Should you buy Agfa Precisa slide film and cross-process it?
Welcome to my review of Agfa’s 35mm film CT Precisa 100 and my adventures in cross-processing it.
How does it look in my photos? Since I cross-processed the film in the wrong chemicals I really wanted my film to come out with strange colours and greater contrast. Unfortunately I was successful.
Here’s a shot I cross-processed:
Can I mention the obvious? It’s very green, isn’t it? Is it always green? Even with subjects which aren’t green?
Very simply, yes, it’s always green unless there’s some red in which case the reds pop out. Even flesh tones look an odd alien green. It’s not a great look. It’s okay for fish, but maybe not for flesh. How does it cope with blues?
It copes with blues quite well. This is Cafe Central in Vienna. Here’s another Vienna shot which shows a similar eerie green cast:
So what’s the verdict on cross-processing Agfa CT Precisa 100? It’s great for fish and anything where everything is green. If you don’t like fish and slime, don’t go there.
I really wanted my cross-processed film to come out with strange colours and greater contrast. Unfortunately I was successful.
Who makes Agfa films? The answer might seem obvious, but it isn’t. Agfa Gavaert sold its consumer imaging division to a management buyout which promptly went bust. The brand Agfa is now licensed to other companies and although Agfa Precisa is marketed as Afga Precisa it’s not made in Germany, not made by Agfa and not the Precisa which used to be manufactured.
What does Agfa have to say about it?
“CT precisa keeps the promise in its name. Because its exact rendition of colour best shows what it can perform. Slides as impressive as the original. Picture perfect and razor sharp. With CT precisa 100 every slide-show is a special experience. Because this film reproduces your experiences and impressions with exceptional precision, just as they happened. Every colour stays natural and undistorted – sky blue, sunny yellow or brick red. Another advantage: extremely sharp outlines in all gradations of light and shade. Ideal for sunshine and cloudless sky. Pure radiant colours, extremely sharp and fine-grained. Precise rendition of detail in all areas of light and shade.”
How well does it capture colours? It’s equally sensitive to red, green and blue light and so is a very well balanced film.
Download the technical specification here: Agfa Photo – Technical Specification. (PDF)
Thanks for reading my review of Agfa’s 35mm film CT Precisa 100. Feel free to leave a comment with your experience of using it.