or the film, but this just isn't film I can rely on for this reason.

Tin Can
7-Jun-2020, 13:35
Opportunities for touch up...

olden days they did that a lot

I just hope the power grid keeps working

everywhere

sperdynamite
7-Jun-2020, 14:35
I have another working time for it with 510 Pyro.

ISO 32

5 seconds of agitation per minute with 30 seconds initial agitation.
1:100 - 68F - 14 minutes.

That's a lot of development for 510 Pyro so I might be able to back off that time a bit. I only have a Heiland TRD-2 B&W densitometer so I'm not sure I'm accurately reading the stain. I like the film quite a bit for a 'cheap' option. I think I like it a bit more than Pan-F, and unlike Pan-F, it's available in sheets.

IBornarth
1-Aug-2020, 19:33
I just ordered a few boxes as I am restarting my darkroom. I was looking for a low speed fine grain 4x5 film, settled on the CatLABS mostly due to price. I have been doing a few tests to determine a useful exposure index. So far I have found an effective speed at 25 using Rodinal @1+25 [6:30 minutes] processed in deep tanks with hangers. I also did a test with HC-110 Dil. B [8:45]. Both seems to to produce good negatives with the Rodinal giving slightly denser highlights. Unfortunately my densitometer isn't working right now, so it s a bit tough to get specifics. I'll post images when I get something worth posting.


206485

braxus
19-Sep-2020, 21:00
There are rumors that Shanghai GP3 is the same film as Catlabs X80. Who you argue with will vary on this rumor if its true or not. I shot a roll of X80 on my medium format camera at 80 ISO and it was very underexposed. I have a box of GP3 in 8x10, but not sure what to expose that for. 32 ISO maybe?

Duolab123
19-Sep-2020, 22:17
Well CatLABS has said that this film is reminiscent of Panatomic X and more old school films. From what I've seen people are getting good results. I shoot Ilford and Kodak in black and white sheet and roll film. I may try the Catlabs at some point. Nice to have options.

Alan9940
20-Sep-2020, 06:49
There are rumors that Shanghai GP3 is the same film as Catlabs X80. Who you argue with will vary on this rumor if its true or not. I shot a roll of X80 on my medium format camera at 80 ISO and it was very underexposed. I have a box of GP3 in 8x10, but not sure what to expose that for. 32 ISO maybe?

I've seen all the rumors and speculation about this, but I've tested and shoot regularly GP3 roll film and with my equipment, per my densitometer, I get an EI 80. Therefore, if others are seeing more in a range of EI25 - EI32 with X80, then I'd guess it's not the same film. Sorry, certainly don't wish to flame the a vs b arguments with this post. Just my 2 cents...

paulbarden
20-Sep-2020, 07:52
There are rumors that Shanghai GP3 is the same film as Catlabs X80. Who you argue with will vary on this rumor if its true or not. I shot a roll of X80 on my medium format camera at 80 ISO and it was very underexposed. I have a box of GP3 in 8x10, but not sure what to expose that for. 32 ISO maybe?

ISO 32 is about right. Exposing at 80 ASA will give poor results with ZERO shadow information.

Tin Can
20-Sep-2020, 14:49
Greg, just looked at Cinestill

Have you tried their kits? E6?

https://cinestillfilm.com/collections/laboratory-supplies


I don’t know about the sheet film version, but the 35mm Catlabs film (320) is just repackaged Kodak Double X 5222 movie film, same as Cinestill.

m00dawg
21-Sep-2020, 08:06
Greg, just looked at Cinestill

Have you tried their kits? E6?

https://cinestillfilm.com/collections/laboratory-supplies

I'm not Greg haha and this is a bit off topic to the original post, but I can chime in. I tried it and found the kit very good for what it is. It's a 3-bath kit (compared to a 6-bath) so the typical debate about blix and retained silver comes into play. However what I REALLY like is that you can buy the chemicals separately since they all have different shelf lives - you don't have to buy an entire kit everytime. That's super convenient and I'm very glad to see someone finally doing this for the small batch kits.

As far as the different developers, I had some mixed results and will probably use the Daylight (standard) developer most of the time. However, when the Dynamic worked, it REALLY worked. It is something you'll have to know and decide to use though - I'm not sure the dynamic range claims quite hold up either.

That said, I ended up winning a local photo contest here from a 4x5 I shot of a sunrise and developed in Dynamic and ended up with a few other 4x5 slides that I literally just had to scan in and leave completely untouched. But likewise, I found it could end up being too warm and it did depend on the film used. I need to do more experiments there.

Overall though, yeah I rather liked the kit and will continue to use it in the future. Now, if I shot some slide that was really really important, I would probably consider having that sent off to a professional lab. But I dunno, my practical results were pretty great.

Tin Can
21-Sep-2020, 12:24
Good info

I have a lot expired sealed LF Chrome

This will work for me

Thank you!

Ironage
9-Oct-2020, 03:59
Just finish running 120 roll film tests of Catlabs 80 using the ole Fred Picker method. It cam out to 80 ASA for me with a good development time of 6:30 at 68 deg. In Rodinal 1:25. So it looks to me as if the development times given are long. The negatives print well using grade 2 paper.


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