Future of APX 100 - hints and references

[pauldc]

Did anyone else who gets the UK mag Black and White photography (Issue 57 March 2006) pick up the reference on page 13 (Silverprint Advertorial) that Silverprint are working on an (I quote) "...identical APX type film under another brand as the year progresses..." (Column 3, first paragraph, titled Agfa alive, well and living in...).

Somewhat cryptic but I wondered if anyone can throw some light on this. It might be relevent both for those of us who love APX100 and also those engaged in the current trend to stock up on increasingly rare and expensive old APX stock.

Also, are they refering to the Rollei films or something else. They hint in the article at a direct relationship with the original Agfa factory that made the APX films and which they state might actually still be operating though not widely known.

Anyway, it is an interesting piece and given the interest of APUG'ers for APX I thought I would share as it seems to have so far gone unnoticed on the forums.

 

[Isa7bela]

Paul,

Thanks for this news. Hope this is true.

 

[GeorgK]

I am definitely p*ssed off by all this marketing rumours. The Agfa factory is simply closed down and already partially disassembled. NOBODY will ever cast an APX emulsion anymore. "Production" of APX100 and 400 means the cutting and spooling of some original master rolls, that have been bought by MACO (dirt-cheap, I guess) from the insolvent AgfaPhoto Company.
Agfa B&W is a dead duck, and the only reason to buy (re-labeled) Agfa stock is if you want to finish a project and need the look. Otherwise you only support some vultures which profit from the AgfaPhoto bancruptcy.

Regards
Georg

 

[RH Designs]

The Silverprint ad suggests that the APX films were made for Agfa Photo and not by Agfa Photo. It also suggests that the company that made them still trades, and that they may be reintroduced under a different brand name. Silverprint would not publish such information without foundation so I think we have to keep an open (and optimistic!) mind for the moment.

Regards
Richard

 

[df cardwell]

Interesting, and irritating.

Still, if there is somebody who has been making APX 100 and leaving it on AGFA's door in a wicker basket and is willing to make some more....

Reminds me of Rumplestiltskin.

If only another film were close to APX color....

d

 

[Ed Sukach]

Hope springs eternal...

APX100 and 400 are well respected. If a market for them exists, I hope that the natural law, "Nature abhors a vacuum" will take over. I have used nothing but APX for black and white for the last 10 - 15 years - and its demise is painful.

 

[Bob F.]

According to the advert, APX was made for AgfaPhoto in Agfa-Gavaert's factories which still make motion picture and other specialist films, hence even with AgfaPhoto's plants shut down, APX is still able to be produced. It seems reasonable to assume that they need to sort the ownership rights out before shipping new stock under a new brand name.

Cheers, Bob.

 

[david b]

I gave up on this a long time ago and started using Ilford films. I'm a happy guy.

 

[Nick Zentena]

There was a story awhile back when the bankruptcy stuff was going on.

Agfa [the old company] still sold Agfa film for aerial and other uses. But they were just selling old stock basically. The film was made by Agfa the now bankrupt company. But supposedly Agfa [the still going part] had gotten enough to last for years of normal sales.

Confusing enough? Agfa [the old company] I think also was selling Agfa paper.

 

[sanderx1]

The Silverprint ad suggests that the APX films were made for Agfa Photo and not by Agfa Photo. It also suggests that the company that made them still trades, and that they may be reintroduced under a different brand name. Silverprint would not publish such information without foundation so I think we have to keep an open (and optimistic!) mind for the moment.

Regards
Richard

The only other party who could possibly have made it is Agfa Gevaert. Because they definitely made the films before a part of them that was to become the now bankrupt Agfa Photo was spinned off. So I guess a chance exists that the films could be made by them again. Agfa is also the "obvious" company to buy back and use Agfa Photo assets for original purposes though I'd be very suprised if they did.

Ithink some of this si just a confusion coming from teh complex "unmixing" stage of Agfa and Agfa Photo marketing and distribution.

 

[sanderx1]

There was a story awhile back when the bankruptcy stuff was going on.

Agfa [the old company] still sold Agfa film for aerial and other uses. But they were just selling old stock basically. The film was made by Agfa the now bankrupt company. But supposedly Agfa [the still going part] had gotten enough to last for years of normal sales.

Confusing enough? Agfa [the old company] I think also was selling Agfa paper.

