This Film Friday brings us into the Rollei films with Rollei RPX 400. Rollei RPX 400 is a great example of why you should make a point to break out of film habits from time to time and try other films. Ask a fellow photographer which black and white film you should try and odds are you will hear: “Tri-X", “HP5” or maybe even “TMax” or “Delta 400”. And these films get recommended for good reason. Some photographers live their whole lives on Tri-X or HP5. Many of our staff have diets comprised of a single emulsion or two. When we were preparing to feature RPX for this Friday, one of our own staff (who is an FP4 and Fuji Acros guy) asked, “Why would I shoot that? I like FP4 just fine.” And that gets to the point we want to make with this Friday’s feature: films like Tri-X, HP5, Acros and FP4 are fine films and if you never shot anything else, you’d probably be perfectly happy not knowing what you are missing, but there is quite a variety among black and white films and some films offer a different feeling, look, or texture to the images that can really outshine these other emulsions in certain circumstances.

The history of Rollei RPX 400 is a bit murky. The film is made or finished by Ilford, and the Rollei name is licensed to brand it. We have seen claims that the film is based upon the old Agfa APX emulsion and this seems to hold up, as RPX 400 does have a look very similar to what we remember from APX back in the day. Rollei RPX is a softer contrast film that produces a wonderful stretch of tonality throughout the image, all the while built from a traditional-looking grain structure. We first got turned onto this film a couple summers ago when one of our staff had to photograph an outdoor, summer wedding in direct, harsh light. At the time they were a big Tri-X fan (and still are) but due to Tri-X’s tendency to block up shadows a bit and be a little on the contrasty side, he decided to experiment with a roll or two of the RPX 400. The results turned out wonderfully as the film’s softer tonal scale handled the harsh contrast of that summer sun quite well. Since then he has been an RPX convert and uses whenever he knows he’s heading into harsh light.

Rollei RPX 400 should be thought of as a “softer” film, largely because of its flatter contrast, but that softness can suit portraiture quite well when the image isn’t about drama or harshness. Image made with a Hasselblad 500C.

Rollei RPX 400 with a red 25 filter to give it a bit more punch in its contrast. Image made with a Hasselblad 500C.

Other than using it for dealing with harsh light, RPX’s lower contrast and nicer tonality is worth enjoying on its own. There has been a trend in the past few years with higher contrast and more dramatic b&w films such as TMax 3200, JCH Streetpan and the pushing of films to be even more impactful, so it is nice to enjoy the more subtle, tonal films like RPX, Bergger, BWXX and the like. While we like our highlights and shadows as much as the next photographer, there is a lot to say about an extended range of grays in an image.

If it’s extended tonality and softer contrast is RPX’s biggest selling point, the other quality photographers will be curious to know about is its grain. To be honest, we don’t pay a lot of attention to grain in our b&w images, figuring the grain will be whatever the grain will be. But we also really like film grain and have gotten used to seeing it in our images all the time. We would put RPX’s grain in a similar camp as that of Tri-X or HP5. It seems to be similarly grainy with a traditional look that matches these other films. You will definitely notice the grain on 35mm but it is also easily visible even on medium format. If your scene has a lot of space free of texture, like a sky, the grain really stands out. But again, this doesn’t bother us at all since one of the reasons we like film so much is its grain.

Rollei RPX handles long exposures well. Note the visible grain in the sky and ocean surf. RPX 400 should not be considered a fine grained film, but at the same time its grain has a nice, classic look. Image made with a Hasselblad 500C.

Even in 35mm, Rollei RPX 400 has a nice grain that is very traditional in its look. Image made with a Yashica T4.

Perhaps a good way to sum this up and compare this film against a more popular, well-known emulsion such as Tri-X would be to say; if you like the grit and texture of Tri-X (or HP5) but want a more extended tonality or softer contrast to your image then RPX 400 makes an excellent choice.

What we like:

It’s lovely tonality and softer contrast. It’s such a good film for helping control harsh light.
A classic grain that is similar in feel to other historic films like Tri-X and HP5
It’s available in 135 and 120 formats. Hooray!
While this review focuses on the RPx 400, there are also a 100 and 25 ISO versions. We’ll give those films their own Film Friday.
We didn’t talk about this because we have little experience doing so, but the film apparently pushes quite well up to 800 and even 1600 without the shadows blocking up or the highlights going too dense.

So there you go! Maybe you knew of RPX 400 already, but odds are you didn’t. Like us, maybe you were focused on the familiar, ever-present options from Kodak or Ilford. So we hope this feature piques your curiosity a bit. If so, here’s a link to the film on our website for you to try out a roll or three.

What are Film Fridays? Read more here.

Rollei RPX 400 is a great “go-to” film when shooting in direct sunlight or other harsh light. It manages the contrast of such light well. Image made with a Nikon FM2n.

The lower contrast of Rollei RPX 400 means rich tonality and a great range of grays. Use it in already soft light and you get an amazing tonal scale. Image made with a Hasselblad 500C.

Yes, as demonstrated with two images now, we like Rollei RPX 400 well enough to shoot a wedding with it… especially if they are summer weddings, outdoors and in full sun. Image made with a Hasselblad 500C.

Film Friday - September 13th, 2024. Rollei RPX 400