AgfaPhoto APX 400 (35mm) Review & Photos

AgfaPhoto APX 400 is a budget black-and-white film rated at ISO 400, with relatively fine grain. It sits in the same low-to-mid contrast class as films like Kentmere 400 (plot spoiler: it maybe IS Kentmere 400 but we will discuss this later). It has a good tonal range, but the shadows tend toward softness and can be prone to detail loss. This stock can be a little flat under subdued light; if you are after punchy contrast, this is not the film for you. It can be reliably pushed up to two stops (at 1600 ISO), which will provide you with a little more contrast if that’s your preference.

For the price, it’s a versatile and affordable film that is perfect for beginners and casual photographers.

 “AgfaPhoto APX 400 is a fast speed black and white photo camera Film suitable for a wide range of indoor and outdoor applications in photography. Being rated at ISO 400, APX
400 is particularly suitable for action photography and available light situations.”

AgfaPhoto

Key Features Of Fomapan Action 400

Pros

• Very affordable, easy to source in many places (even at 8am in the suburbs of Warsaw, Poland!)
• Flexible enough to handle everyday shooting reliably.
• It can be pushed two stops (to ISO 1600).
• Smooth tonal transitions in midtones

Cons

• Grain is quite visible, especially in shadows or underexposed frames
• Low contrast, resulting in low-contrast images in overcast conditions or indoors
• Highlights are prone to blowing out, resulting in a loss of detail if they are overexposed

A brief history of Agfa – From Photographic producer powerhouse, to sublicensed brand name

Agfa has a long history in the photographic world, beginning as a Berlin-based dye manufacturer in 1867. By 1887, their chemists were experimenting with photographic chemistry, launching Rodinal (one of the first commercial photographic developers) in 1888. Some other early milestones for the company were the introduction of less flammable “security” cine film. In the early 1900s they were rapidly expanding, opening the huge Agfa Wolfen plant to keep up with production. During World War I, they pivoted to support the war effort by manufacturing x-ray films, aerial films, and cine films for soldiers, as well as gas mask filters.

They began manufacturing cameras in the 1920s, including the successful Billy series, and later the Agfa Box (which took 6×9cm roll film). With the introduction of the revolutionary Agfacolor film in the 1940s, they quickly became a global leader in film and imaging technologies. They continued to be a major film and camera producer well into the 1980s.

By the mid-1990s, Agfa had shifted focus to digital, in the form of Agfa ePhoto digital cameras and Agfascan scanners. Support for these digital products ended in 2001, marking their relatively short-lived existence. By 2004 film production had ended, and by 2005 the company filed for bankruptcy.

Nowadays, Agfa still exists primarily by lending its brand name to various products via licence. Under the Agfa-Gevaert name, the company still makes industrial-grade films for the medical, semiconductor, and printing industries. Interestingly, in 2010 new versions of APX 100 and APX 400 were released. These were revised in 2013, labelled as a “new emulsion”.

More about AgfaPhoto APX 400

The original Agfapan APX 400 was a classic Agfa emulsion used before the digital era. The “old-stock” APX 400 is not the same emulsion you see today or the one I shot for this review. The modern AgfaPhoto APX 400 (sometimes called “APX 400 New”) is a modern emulsion. After Agfa’s consumer imaging division went bankrupt in 2005, the rights to use the AgfaPhoto name were sublicensed.

Many in the film community believe that the current APX 400 is manufactured (or coated) by Harman/Ilford under contract and that its performance is very close to that of Kentmere 400.

Testing Out The Roll: Frollicking with chubby seal pups on the beach

In winter 2023, I loaded this roll and headed off to Lincolnshire. December is grey seal pupping season at Donna Nook, and i gleefully visit every year to behold the wonder of hundreds of fat, fluffy sea puppies rolling about on the grassy dunes. It was my first attempt photographing seals on film, and I was excited for the challenge!

Seals come onshore to rest, give them space to relax and enjoy them from afar. Never get closer than 10m, further away is even better. As cute as they are, they are wild animals and will bite if touched. All these photos were taken with telephoto lenses, at a respectful distance and causing no disturbance.

I used my Zenit-E with two of my grandad’s older lenses: a Prinzgalazy 135 mm f/2.8 and a Prinzgalazy 300 mm f/5.5. Unfortunately, the 300 mm lens had some haze and fogging due to previous fungus damage, even after I dismantled and cleaned it. Both lenses bear “Made in Japan” markings, though exactly what these are is a bit of a mystery. For context, Prinzgalaxy was a UK rebrand of Soviet and Japanese lenses sold by the now-defunct department store Dixons. As with the camera, it is likely these are also from the 1970s.

I metered the photos for ground-level light; one advantage of the overcast skies and flat light was that I could keep my camera settings consistent throughout the entire day.

I developed the film myself at home in Xtol 1+3, at 20°C, for 18.30 minutes using an inversion agitation method.

My impressions after shooting a roll of AgfaPhoto APX 400

Let’s address the elephant in the room: what is this film that lurks inside this Agfa-branded canister? I wholly agree with the whispers online that this stock is essentially the same as Kentmere 400, in terms of the look and performance. Even the development times align closely! The flat, low-contrast look with slightly muddy shadows feels familiar to anyone who shoots Kentmere 400 regularly.

That said, I was reasonably pleased with the roll overall. I tend to prefer a little more contrast in my film, and certainly the overcast winter skies during my shoot did not make things any punchier.

Example Photos I Have Taken on AgfaPhoto APX 400

And now, to the photos! I shot this roll of film in the summer of 2023, during my winter trip to Donn Nook in Lincolnshire. Enjoy!