Back in 2018, one year after starting Fuji X Weekly, I published my Agfa Scala Film Simulation Recipe, which was intended for X-Trans III cameras (like the X100F that I was using back then). It was the 15th Fujifilm Recipe published on this website, and the third black-and-white. It’s been a long-time personal favorite; however, I never updated it for the newer cameras. Earlier this year, I decided that this Recipe was long overdue for a refresh, so I set out to make a new iteration. I started from scratch, trying many different adjustments, but ultimately came back to those 2018 settings, with only minor changes.
Agfa introduced Scala 200 in 1992 (renamed Scala 200x shortly thereafter). It was the only commercially available black-and-white slide film ever made (although you could make slides from any B&W film, if you wanted to). It used a proprietary development process known as AP-44. I didn’t shoot much Scala personally, only a few rolls. What was great about it is that you had a finished photo straight from the lab. With black-and-white negative film, the darkroom printing process played a major role in the finished picture; Agfa Scala removed that requirement. Obviously, the intention was that you’d project the pictures onto a screen, which we don’t do anymore (most film you see today are scans). In 2005, Agfa discontinued Scala, as well as the chemicals for the AP-44 development process. The last roll of Scala that I shot couldn’t be developed, unfortunately. Adox introduced a new Scala slide film, called Scala 50, in 2019; however, it’s a different emulsion with a different development process. Interestingly, the old Agfa Scala 200x could be processed in the new chemistry, but with slightly different results.
Scala was known for deep blacks and glowing highlights. It had a much smaller dynamic range than black-and-white negative film. Like color slides, you really had to nail the exposure, as there was very little leeway for underexposure or overexposure. If you got it right, the results were great; if not, there wasn’t much forgiveness. The film was extremely fine-grained for being ISO 200—it was sharp and looked beautiful when projected. This Agfa Scala Recipe mimics the film pretty well. The camera’s histogram can be very helpful to prevent overexposure. This Recipe is compatible with most fourth-generation and all fifth-generation cameras (as well as newer GFX models), which includes the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, X-T30 II, X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, X-T30 III, GFX100S, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF.
Film Simulation: Acros (including +Ye, +R, or +G)
Monochromatic Color (Toning): WC 0 & MG 0 (Off)
Dynamic Range: DR100
Grain Effect: Weak, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Off
Color Chrome FX Blue: Off
White Balance: Auto, 0 Red & 0 Blue
Highlight: +4
Shadow: 0
Sharpness: +1
High ISO NR: -4
Clarity: +2
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +1/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this Agfa Scala Film Simulation Recipe on a Fujifilm X-E5, X-T5 and GFX100RF:
Find this Film Simulation Recipe and over 400 more on the Fuji X Weekly App! Consider becoming a Patron subscriber to unlock the best App experience and to support Fuji X Weekly.
This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.
Fujifilm X-E5 in black:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Nuzira
Fujifilm X-E5 in silver:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Nuzira
Fujifilm X-T5 in black:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Nuzira
Fujifilm X-T5 in silver:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Nuzira
Fujifilm GFX100RF in black:
Amazon, B&H, Nuzira
Fujifilm GFX100RF in silver:
Amazon, B&H, Nuzira
Another winner! It would be helpful to know which of the filter options (+R, +Y, +G) you used on each sample photo. Definitely giving this one a try in my X-T5.
Thanks! They’re mostly +R. Truxton Gas Station, Apartment Row, and Church Steeple are +Ye, I believe. Arizona American and Flagstaff Station at Night are Acros (no filter). I don’t think any of these photos are +G.
Awesome Ritchie.
Welcome update and great photos for giving us a good taste of it 😋👌
Simple but very effective recipe that will go well along the Fragment B&W recipe made for the limited edition GFX100RF!
I like very much your Scala ❤️
I appreciate it very much 😀
I remember seeing a few Agfa b&w slide photos in books by Roger Hicks: I think the film he used was called Dia-Direct and as common at the time the ISO speed was lower than we would tend to want today. Would that have been another commercially-available film? I have never come across it anywhere except in Roger’s books. He and his wife Frances Schultz tended to share their time between Britain and the USA when not touring in Asia and Europe.
So, yes, Agfa Dia-Direct was a commercially available B&W slide film, but it wasn’t sold worldwide, only regionally in some parts of Europe (if I’m correct). I guess I meant worldwide. It was ISO 32, I believe. I think it was around in the 1960’s through 1980’s. I never used it myself. There were a couple of Kodak stocks that were also B&W slides (Plus-X Reversal, for example), but those were made for motion picture and not sold for stills, although I believe some people did roll them into 35mm canisters for still photography.
Interesting; thanks for the info, Ritchie. I like those Scala photos and they appeal to me as I still get a lot of enjoyment out of the discipline of film photography and having to expose carefully so it’s nice to carry it over to digital imitation as well!
