Macodirect

I recently used Rollei retro 400s and Rollei Ortho 25. I develped the retro in rodinal 1:50 as per Rollei times (I had a feeling they looked too long on the datasheet) and the negs were way too overdeveloped. I then cut back by 5 minutes and the times then were also too long. I wonder if they did adequate testing with Rodinal for this film? The initial 19 minutes seems awfully long. For a scene with a large disparity in zones, then be prepared for cooked skies.

I then souped one roll of Ortho 25 in Rodinal 1:50 for 6 minutes and they looked okay - however the highlights burnt out very quickly again. I then changed the dilution down to 1:100 and developed it for 17 minutes then 16 minutes (I cut this film in half). The latter one came out nicely.

So, forgetting their contentious marketing tactics for one second, I think a very important consideration that needs to be taken into account is how the film handles. I found both films very flimsy in loading onto my Jobo reels. Sometimes when I am processing a batch I cannot get my reels 100% dry before I load then next ones (I know I wouldn't have this problem with stainless steel reels - but I am comfortable with Jobo for 10 odd years). This Rollei film received a few pinch/buckle marks as it wouldn't load easily.

The only other film that I tend to have the same problem in this regard is Neopan 400 - it seems to have less density or is less robust than TRI-X or especially HP5. I NEVER have this problem with either of these two films, even with a little dampness they will load.

Another problem is that they curl up significantly, even when I had weights hanging off them to stretch them up. TRI-X, HP5 and Neopan never do this. It is really no contest in this regard.

So, I won't use the Rollei 400 films again for these three above reasons. If it handled well, was more robust and had more conclusive data surrounding it then I would consider using it again. However, the questionable sales tactics don't concern me - hey its a jungle out there in the competitive market environment. But usability does affect my next sales choice.

Having said that, I would be tempted to use the slower 25 Ortho film if I needed a slow ortho film.
 
retro said:
does macodirect ship to the usa?
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Not sure, don't see why they wouldn't, if they ship all the way to little old New Zealand then I'm sure they will ship to the US. You can sign up for an account on their website (note potential marketing emails warning above, however, although I haven't received any, not that Gmail would let it through), assemble an order, go to `checkout' as though you were going to buy it (but don't) and it'll show you the final order price with the shipping price.
 
I find them to be slow and unresponsive compared to B&H and Freestyle. I've used them twice, and both times my order got held up "in process" for weeks due to what I can only presume was out of stock items. When I say "presume", that is because I never got a reply back when I asked what the reason for the delay was (altogether 4 emails about my two orders). I tried different approaches:
- Ship what you have now, and backorder the rest (I was willing to pay for the extra shipping)
- Let me know what is out of stock, and if you have alternatives that I can order instead
- Asking for a refund on my last order, two weeks after paying and not having heard back from them.

Not a S-I-N-G-L-E response. I was in the process of doing a chargeback on my credit card, when I got an email with a notification that the items had shipped. That was a month after having made and paid for the order.

If you really have to order this in the EU, I recommend FotoImpex over Maco every day of the week. Not that they're the sharpest tool in the shed either, but at least they respond back - might take them 3-5 days, but I guess it is better than nothing.

I'm now using B&H and Freestyle exclusively. They might not stock every specialist item, but at least they're built for speed.
 
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