Agfa's statement on Aerial film is here - Dead Link Removed

 

[Christian Kolinski]

Folks, I talked to some persons working at Afga's R&D in Leverkusen for some time. APX 100 and 400 where made on the "K"-production line in Leverkusen and _nowhere_ else. And some vital parts of the production line already have been disassembled. So, APX is gone forever. By the way: The last runs on film in Leverkusen was Aerial film for Agfa-Gevaert - so it was the other way round: Agfaphoto did production runs for Agfa-Gevaert.

Christian

 

[df cardwell]

Makes sense, thanks.

.

 

[MMfoto]

As much as I love APX 100 and APX 400, if an APX emulsion is to resurrected dear god let it be APX 25.

 

[Earl Dunbar]

MMfoto: Amen, bowing in silence.

 

[Curt]

No, I am on the Feb issue.

If so many used, use, and will use an ISO 25... then why isn't someone, somewhere, somehow interested in making and selling us some? It's not like we are asking Kodak to reproduce Panatomic-X or Agfa to reproduce a 25 or even to get a steady supply of Efke 25. Ilford; interested in producing an ISO 25 film since you won't supply PanF in sheets?

How about a test run to target market it?

Oh, I know... It takes millions of dollars to setup and produce...

Heard it all before, now where is the film?

A small format, smaller than 4x5 inch just begs for a slow fine grain ISO 25 film.

 

[pauldc]

Ilford; interested in producing an ISO 25 film since you won't supply PanF in sheets?

I agree Curt, and would love to see APX 25 back. As I understand it, Ilford are developing a Delta 25 film which will hopefully be released later this year. If you search the APUG threads there is some more info on this.

 

[mawz]

Here in Canada we're getting a couple of films caled Silvertone 100 and 400, which appear to be the APX emulsions on a different base (Dev times for equivalent APX work perfectly, results are very similar, especially for the 400). It's labelled as 'Made in Germany' and I suspect it's made by Efke for Agfa Canada. The Base stock is visibly thinner and more fragile, so it's definitely not cut from an APX master roll.

 

[bigdog]

Last Chance for APX 100

B and H has AGFA APX 100 in stock as of today!
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...ch&Q=*&bhs=t&shs=agfa+apx&image.x=0&image.y=0

 

[antielectrons]

I tried to buy some stuff from Silverprint once. Because I do not live in the UK they slapped a $250 minimum order restriction on my purchase! They are clearly not interested in selling overseas....

Did anyone else who gets the UK mag Black and White photography (Issue 57 March 2006) pick up the reference on page 13 (Silverprint Advertorial) that Silverprint are working on an (I quote) "...identical APX type film under another brand as the year progresses..." (Column 3, first paragraph, titled Agfa alive, well and living in...).

Somewhat cryptic but I wondered if anyone can throw some light on this. It might be relevent both for those of us who love APX100 and also those engaged in the current trend to stock up on increasingly rare and expensive old APX stock.

Also, are they refering to the Rollei films or something else. They hint in the article at a direct relationship with the original Agfa factory that made the APX films and which they state might actually still be operating though not widely known.

Anyway, it is an interesting piece and given the interest of APUG'ers for APX I thought I would share as it seems to have so far gone unnoticed on the forums.

 

[Max Power]

Here in Canada we're getting a couple of films caled Silvertone 100 and 400, which appear to be the APX emulsions on a different base (Dev times for equivalent APX work perfectly, results are very similar, especially for the 400). It's labelled as 'Made in Germany' and I suspect it's made by Efke for Agfa Canada. The Base stock is visibly thinner and more fragile, so it's definitely not cut from an APX master roll.

Mawz,
Who's selling this stuff?

Cheers,
Kent

 

[Dinesh]

I was told by the Agfa Canada rep. that Silvertone was rebranded APX for the student market. Further, he also told me that a large shipment of Agfa products were expected in mid to late March.

 

[mawz]

Max: I get my Silvertone at Downtown Camera in Toronto, $2.19 for 24exp of either 400 or 100.

 

[Petzi]

As much as I love APX 100 and APX 400, if an APX emulsion is to resurrected dear god let it be APX 25.

To those who bemourn APX 25, have you tried Rollei Pan 25? It might just be the same film...

 

[MMfoto]

To those who bemourn APX 25, have you tried Rollei Pan 25? It might just be the same film...

I don't know... let's hope so. Or mabe it'll be the next best thing, which would be close enough at this point.