My bet: 24 silicon wafers, each 24x36mm, set on a 35mm polyester base. Finally, we have a way to convert all 35mm film cameras into 48mp full-frame digital cameras.
Harman Photo cryptic announcement/teaser
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Guesswork
The phoenix is usually used to signify something that is "dead" returning. Harman have stated that this is not something they've ever manufactured before, so it's not likely to be a straight re-release of an old Ilfocolor product. But the phoenix motif could signify colour film, as there's been a great downturn in production, choice and availability of colour film generally in the last five years. Even more so since the early 2000s. We've lost the real Agfa Vista, Ferrania Solaris, possibly Fuji Speria, Konica Centuria. Only Kodak remains in the game currently, with Fuji's future participation unclear.
While it's unlikely, what I really hope is that this is actually manufactured at Mobberly. Though that would be quite some achievement since we know that not so long ago they had absolutely nothing close to the machinery or expertise needed.
It could be E6, but that seems a bigger risk financially. The volume sales are in C41 film. That's what the younger folk who are most likely to engage with social media want.
Ilford used to have colour films, perhaps they decided to launch a new one under the Harman brand? At least I hope so, their BW offerings are complete as far as I am concerned.
I’d rather it be POP rolled into film spools for in-camera exposure. An innovative instant film product using a long-dead imaging technology.
… or what if it’s just a new logo graphic?
It's obviously going to be new Cibachrome. The new image is clearly a developing tank on a motor base. Like the ones they used to make for Cibachrome.
Up until I saw that film can, I was hoping for some sort of contribution to the Polaroid/Instax/Pack Film/Peel Apart world - colour, since it's being released under the Harman name, but some sort of direct positive nonetheless.
I probably read too much about the new Polaroids being made back in September.... which was right about the time I was gifted a box of cameras that included a Polaroid Automatic 340 with a working battery, but no compatible film, unfortunately.
With the new Polaroid l-2 being fully compatible with i-Type, 600 and SX-70 and so many people digging up old cameras and modding them to take Instax, an affordable offering from Harman would have been fun.
Oh well, bye bye little dream...
I probably read too much about the new Polaroids being made back in September.... which was right about the time I was gifted a box of cameras that included a Polaroid Automatic 340 with a working battery, but no compatible film, unfortunately.
With the new Polaroid l-2 being fully compatible with i-Type, 600 and SX-70 and so many people digging up old cameras and modding them to take Instax, an affordable offering from Harman would have been fun.
Oh well, bye bye little dream...
A very tiny part of me is wondering (hoping, really) that it's a film with a similar process to Kodachrome. The only reasoning I can come up with for this is that Kodachrome is apparently a fairly simple film to make compared to C-41, but otherwise it's just me hoping.
The processing was very complicated though, and not really suitable for home or minilab low volume processing. There is a reason for most of it's existence, outside of the USA, Kodachrome was only processed at large central Kodak labs.
Someone, eventually, had to say it…
My best guess, and the reasons why.
Colour film. Because Harman already produce everything the B&W user could possibly want under the Ilford and Kentmere banners. If you want to do a little pushing and pulling they've got every ISO from 25-6400 covered in both traditional and tabular grain, including a "budget" line and a chromogenic C41 B&W film. Even an ortho film.
So if they've invested millions, they intend to make this back. That suggests it's not some niche such as cibachrome, or even E6 film. Certainly not pack film or some other niche within a niche within a niche.
It's C41 colour negative film. And it will be either 200ISO or 400ISO. I am going with 400ISO as they're launching it in December when there's not much light around in their home country. And 400 is the most practical, flexible speed for most users. If they've been able to produce a decent 400ISO C41 colour film that can come in at 20% cheaper than Kodak Ultramax, it'll be a winner. At the same price point, they might be able to rely on their fabulous distribution network to get it into shops that cannot get hold of Ultramax, and get into the market that way. I would think 35mm initially with 120 following shortly - or possibly both together.
Colour film. Because Harman already produce everything the B&W user could possibly want under the Ilford and Kentmere banners. If you want to do a little pushing and pulling they've got every ISO from 25-6400 covered in both traditional and tabular grain, including a "budget" line and a chromogenic C41 B&W film. Even an ortho film.
