Harman releases special effects color films

[Don_ih]

Look at it this way: a few years ago, most people didn't believe that their product tease could possibly be for colour film. There's no reason to think they won't "perfect" it relatively soon. It's film, not magic.

 

[Agulliver]

Of course Harman's ultimate aim of this entire colour film project is a "normal" C41 film. They've been telling us that all along...unless you believe they are liars...and it's not like they have any track record of lying!

Colour negative photo film is one of the most complex and difficult to manufacture produces ever to make it to a consumer market. Every step Harman is making is quite clearly towards the goal they have stated. The fact that they now have knowledge and confidence to do something like Azure Switch is a positive thing, whether one personally likes the product or not.

I really cannot fathom this attitude that they are lying about their aims, and that those of us who choose to support the endeavour by buying a few rolls of film are somehow idiots.

 

[thinkbrown]

And in the meantime it's not like they're making bad film. Unusual sure, but it's consistent and I've yet to see any sort of emulsion defect in any of it.

Besides all that - and I know I'm in the minority here - I genuinely really like Harman Phoenix. It's fun to shoot and I like the results from it a lot. I didn't buy it in bulk to support Harman, I bought it because I'll be sad in the future when I eventually can't shoot it anymore

 

[tezzasmall]

I've only shot b/w film for decades now, with occasional digital colour alongside on holidays. But with a great birthday present of the new Pentax 17 half-frame camera, I'll be buying some of the 35mm Azure to try out soon. I just love all the colours that this film produces of just about everything! It will be an interesting time when someone asks to see my recently taken holiday pictures.

Terry S
UK

 

[mshchem]

I'm glad to see Harman getting to work on these film. I think that a product like this "Switch" could be a long term special effects film. I'd like to see a Phoenix III-200 that's a masked vivid masked film. One that the labs out there could print easily.
Keep the special films, special editions etc.

Another topic, support Ilford brand b+w paper business. Hopefully this business can find new customers

 

[koraks]

Phoenix III-200 that's a masked vivid masked film

I expect whatever Phoenix version first comes with a mask will not necessarily be vivid, but rather fairly muted/desaturated.
A vivid/saturated CN film with wide latitude (like e.g. Ektar) would be very challenging to make. Harman might attempt it, but it would logically be further down the road from an initial conventional (masked) C41 color product.

 

[fdonadio]

I really like UN54 which is only normally available in 16/35mm, but lomography gets it custom finished in 120 which is great.

This is news to me. I have never tried UN54, but as an owner of a medium format camera, and also with my will to use it more often, I can really see value in that. But…

Why would it be wrong for Inoviscoat/ORWO/Filmotec/whatever to have a chance to improve their colour films?

I don’t think it’s wrong, much in the contrary. And I even have a couple rolls of ORWO color films I bought in a drugstore here in Berlin.

What I’m against is buying boutique brands and paying an unnecessary premium because of that. Like that $1,000 t-shirt that Supreme made in a “collab” with Luis Vuitton (or some other fancy brand I may be confusing it with).

It’s different from buying Arista from Freestyle, instead of buying Foma. Last time I checked, Foma availability in the US wasn’t really great, but Freestyle’s prices are really good, so why not?

Also, back on topic, I am not fond of these “special effects” films. If I want to get “creative” with colors, I am sure there’s a (certainly more pleasurable, at least for me) way to do it in the darkroom, by messing with filters and such. And, if the result is not achievable in the darkroom, it most probably is in digital post.

I am hoping Harman is really using these films as steps in their way to achieve a high-quality C41 film.

I also don’t care if they keep making these. If there’s a market for them and it makes them money, they should keep doing it.

 

[armadsen]

Lomography is, and it seems they will always be, a “boutique brand”. Think “the Supreme of film”.

It’s one of the reasons I don’t support them. I feel better giving my money to companies that design and coat their own material, like Kodak, Ilford and Foma.

Lomography is the only company in the world making 110 film, complete with new cartridges, traditionally pre-exposed frames, backing paper, etc. They're not making the actual film in it, and I don't know if they own the factory doing the finishing, but it doesn't matter. They're the only ones selling it, and without them it would be completely unavailable. I like to shoot 110 film, and am happy to give them money for it (I don't really ever buy any of their other films).

 

[fdonadio]

Lomography is the only company in the world making 110 film

Also new to me. Good for them, good for you and good for the film market.

Being the only ones doing it, I guess prices aren’t low, especially if they invested in the tooling (plastic injection molds) for the cartridges. My father owns a plastic packaging company and they do both blow- and injection-molding. I am aware of the costs for new tooling.

But in this case, at least, they have a good excuse.

 

[armadsen]

Also new to me. Good for them, good for you and good for the film market.

Being the only ones doing it, I guess prices aren’t low, especially if they invested in the tooling (plastic injection molds) for the cartridges. My father owns a plastic packaging company and they do both blow- and injection-molding. I am aware of the costs for new tooling.

But in this case, at least, they have a good excuse.

