Recently, I’ve been interested in trying super high-resolution films—films that offer better resolution than the standard cubic or even T-grain types of film. Two such microfilms have caught my attention: Adox CMS 20 II and Agfa Copex Rapid. Not having any experience with either I decided to start my journey with the latter, as it appears to be a slightly less contrasty film with a higher ISO (the box speed is 50 ISO).
Looking online, I found its datasheet, which boasts a high resolution of 600 lines/mm. It also describes this film as panchromatic, suitable for document copying, and mentions it’s suited for X-ray imaging. A fun fact I read on a forum is that this film was used by the KGB to copy secret documents, though there’s no way to verify this.
After being undecided about buying this film for a few days, I finally decided to take the leap and ordered a couple of rolls online.
Upon receiving my rolls, I attached my Zeiss Otus 55mm lens to my Nikon FM2n, loaded the film, and went for a walk, taking advantage of the bright sunny day. This first roll was captured in Marseille, an ideal setting for low ISO film thanks to its 170 sunny days a year, making it one of the sunniest cities in France.
After taking the shots and getting back home, I had to choose my developer. I could have followed conventional wisdom and purchased a specialized microfilm developer, such as those branded by SPUR, but considering the cost, I decided to go another route. I opted for an unusual developer—the only one I had on hand: Dektol.
Dektol is typically used as a paper developer, but it appears to work well with film when diluted. For this first roll, I used Dektol diluted at a 1+12 ratio at 20°C for 9 minutes. I will try again with 1+29 for 20 mins, and compare the results.
To scan the negatives, I used my Plustek OpticFilm 8100. This scanner is decent for the price, with an effective resolution of around 3800dpi, which translates to about 19 megapixels worth of information. Using a better scanner like the Hasselblad Flextight x5 would probably reveal even more detail. However, I think my scans already show how detailed Copex Rapid is. I am pretty pleased with the results.
The next two pictures were shot in cities near Bordeaux.
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