So if they've invested millions, they intend to make this back. That suggests it's not some niche such as cibachrome, or even E6 film. Certainly not pack film or some other niche within a niche within a niche.
It's C41 colour negative film. And it will be either 200ISO or 400ISO. I am going with 400ISO as they're launching it in December when there's not much light around in their home country. And 400 is the most practical, flexible speed for most users. If they've been able to produce a decent 400ISO C41 colour film that can come in at 20% cheaper than Kodak Ultramax, it'll be a winner. At the same price point, they might be able to rely on their fabulous distribution network to get it into shops that cannot get hold of Ultramax, and get into the market that way. I would think 35mm initially with 120 following shortly - or possibly both together.
My guess is the relaunch of Ilformar in 6 grades and three textures.
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My theory: Harman is rebranding all of the films to Harman (Harman HP5, FP4, etc.) Ilford is dead and Harman is "rising from the ashes".
Hey… that’s an interesting concept!
Not quite what I recall them saying - more to the effect of needing specific expertise rather than lacking machinery (a coating head with more layer capacity is relatively simple compared to the knowledge to make a colour film that is good) - I think the words were 'if the right people happened to become available '. And I also noticed that Harman/ Ilford seemed to have given the implication fairly recently that they had employed more organic synthesis chemists for their kilo lab - which would be essential to colour material production.
That's been discussed and now dismissed. We know that a new product has been sent to some dealers and influencers along with the phoenix postcards. This really seems to be in addition to keeping the Ilford and Kentmere names on existing products.
Well, now that someone has said it, I'm finally inspired to post in this ridiculous thread.
Keith Swan moved his lab (Swan Photo Labs, which is the real entity behind his marketing initiatives "The Darkroom" and "Ilford Lab US / Harman Lab US") to San Clemente from northern California in 1993, 15 years after I moved here. There's no way anything like an original, central Kodachrome processing facility could ever exist at Swan. There were, however, K-Labs, small self-contained Kodachrome processing units, near the end of that film's existence:
It's conceivable, but extraordinarily unlikely, that one of those, or something like them, might be brought on line at Swan. If that were the case, and HARMAN coated compatible film, and people with a lot more money than smarts surfaced to purchase what would be an outrageously expensive product/service, the absurd speculation here might have a chance of proving accurate. However, I probably have an equal probability of winning a Powerball jackpot, and I don't buy tickets.
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Those two things aren't mutually exclusive. They could be rebranding and releasing a new product at the same time.
I'm probably wrong, but it's still fun to speculate. I know a lot of people still get confused about the two Ilfords, and I would want to eliminate that as a company.
MattKing
Moderator
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This will always be a dream, sadly. I thought for a moment during the initial announcement that it might be something like an instant P/N (think Polaroid 55) film, especially since I did some reading around Flickr and around 2008-2009 when OG Polaroid discontinued it, Ilford had sent a survey around asking people about potentially offering this kind of film. They also manufactured the B&W negative for Impossible for a while.
Once I saw the kind of "influencers" they were sending the postcards to, though, that quickly evaporated. Most of these people have never even touched a large format camera.
I shouldn't have thought that at all, anyway - peel-apart film, especially on a mass scale, will never happen again. One Instant can't even do it right, and they aren't even making their own stuff - they're using leftover material from OG Polaroid, via 20x24 studio.
Can you describe these “influencers “? I’ve never met one and it seems nobody here is one.
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They're younger YouTubers that other young people follow religiously and look up to.
Nothing wrong at all with any of these folks, I'm just familiar with the kind of photography they do and the kind of gear they use and make videos about, so anything past 35mm was very quickly ruled out for me.
Photographers who primarily use colour film.
Sorry… doesn’t seem complete. I primarily use color film and don’t influence a thing or anyone. At all. There must be more, like under 30, unemployed and making money by making social media posts/videos, freeloaders always asking for handouts, comps, and free stuff, etc. I’m really perplexed by this “influencer “ thing. Who cares what they say? Who’s really being influenced?
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