Kodak Polymax Fine Art

[Allen in Montreal]

I spent 9 hours (a few breaks taken :) ) in the darkroom today, printing one neg on several different papers, including some 20 year old Agfa 16x20 (thank you pkphotog!)

The tonal range on Kodak Polymax Fine Art is amazing, but as I near the end of my last box, I wonder, is there anything close to it out there today?

The new emulsions I am currently using are Ilford warm tone and Kentmere MG fiber, I have not bought Oriental in 15 years (I still have a few boxes, but not many) nor have I tried Adox yet.

[Michael Clark]

I have finished off the last of the Fine Art also about a year ago. I have been using Gallery for a while and it seems to me the closes to Fine art, slightly warmer but has nice dense blacks.

Mike

[Pawlowski6132]

I spent 9 hours (a few breaks taken :) ) in the darkroom today, printing one neg on several different papers, including some 20 year old Agfa 16x20 (thank you pkphotog!)

The tonal range on Kodak Polymax Fine Art is amazing, but as I near the end of my last box, I wonder, is there anything close to it out there today?

The new emulsions I am currently using are Ilford warm tone and Kentmere MG fiber, I have not bought Oriental in 15 years (I still have a few boxes, but not many) nor have I tried Adox yet.

I have a bunch of the Kodak paper. Now excited to try it?,

[catshaver]

I spent 9 hours (a few breaks taken :) ) in the darkroom today, printing one neg on several different papers, including some 20 year old Agfa 16x20 (thank you pkphotog!)

The tonal range on Kodak Polymax Fine Art is amazing, but as I near the end of my last box, I wonder, is there anything close to it out there today?

The new emulsions I am currently using are Ilford warm tone and Kentmere MG fiber, I have not bought Oriental in 15 years (I still have a few boxes, but not many) nor have I tried Adox yet.

I use Adox MCC-110 (http://www.adox.de/english/ADOX_Papers/MCC/MCC.html) as a replacement for the Kodak paper. I find it to be very close in tonal range and color. The emulsion was Agfa's whose principal competition was Kodak.

[Allen in Montreal]

Has anyone used Oriental in the last few years?

[J. Fada]

I have been using Oriental VC (non WT) lately and really like it. It is just a nice neutral paper that is easy to print on and delivers solid prints with clean tones and solid blacks.

Adox MCC is a great paper as well, probably a little closer to the old Polymax and slightly more rich than the Oriental with just a hint of warmth by comparison. It could be the best paper made today but I haven't used it enough to really give an opinion. I don't like to change paper once I get used to something unless there is a compelling reason.

Fotokemika Varycon is a great paper with a nice long range but requires a pretty thick neg to get the most out of it. With a regular neg it just doesn't reach it's potential. It also doesn't quite deliver the shadow separation of the others under normal circumstances. With a normal neg the paper feels "heavy" if that makes sense.

If you like the Kentmere the Oriental is closer to it in tone although the Oriental is a lot more flexible and delivers better midtones. I printed on the Kentmere for a while but the contrast grading of it was too limited for me. I believe others have had this same experience.

This is all just my opinion but I hope it helps.

[Allen in Montreal]

.....


This is all just my opinion but I hope it helps.

Thank you,
I guess I will order form B+H, a Adox and an Oriental to test.
I like the Kentmere, but it has it's own issues.
Ilford Warm Tone is pretty good.

i tried some Kentmere RC last weekend, It blocks up quickly compared to old agfa or seagull.

[Roger Cole]

Another vote for Adox MCC-110. It's great paper. I use it when I want neutral looking prints and Ilford MGWT, often toned in 1/4 or 1/8th strength brown toner, when I want warmer tones. A lot of people tone MGWT to neutral or even cool too, though, and seem to love the results. I haven't tried that.

I don't think you'll be able to get the Adox from B&H. I believe Freestyle is the exclusive North American distributor.

[Allen in Montreal]

............

I don't think you'll be able to get the Adox from B&H. I believe Freestyle is the exclusive North American distributor.

Thank you Roger, you are right, I am not sure why I thought B+H sold Adox, Freestyle's shipping fees are way higher than B+H. :(

Shipping costs for 50 sheets:
USPS Priority Mail International = $39.60

I guess I won't be trying Adox afterall.

[Roger Cole]

Thank you Roger, you are right, I am not sure why I thought B+H sold Adox, Freestyle's shipping fees are way higher than B+H. :(

For 50 sheets:
USPS Priority Mail International = $39.60

I guess I won't be trying Adox afterall.

Hum, so Freestyle really is for North America and there's no Canadian distributor?

You might contact Maco Direct in Germany. It might actually be cheaper to have it sent from Germany than from Freestyle:

http://www.macodirect.de/paper-adox-c-1_17_588.html

I wouldn't pay a huge premium for it but it starts out (at Freestyle) less expensive than Ilford and it is very, very nice paper.

[jordanstarr]

www.kmcamera.com also has Adox. It's pricey stuff, but I liked it a bit better than ilford when I was in NYC and printing. Not as white of a base as Ilford, so the grain hides a little better. Richer blacks and easier to print highlights were a couple of the things I liked about it.