Has anyone tried using Agfa Scala B & W transparency film with their Leica gear? I tried it recently and was delighted with the results - the shades of grey were subtle and pleasing, and the definition was of the highest order. Although its speed is designated as 200, it can be pulled to 100 or pushed to 800.

-- Paul Hart (paulhart@blueyonder.co.uk), April 25, 2002

Answers

I used Scala when it first appeared but gave up on it quickly due to the cost and inconvenience getting it processed. The only need I could see for a b&w transparency is projection. For print-making I'd shoot b&w or chromogenic neg to begin with; for publication where the tranny gets scanned, conversion of any E6 to b&w is a snap.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), April 25, 2002.

Hi Paul-

Check out This Link for a previous discussion about the dr5 reversal process.

-- jeff (debontekou@yahoo.com), April 25, 2002.

Paul - how close/fast is Scala processing in the UK?

Here in Denver the closest lab doing it was in L.A. (about the same as London-to-Rome) and it took 2 weeks turnaround. I quit.

Does look nice, though....

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), April 25, 2002.

scala trannies look great but I find a bugger to scan and print from on an epson any body else got experience of it?

-- Frank Smith (frankies531@aol.com), April 25, 2002.

Andy,

Turnaround in the UK seems to be about a week - not as quick as the lab I use for color trannies (Colab) who seem to do them by return, but tolerable.

-- Paul Hart (paulhart@blueyonder.co.uk), April 25, 2002.

I love scala . It works very well with ANY SUBJECT matter and can be pushed 4 stops with no problem. It produces a look that you will never achieve with print film. Don't get me wrong, I really like Fuji acros and Tri-x but scala is my favorite of all time. I get great results scanning it on my Minolta Dimage scan II in both 35mm and medium format. I print it on my Epson 1270 with very little manipulation in photoshop. It costs about 14.00 $ per roll for the film and processing in scala lab in miami- B+H and Adorama have the best prices as usual.

-- stuart babcock (stubab@camcomp.com), April 25, 2002.

In London, you can get 2-3 hr processing similar to E6. The Shop that processes is named Joe's Basement. I often begin and end my European trips in London and do my processing there.

http://www.joesbasement.co.uk/Pages/e6scala.html

But I never have my slides mounted there, too expensive. I bring a bulk film canister and roll up all my unmounted film into it to me mounted at home. (Be sure to tell them not to cut the film into strips,which is their norm for unmounted slides.)

-- Jim Lennon (jim@jmlennon.com), April 27, 2002.