AgfaCT Precisa 100

Agfa CT Precisa 100 (later AgfaPhoto CTprecisa 100) is an ISO 100 daylight color slide film for E-6 processing, introduced by Agfa in 1998 and discontinued [2]. It is not one film: the original Agfa emulsion is not the same as the last AgfaPhoto version, which several sources say was Fujifilm Provia 100F repackaged [2] [4]. The only manufacturer data we found is a 2007 AgfaPhoto range brochure [1].

Look and color

• Blues first. Carlos G. Photo describes “amazing and saturated colors, especially blues”, “vivid and deep” [3]. Kosmo Foto, on the original stock, stresses deep blues when the film is cross processed [2] [5], a use this page does not cover.
• Greens. The same reviewer finds them “more bleached than blues” and says they “lose vibrancy” [3].
• Warmth. James Cockroft finds “a nice warm character” that “goes a bit red/gold in early morning light” [4].
• Skin. Carlos G. Photo calls the palette “balanced and true to color” [3].
• The manufacturer’s words. Agfa is quoted by Kosmo Foto as describing the film as “more exact, more neutral, more differentiated” [2]. The 2007 brochure plots the spectral sensitivity but says nothing about hue [1].
• Which film was reviewed. Cockroft says his roll was “apparently repackaged Fuji Provia 100F Professional” [4]. Carlos G. Photo says the film was “currently manufactured by FujiFilm” [3]. Kosmo Foto’s sampler shows the original stock, cross processed [5]. The descriptions above therefore mix films, and the darktable style follows the original.

Tonality

• Curve. On the brochure’s graph, D-min is about 0.15 and the slope is about 1.7 in the midtones (densities 1 to 3), with a plateau near D 4. The three layer curves almost overlap, so no cast is visible in dense areas [1] (our reading of the graph).
• Contrast: the sources disagree. Cockroft finds the film “a bit contrasty” [4]. Carlos G. Photo says it “lacks in contrast”, yet the scan “retains a lot of information, even in the shadows” [3].
• Latitude. The brochure says AgfaPhoto films tolerate up to 5 stops of error, 2 under and 3 over, “depending on the film type” [1]. It gives no figure for this film alone, and Carlos G. Photo warns that a slide film needs more careful exposure than a negative [3].
• Exposure advice. For slide films the brochure recommends stopping down slightly when in doubt, which increases color saturation [1].

Grain and sharpness

• All values share the brochure’s reference: diffuse density 1.0 [1]. The brochure calls a smaller value finer grain, so on paper this is the coarsest film of the brochure.
• Grain: a contradiction. Reviewers speak of “minimum grain” [3] and grain that is “well-controlled” [4], despite the RMS of 10.0. Differences between the brochure’s film types, and between scanning and enlarging, may explain part of it, but no source settles the question.
• Sharpness. The brochure prints a transfer curve for the film, and we did not read numbers from it [1].

Spectral sensitivity

Each layer peaks at nearly the same level on the brochure’s plot, about 1.4 log: blue near 420 nm with a plateau from about 440 to 460 nm, green near 560 nm and red near 645 nm [1]. Blue and green cross near 497 nm and green and red near 587 nm, both well below the peaks. The plot comes from the 2007 AgfaPhoto brochure, so it describes that film and not necessarily the original Agfa emulsion or the later Provia-based version [1].

Names, status and history

• 1998: Agfa CT100 Precisa. Kosmo Foto dates the launch to 1998, after the CT100 slide films of the 1980s. The original carries the Agfa diamond logo [2].
• 2004 to 2005: the original ends. Kosmo Foto ties the end to the collapse of Agfa’s film business [2]. Wikipedia records that the operating company AgfaPhoto GmbH filed for insolvency on May 26, 2005 [6].
• 2006 onward: AgfaPhoto. Lupus Imaging & Media acquired the rights to sell newly developed film under the AgfaPhoto Vista brand [6]. Kosmo Foto reports that Ferrania then made Precisa under license until it closed in 2010, but we found no second source for this [2]. The 2007 brochure lists CTprecisa 100 in 135 with 36 exposures [1].
• Until about mid-2018: the repackaged film. Kosmo Foto reports a final version sold until mid-2018 that was rebadged Fuji Provia 100F [2]. Cockroft and Carlos G. Photo agree on the Fuji origin [3] [4]. Kosmo Foto says this version turns green when cross processed [2] [5].
• Now. We found no page from a manufacturer or a current retailer listing the film, and no official discontinuation notice. The status “discontinued, 2018” is reported by a single review site and needs checking.
• Names. The brochure writes “CTprecisa 100” [1]. Kosmo Foto writes “Agfa CT100 Precisa” and “AgfaPhoto CT100 Precisa” [2].

Also sold as

• AgfaPhoto CTprecisa 100 (name in the 2007 brochure) (confirmed) [1]
• Agfa CT100 Precisa (reported) [2]