Agfa Structurix D3

D3 sits one step up the Structurix ladder from D2, still in the ultra-fine-grain class, still designed for the most demanding industrial radiography work. It is one of four Agfa types that carry BAM certification, the German Federal Institute for Materials Research seal that aerospace and pressure-vessel inspectors look for on the box. Film, G135 developer, and G335 fixer have been tested together as a system. Waygate keeps the formulation in production today.

What you get is the same blue-tinted polyester base as D2 with an emulsion tuned a hair grainier, though grain here is relative because both stocks resolve at levels pictorial B&W films do not approach. The brief lists D3 at ISO 25 for visible light, slightly slower than D2 because Agfa's white-light speeds across the D-series are non-linear; some forum reports rate D3 closer to 50 in Rodinal. Test before you commit.

The stock is double-coated like the rest of the D-series, no antihalation backing. Agfa does sell a dedicated single-coated variant tagged D3 s.c. for applications that need the thinner profile. Point sources of visible light in frame will halate badly, which matters for pinhole or sheet work with windows, lamps, or sky. The ortho-leaning sensitivity means red passes through dark, so you can develop under red safelight. Compared with Ilford Ortho Plus, an actual ISO 80 pictorial ortho, the D3 negative is sharper, contrastier, and less forgiving of metering errors.

Developer notes: Rodinal at 1:100 stand for 45 minutes gives a compensating effect that pulls highlights back without destroying shadow. D-76 1:1 at times for similar-speed pictorial films gets you close. Avoid X-ray developers like G135 unless you have a tray and ventilation; they are fast, aggressive, and not built for tonality.

Format is sheet only, in the usual metric NDT sizes through 35x43cm. Buy from an industrial supplier, not a camera shop.

Reciprocity exponent is 1.31. Zone Light Meter applies the correction past one second. A metered 30-second exposure becomes about 90 seconds at the negative. For ISO 25 work at small apertures, you will be in that math constantly. Plan tripod time accordingly.