You are welcome!
Respect!
Thanks!
Hi Ritchie,
I would like to correct your statement about the only B&W slide film. There was and still is (!) at least one more. A Czech company Foma produces their Fomapan R100 even those days. Look here: https://www.foma.cz/en/catalogue-fomapan-r-100-detail-273
I used couple of rolls close to the end of my film days and developed them myself. The process was quite easy and very interresting:
– first normal B&W development (though in dedicated contrasty developer agent, I guess others would work too)
– bleach in weak solution of sulfuric acid plus potassium permanaganate. This dissolved silver grains from the emlusion while retaining halides sensitive to light.
– take out the coil with the film from the developmen tank and exposure remaining halides on white light
– second B&W development (same agent)
– regular fixing bath
This is how I remember it but somewhere I should find detailed notes. Interresting thing was that raised amount of the permanganate probably caused slightly brownish toning of the slides in one of the batches.
As far as I know this could be done with regular BW films, perhaps it’s what you mentioned in the blog post but I never tried it. Note, clarity of the film substrate is more important than in regular film-paper process. Some films unfortunately used not absolutely clear material.
I definitely was not familiar with that film. I guess it’s actually a motion picture film (introduced in the 1990’s) that Foma adapted for still photography (off and an, apparently, beginning in the 2010’s), sold mostly in eastern and central Europe.
Hi Ritchie,
my message wasn’t to make you dumb. Oh no, perhaps it might look like that, then I apologize!
It’s definitely no surprise to me that you did not know an old material from eastern Europe. And also I definitely do not know much about history, pictorial qualities and other details as you do 🙂 One thing is for sure. The year 2010 was past of the point when I definitely did not shoot on films anymore. My guess is that last roll of Fomapan R I used in 2004 for a rare celestial event (that’s why I remember plus it rings in my ears now that I have to scan those slides) Though not sure about more historical events regarding this. Definitely it’s been a surprise to me that this material is still available, price isn’t bad and it’s raising a slight desire to check it once again 🙂
I have an old book called The Amphoto Book of Film that is absolutely invaluable, and I often refer to that. While it contains information on hundreds of emulsions, it doesn’t have everything. So I’m always happy to learn something new. Thank you for sharing the information!
Thank you for this awesome recipe. I immediately loaded it into the X-T5. This is a winner.
Awesome! Thanks for your kindness.
The sample pictures look great and the Weak-Small grain is calling to me, as I am not a fan of Strong (large or small). I did just try Kodak T-Max P3200 as one of my four on a trip (along with PRO Negative 160C, CineSill 800T, and BewareMyVelvia), but even changing the grain from Large to Small, I had a bunch that were too grainy for my tastes. I have a soft spot for Agfa (not that I shot any film), as my first digital camera was an Agfa point and shot (just before they got out of the digital camera business). The initial model got great reviews, but the newer model was a dog for anything but bright light. It did last a nephew, than a niece, than another nephew who got some great postage stamp size pictures from it, only because he knew no rules of photography, so he broke all rules of photography.
Thanks for the input! It’s definitely ok to “season-to-taste” any Recipe to make it work better for you, including setting Grain to Weak/Small.
I’ve been shooting a lot with a somewhat-similar recipe, for me inspired by what I’ve seen of Adox HR-50. Adox Scala is basically the same stock, but with traditional negative development.
Sim: Started Monochrome/R, but my v2 has become Acros.
Monochrome Color Cast: WC+1, MG0. I find a tiny bit of warm cast is pleasant, almost unnoticeable. It doesn’t feel like a Sepia, just a tad more like a “real” darkroom print, same as how having grain present makes it feel more filmic.
Grain: weak, small.
Color Chrome: both off
WB: Daylight, R-6, B-3. I think I’ve been inching this closer to 0/0, however.
DR 100
Highlights +4, Shadows +4. I’ve been into this harsh contrast. Great for long afternoon shadows across New England snow. I’ve also enjoyed over-exposing on grey, dull days.
NR -4
Sharp -1. No Clarity (I hate the slowdown, particularly since I usually exposure bracket). This is pretty different from the recipe, so it winds up being not quite as bitingly crisp as this Scala recipe. I’m not sure I had much of a reason for decreasing sharpness. Maybe I could say that with the contrast this high, tamping down the sharpness made sense to me, but that might be overthinking it.
I don’t have a default exposure compensation, I tend to bracket and I’ve got a pretty loose hand with sliding up and down. Also, in snowy New England winter, it’s just going to require different EV Comp values.
Thanks for sharing!
Back in the film days, I used to dip my B&W prints in a quick sepia bath. Not enough to make them sepia colored, but enough to give them a very subtle warmth, and the archival benefit of the chemistry. WC +1 gives a similar look.
Damn, that’s what I should have done too 😀
Full bleach and then sepia tone looks (and perhaps looked at that time) very weird.