Wanting to try ADOX MCC 110 - any advice?

[m00dawg]

I see ADOX MCP 310 is now available (their resin papers) but I've been thinking of perhaps trying out their fiber papers - MCC 110 or 112. The trouble is they seem to be a bit harder to come by. I can special order a box of 5x7 and 8x10 but only in 100 sheet counts which hits the pocketbook a bit hard given I haven't used fiber papers before and haven't used any ADOX paper. Their RC papers are available on Freestyle and are much cheaper than the fiber but I figured it might be time to give fiber a try.

Anyone have any thoughts on the MCC paper? I tried searching around here and other places to get an idea and couldn't really find a whole lot of info there. I currently use Ilford RC papers (neutral and cooltone) and definitely like them - I just thought I'd try a different brand to see how things went (and also try out fiber).

Just kinda torn on spending that much on the paper. I certainly can buy a box of 5x7 first but 8x10 was a bit more convenient to cut up for doing contact prints for initial paper testing. I'm looking for a neutral paper generally.

Any ideas?

[Robert Opheim]

I have been enlarging on the ADOX MCC 110 paper in 8x10, 11x14, and 16x20 sizes. A great paper much like Agfa Brovira was. I only print on fiber.

[koraks]

I've gone through a few boxes of MCC110 in 5x7 and 8x10. It's a straightforward, dependable paper that just works regardless of what developer I've thrown at it. It doesn't shift color much in selenium toner, although like with any paper, any green cast is neutralized. However, the paper gives fairly neutral tones even without selenium toner. Everyone has their own preferences, but I'd say it's unlikely you'd be dissatisfied with the purchase of a box of this paper. It just works, and very well at that.

[Andrew Tymon]

Have you used fibre before? There is certainly a difference in the look between fibre and R.c. paper and processing is different too but well worth trying. Freestyle say their small packs of Mcc110 are out of stock until may 24th. https://www.freestylephoto.biz/15657...-Sheets-Glossy

[m00dawg]

Thanks all! Good info! Andrew, I haven't used fiber before no. Which was one thing that gave me pause for buying 100 sheet boxes. Freestyle has the RC papers in stock but not many (any?) of the fibers. B&H is the opposite weirdly, but requires a 7-14 day special order (and even then I can only get 100 count boxes). I could wait for Freestyle but May 24th is over a month away and I'm hoping to some new photos I'd like to print with before then.

That's sorta what I'm trying to balance - investing big into fiber with these 100 count boxes or doing something else such as buying their RC papers perhaps, or trying Ilfords various fiber papers, etc. and perhaps get smaller count boxes (25 and 50) to avoid a big initial investment.

I'm certainly leaning towards just getting the Adox fiber paper. Their newly re-released CHS ii is a beautiful film so that plus the opinions in this thread, give me some confidence it will be a great paper to use. I know Ilford papers are good and dependable but I just wanted to see what paper was like from a smaller company like Adox. I thought about Bergger too but I'm holding off just because Pancro 400 has been such a tough film for me to figure out.

[Sal Santamaura]

...B&H is the opposite weirdly, but requires a 7-14 day special order (and even then I can only get 100 count boxes)...

B&H puts up that generic "7-14 days" but gets all its Adox from Freestyle, so it would likely be 7-14 days after Freestyle receives its shipment that your paper reached B&H. Order from Freestyle or Fotoimpex.

[William Whitaker]

https://www.alanrossphotography.com/...-110-fb-paper/

[m00dawg]

Hmm good point about BH. I previous had gone to Fotoimpex to see about getting CHS and found shipping was crazy so I had written it off. Turns out though that ordering paper from there is about the same price with shipping and the shipping prices don't seem to increase when I add more stuff which is great since I want to buy another box of CHS anyway.

Thanks for that link William! I've read that and it was a good sign but didn't really give me any visual queues to know how those tests might translate to prints. Does seem to show, if I'm reading his graph right, that the paper does indeed have some nice dynamic range to it.

[Larry Gebhardt]

His graph shows that the paper will print at about the same contrast as Ilford MultiGrade without a filter. Using full magenta filtration (removing green and leaving blue light) it isn't quite as hard as MG and with full yellow (removing blue and leaving green) it is much softer than MG. So if you have very contrasty negatives that you can't print on MG even at the lowest grade it might work better for you, but at the other extreme for very soft negatives it will not get as contrasty. His chart doesn't show the curve shape at the extremes which is worth knowing as there are some weird contrast behaviors with some papers at the extremes (all blue or green light). While interesting it's likely not a deciding factor since you'll print using the middle grades because you of course develop and expose correctly

[m00dawg]

... it's likely not a deciding factor since you'll print using the middle grades because you of course develop and expose correctly

Correct! =) For the most part I print around a #2-3 with Ilford papers. I've been rocking the Aristo D2 HO cold light and it brings the contrast I get much more in line with the Beseller 67 I was used to using but if I really wanted to print a flat negative I could toss my condensers back in to try and get more contrast perhaps.