Classic Film Review Blog – Efke 25

I was starting to worry that I wouldn’t be able to complete this trinity of the original Efke films. Still, a fellow film photographer came through and sent me not one, not four, but a brick of ten rolls of Efke 25, and not just in 35mm, but in 120, that’s right, we’re doing the final review in the Efke trilogy with Efke R25. Efke 25 is the slowest and hardest to handle of all the Efke films, rated nominally at ASA-25. It is based on the original line of films first released by Adox in the 1950s. This is a single-pass emulsion with high silver content, known for fine grain and incredible sharpness, and it’s great for all types of photography but shines as a portrait film.

Film Specs
Manufacturer: Fotokemika
Name: Efke 25
Type: Panchromatic B&W
Film Base: Acetate
Film Speed: ASA-25 +/- 1-Stop
Formats Available: 35mm (KB25), 120 (R25), Sheets (PL25)
Discontinued: 2012

Roll 01 – Flic Film Classic MQ
Kicking it off with a less-than-ideal day: it wasn’t a bright, sunny day, but it was bright and overcast. For this first roll, I went ahead and shot it at box speed (ASA-25), then decided to show off exactly how sharp R25 is by using a 1+3 dilution of Classic MQ (D-76 Clone), which removes all solvent action from the developer. The negatives came out a little thin, but still had good density and details, and scanned dark. Thankfully, there was enough information to play with, and I could pull out all fifteen frames. Another thirty seconds in the developer or a slight over exposure, maybe rating the film at ASA-20 would have cleared this up. But in the end, I ended up with some excellent negatives. I was worried about an increase in visible grain, but that was soon cleared up. The grain was still rather fine, and the overall sharpness was excellent. The high contrast is probably from the conditions outside. I should have used a spot meter to get a more controlled exposure. I’ll have to revisit this combination later in the year!

Roll 02 – Kodak HC-110
I’ll admit, these aren’t the best results I’ve gotten with Efke 25, and that’s due to some confusion about this combination. The times listed online don’t really match what I’ve come to expect from a slow film and a fast-working developer. Especially when the listed time for 25 with a 1+31 dilution is six minutes, but the same time is listed for the film rated at 100 in a 1+63 dilution. I ended up going with a straight six-minute time with 1+63 rated at 25 and done at slow constant rotation. These are undercooked; they’re not too bad, but they could be much better. The contrast is high, the tonal range compressed, but you do, in some situations, have brilliant images with excellent grain structure and sharpness, while still showing off that classic grain. The one thing it highlights is the film’s limited latitude. These can be improved and are worth another shot with a different calculation.

Roll 03 – Rodinal
I wasn’t counting on any good results from this roll, and that’s only because my first experience with Efke 25 in sheet film (PL25) came with a warning from Joan, ” Don’t develop it in Rodinal. Well, after seeing the good results I got with Efke R50, I knew I wouldn’t have to worry. And you know, I was surprised at my results. These ended up being excellent. Now I did go with the weaker 1+50 dilution, which would increase edge sharpness. And you know, there was a slight increase in the edge sharpness, but the images have almost no visible grain. The contrast is a little bumped up, but I was also shooting under hard light, although not directly overhead. I’m pleased with these results, and I recommend this combination.

Roll 04 – ZoneImaging 510-Pyro
Having already used this combination in the past, I wanted to see what 510-Pyro can do with Efke 25 in medium format. Now the listed times say to expose the film at ASA-16, which isn’t a problem on some of my 35mm cameras, but with my ReveniLabs Spot Meter, I couldn’t set it to ASA-16, so instead I went with a guessed time and exposed the roll at ASA-25. Now, to add to some trouble, I was also exposing the film in a bit of a haze of wildfire smoke and using a tripod. But I ended up with some excellent images all the same. The contrast is strong, deep and rich. You get strong blacks and clean whites. There aren’t a lot of shades between them. But you also get a super fine grain while maintaining an incredibly sharp image. The biggest problem is the wide difference between the shadows and the highlights, and I was using the meter in averaging mode (I find it works best in this mode). I also think an extra 30 seconds in the developer would help, and I plan on testing that out later this year. Despite this, I like this combination, and it shows off the old-school flavour of Efke 25.

Final Thoughts
Like all other classic Efke and Adox films, you do have to handle Efke 25 carefully. If you develop at home, use straight water for your stop bath; any acid stop bath will damage the emulsion. Also, a hardening fixer is recommended, but most rapid fixers have that option, so you’ll be fine there. And when the negatives are first out of the tank, handle them with care, as you still risk scratching them, even after they’re dry. This is especially true of Efke 25. Of all these emulsions, Efke 25 is the one I used the least, mostly because I always found it hard to handle, especially at the start of my photography journey. More Here. You can read the rest of the Efke reviews here: Efke 100 and Efke 50.

Further Reading
Don’t just take my word for it on the Efke 25; check out reviews from other awesome camera reviewers!
Emulsive – Film Stock Review: Efke KB25
Julian Tanase – Efke 25: The Long Gone Silver Film
Matt Loves Cameras – High Silver Content 35mm B&W Film – Efke 25 Review
The Naked Photographer – Efke 25