I wonder if they bought tooling from a previous manufacturer. Their prices right now are $9.90 / cartridge, or $24.90 for a three pack, so not horrible.

 

[thinkbrown]

I wonder if they bought tooling from a previous manufacturer. Their prices right now are $9.90 / cartridge, or $24.90 for a three pack, so not horrible.

Entirely based on my own experience, but the pieces for 110 film cassettes were seemingly designed with injection mold-ability in mind (which also makes 3D printing them challenging). I suspect the dies for the cassettes at least would be pretty reasonably priced.

 

[pbromaghin]

I've only shot b/w film for decades now, with occasional digital colour alongside on holidays. But with a great birthday present of the new Pentax 17 half-frame camera, I'll be buying some of the 35mm Azure to try out soon. I just love all the colours that this film produces of just about everything! It will be an interesting time when someone asks to see my recently taken holiday pictures.

Terry S
UK

You are so firmly embedded into the 21st century!

 

[mshchem]

Also new to me. Good for them, good for you and good for the film market.

Being the only ones doing it, I guess prices aren’t low, especially if they invested in the tooling (plastic injection molds) for the cartridges. My father owns a plastic packaging company and they do both blow- and injection-molding. I am aware of the costs for new tooling.

But in this case, at least, they have a good excuse.

Yes, this tooling is very expensive. Even allowing that most injection molding tooling is made in China, still crazy expensive. Most likely a multi-cavity tool making several cassettes at a go.
When I was a kid my dear departed mother arranged for us to tour Kodak Park in Rochester, I remember one of the stops was looking over dozens of molding machines making Instamatic cartridges and components for cameras. It was amazing to see.
Thermoforming and injection molding is awesome, upfront costs are staggering.

 

[koraks]

New video out by Harman about their color journey.



Looks like Phoenix III may be sharper, less grainy, have better color rendition and could potentially be faster, too.

Oh, and Jordan, Keiran, Mattie, Josie, Becky & Calvin - don't hesitate to reach out. We can listen, too.

 

[thinkbrown]

New video out by Harman about their color journey.



Oh, and Jordan, Keiran, Mattie, Josie, Becky & Calvin - don't hesitate to reach out. We can listen, too.

Saw this the other day and I'm absolutely thrilled at how many younger folks are involved in the r&d side. Bodes well for the future in my mind.

 

[Meinrad]

i would have asked „and what about slides“? Or did i miss something?

 

[koraks]

Yeah, it's honestly impressive in many ways. What they show in the vid goes beyond what they've shown before and clarifies things we knew were happening, e.g. what the recent and significant investments have been put towards. But there's also some soundbites that are indicative of a massive level of ambition which literally borders on, if not downright constitutes a desire to corner the analog 135 format market single-handedly, including contract manufacturing (and perhaps other forms of technology partnerships).

More importantly though, at least in my view - is that they successfully recognize that a vision of what the world could and should look like can serve as the basis for a strategic direction for a business, and they appear so far to be capable of turning that gut feeling into a fact-based approach. That's no small feat; many businesses could learn from that.

 

[koraks]

i would have asked „and what about slides“? Or did i miss something?

Not mentioned in the video, otherwise I missed it as well. But hey...never say never. They left a lot of meaningful pauses. Who knows it's in one of those. I'm sure they've talked about it internally. My guess is that they chose to prioritize CN and will stick with that for a bit until they get to the point of a mature, fully masked CN film. Beyond that...well, I'm sure they have some kind of plan, however vague.

 

[AERO]

Power to the elbow.....onward and upward Harman!

 

[Meinrad]

yes i am with you. But over all very positive, maybe my kids will talk about this very strange digital age in their youth ;-)

 

[ChrisGalway]

Saw this the other day and I'm absolutely thrilled at how many younger folks are involved in the r&d side. Bodes well for the future in my mind.

I agree, this is a delightful video, not the usual corporate crap, but letting real people tell their story. And great to see that the scientists in R&D are not boring middle-aged males! And I love the not-very-clean lab-coats, it all projects the real world of R&D.

I'll be a lot more positive about their future films after seeing this video!

 

[koraks]

I'll be a lot more positive about their future films after seeing this video!

If only that, they (including the production company!) pulled off no small feat in making and releasing this video. I think they managed to effectively and efficiently address the sentiments and questions of a large swathe of the analog community. That's remarkable in itself.

 

[warden]

It was great to see their good-natured acceptance of the online critiques. It's harder to hate on their work-in-progress products and early efforts when you see their enthusiasm, talent, and can-do attitude. I have nothing but respect for these people and wish them the best.

 

[moggi1964]

Thoroughly enjoyable and I echo the comments about seeing young people in the R&D. I've done photo walks with Harman/Ilford representatives and found them to be incredibly genuine and kind people.

When they start doing factory tours again I'll be popping down to Mobberley. It's only an hour from me.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

This is great! Hopefully one day, once they have perfected Phoenix, we'll see it in sheet film sizes!