{"id":8595,"date":"2025-12-04T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/?p=8595"},"modified":"2025-09-23T06:47:06","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T10:47:06","slug":"extreme-film-review-no-1-fujifilm-neopan-acros-100-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/2025\/12\/04\/extreme-film-review-no-1-fujifilm-neopan-acros-100-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Extreme Film Review No. 1 &#8211; Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II, a reborn version of the classic Fujifilm Acros 100. A film with a near cult-like following and one that is known best for having a low reciprocity failure. But when it comes to latitude, it is often seen as narrow. Even when pushed in processing, it can often result in dark, under-exposed, and under-developed images. So, it makes for the perfect film to kick off a new series of reviews to see how Diafine handles this legendary film.<\/p>\n<p><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54774862687\/in\/album-72177720328916872\" title=\"Extreme Film Review No.01 - Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54774862687_e11b3dcf4c_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" alt=\"Extreme Film Review No.01 - Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II\"\/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Film Specs<\/strong><br \/>\nManufacturer: Fujifilm<br \/>\nName: Neopan Acros 100 II<br \/>\nType: Panchromatic B&#038;W<br \/>\nFilm Base: Acetate<br \/>\nFilm Speed: ASA-100<br \/>\nFormats Available: 135 (35mm), 120.<\/p>\n<p>For this review, I&#8217;ll be using the film&#8217;s box speed of ASA-100 as the base EI, then shooting two stops over to ASA-50 and ASA-25 accordingly and then two stops under ASA-200 and ASA-400. The Massive Dev Chart has two entries for Acros II and Diafine, the first is 4.5 + 4.5 at 20\u00b0C for ASA-100, and 5+5 at 22\u00b0C for ASA-200. In this case, I decided to split the difference and went with the 5+5 times, keeping the temperature around 20\u00b0C. The reason is that I wanted to give the film the best possible chance at success. I shot the film through my Nikon F5 with the 28mm f\/2.8 lens with the aperture set to f\/11 and no filters attached. In the example images, they&#8217;ll be shown -2, -1, 0, +1, +2 from left to right. All adjustments were done using the EV controls. The camera was mounted on a tripod, and the shutter tripped using a remote trigger.<\/p>\n<p><figure style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54806841244\/in\/album-72177720328916872\" title=\"Extreme Film Review No.01 - Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54806841244_a9f97002dd_h.jpg\" width=\"1600\" height=\"185\" alt=\"Extreme Film Review No.01 - Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>Nikon F5 &#8211; AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 &#8211; Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II @ ASA-100 (+\/- 2-Stops) &#8211; Diafine (Stock) 5:00 + 5:00 @ 20C<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54806595851\/in\/album-72177720328916872\" title=\"Extreme Film Review No.01 - Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54806595851_5c961eae02_h.jpg\" width=\"1600\" height=\"188\" alt=\"Extreme Film Review No.01 - Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>Nikon F5 &#8211; AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 &#8211; Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II @ ASA-100 (+\/- 2-Stops) &#8211; Diafine (Stock) 5:00 + 5:00 @ 20C<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ll admit that when I first decided to put Acros II through its paces, I didn&#8217;t have high hopes for the results. As mentioned in the opening paragraph, Acros II is not widely known for its ability to go beyond one-stop in either direction. Additionally, I did fudge the development slightly, trying to lean into the power of Diafine as much as I could. So when I pulled the roll out from the tank, I was plenty surprised to see that all five frames looked good, nothing too thin, nothing too thick. Everything appeared to be usable and within my personal tolerances for a good roll of film. And that&#8217;s what is so interesting about this one: how consistent the five frames were across the range.<\/p>\n<p><figure style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54806932160\/in\/album-72177720328916872\" title=\"Extreme Film Review No.01 - Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54806932160_fddd5a90f1_h.jpg\" width=\"1600\" height=\"185\" alt=\"Extreme Film Review No.01 - Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>Nikon F5 &#8211; AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 &#8211; Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II @ ASA-100 (+\/- 2-Stops) &#8211; Diafine (Stock) 5:00 + 5:00 @ 20C<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54805750217\/in\/album-72177720328916872\" title=\"Extreme Film Review No.01 - Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54805750217_dc94609d5e_h.jpg\" width=\"1600\" height=\"187\" alt=\"Extreme Film Review No.01 - Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>Nikon F5 &#8211; AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 &#8211; Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II @ ASA-100 (+\/- 2-Stops) &#8211; Diafine (Stock) 5:00 + 5:00 @ 20C<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<p>Despite appearing consistent across all five frames, once I started scanning the images, I began to notice some differences between them, mainly at the extreme edges, particularly when the exposure was in the +\/- 2-stop territory. At the extreme, you are losing your shadow detail at -2, and your highlights are blocked up at +2. This isn&#8217;t surprising at all, but to be honest, all is not lost. In some frames, the images with some work could be recovered. You are getting the best results within +\/- 1 stop of the box speed, but there are still some significant differences between them. Even at this point, with a light touch in post-processing, you can easily bring back the results. But in all cases, you aren&#8217;t gaining any visible grain and maintaining Acros II&#8217;s excellent sharpness. The contrast also remains on point with only slight increases and decreases depending on your direction.<\/p>\n<p><figure style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54806841199\/in\/album-72177720328916872\" title=\"Extreme Film Review No.01 - Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54806841199_c38f22073d_h.jpg\" width=\"1600\" height=\"189\" alt=\"Extreme Film Review No.01 - Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>Nikon F5 &#8211; AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 &#8211; Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II @ ASA-100 (+\/- 2-Stops) &#8211; Diafine (Stock) 5:00 + 5:00 @ 20C<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/54806595806\/in\/album-72177720328916872\" title=\"Extreme Film Review No.01 - Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54806595806_325f9b6fa4_h.jpg\" width=\"1600\" height=\"185\" alt=\"Extreme Film Review No.01 - Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>Nikon F5 &#8211; AF Nikkor 28mm 1:2.8 &#8211; Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II @ ASA-100 (+\/- 2-Stops) &#8211; Diafine (Stock) 5:00 + 5:00 @ 20C<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<p>While Acros II does perform best within a smaller latitude, I would go beyond 1 to 1 2\/3rd stops from box speed without adjusting your developing times. While you might be able to get away with no compension within this range, once you&#8217;re working outside of those and with any standard developer you will want to start adjusting your development time to compensate. While outside of the range of this test, I think you might be able to get one extra stop on either side with this Diafine combination. This test suggests that Acros II may have a better latitude than I expected, which can be exploited by the right developer, in this case, Diafine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II, a reborn version of the classic Fujifilm Acros 100. A film with a near cult-like following and one that is known best for having a low reciprocity failure. But when it comes to latitude, it is often seen as narrow. Even when pushed in processing, it can often result in dark, under-exposed, and under-developed images. So, it makes for the perfect film to kick off a new series of reviews to see how Diafine handles this legendary film. Film Specs Manufacturer: Fujifilm Name: Neopan Acros 100 II Type: Panchromatic B&#038;W Film Base: Acetate Film Speed: ASA-100 Formats Available: 135 (35mm),<a class=\"more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/2025\/12\/04\/extreme-film-review-no-1-fujifilm-neopan-acros-100-ii\/\"><span>Read More &rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[22,1707,2007,74,248,82,20,29,75,118],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8595"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8595"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8595\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8959,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8595\/revisions\/8959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}