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.