Is Agfa B&W Film Still Being Made Today?

[braxus]

I thought Agfa Photo went out of business years ago, but I see on Ebay fresh dated B&W APX films for 2018/ 2019. Which tells me this still is still being made? When did this happen? And who is really making this stuff now? Or is it a case of really old reels of film being packaged now?

 

[Oscar Carlsson]

I thought Agfa Photo went out of business years ago, but I see on Ebay fresh dated B&W APX films for 2018/ 2019. Which tells me this still is still being made? When did this happen? And who is really making this stuff now? Or is it a case of really old reels of film being packaged now?

It's not the same film, it's something else bearing the same name. If interested Google APX new and you will find lots of (conflicting) information as usual.

 

[AgX]

-) AgfaPhoto went bancrupt as manufacturing entity, after only few months

-) strange enough the AgfaPhoto Holding survived and their only/main matter of business is licencing that brand "AgfaPhoto", as with your film.

-) the current boxes of APX bear the message "New Emulsion". The stock used so for, produced by Agfa resp. AgfaPhoto had been used up.

 

[Xmas]

The Agfa film boxes have made in Ge
The new film boxes have made in EU

It is called badge engineering.

The new film is more expensive.

 

[gzinsel]

so who is making Agfa Aviphot?

 

[bernard_L]

Confusing and sometimes contradictory information. Read elsewhere that last true Agfa emulsion was coated in 2005 (or was it 2006?) and accordingly anything with an expiry date later than 2010 would be new emulsion. Some also state that the un-freezing date (not coating) starts the expiry clock. Also read what is stated above by Xmas. And see nice and detailed info on: http://filmphotography.eu/film/agfaphoto-apx-100/ and http://filmphotography.eu/film/agfaphoto-apx-100-new/.

But... I have APX-100 boxes bought on two separate occasions (from fotoimpex, if that matters). Some have an expiry date 12/2011, and some 12/2014. All are "Made in EU". None have the "New" mention on the box.

How can I know what I have? Not to lament on the good old emulsions, but just because the development times (in Rodinal at least) are significantly different. Is there a sure-shot way to tell old from new by the edge markings?

 

[Xmas]

Confusing and sometimes contradictory information. Read elsewhere that last true Agfa emulsion was coated in 2005 (or was it 2006?) and accordingly anything with an expiry date later than 2010 would be new emulsion. Some also state that the un-freezing date (not coating) starts the expiry clock. Also read what is stated above by Xmas. And see nice and detailed info on: http://filmphotography.eu/film/agfaphoto-apx-100/ and http://filmphotography.eu/film/agfaphoto-apx-100-new/.

But... I have APX-100 boxes bought on two separate occasions (from fotoimpex, if that matters). Some have an expiry date 12/2011, and some 12/2014. All are "Made in EU". None have the "New" mention on the box.

How can I know what I have? Not to lament on the good old emulsions, but just because the development times (in Rodinal at least) are significantly different. Is there a sure-shot way to tell old from new by the edge markings?

I only worry about the price, but

Until fall '13 all my purchased were made in Ge with faint edge markings
Subsequent all were made in EU with more heavily printed rebate information

But it is merely 100 ISO mono

Post 13 I've used fomapan 100 bulk.

The Dx codes were different Ricardo logs these and will post when he is back on line.

 

[AgX]

so who is making Agfa Aviphot?

Agfa

AgfaPhoto is a Agfa brand they used in the last years of their consumer division. As result of a legal issue Agfa had after the sale of that Division with new owner "AgfaPhoto", they (Agfa) practically lost that brand.

For more information see my thread
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

 

[Colonel Blimp]

I thought Agfa Photo went out of business years ago, but I see on Ebay fresh dated B&W APX films for 2018/ 2019. Which tells me this still is still being made? When did this happen? And who is really making this stuff now? Or is it a case of really old reels of film being packaged now?

If you are interested in the old APX 100, Adox says its Silvermax film "In conventional developers results will be close to those achievable with APX 100 (old version-Made in Germany)." http://www.adox.de/Photo/adox-films-2/adox-silvermax/

 

[Ricardo Miranda]

so who is making Agfa Aviphot?

Agfa in Belgium.

AgfaPhoto, and the previous Agfa-Geavert consumer film division was based in Leverkusen, Germany.

 

[Ricardo Miranda]

I only worry about the price, but

Until fall '13 all my purchased were made in Ge with faint edge markings
Subsequent all were made in EU with more heavily printed rebate information

But it is merely 100 ISO mono

Post 13 I've used fomapan 100 bulk.

The Dx codes were different Ricardo logs these and will post when he is back on line.

Yeap, he only needs to post the six digit code on the cassettes. The code is normally near the felt trap over or under the bar code.

 

[bernard_L]

Following the hint by Xmas and unsure whether there is one or more Ricardo(s) active on the forum (Ricardo Miranda : "he only needs to post the six digit code on the cassettes")

I found the following links useful to (I hope) identify the "real" APX-100.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DX_number explains the structure of DX numbers
https://www.flickr.com/groups/67377471@N00/discuss/72157634429783414/ this discussion thread contains a number of DX codes, among them:
000234 AgfaPhoto APX 100
017711 AfgaPhoto APX 100 (New)
http://www.yumpu.com/it/document/vi...lm-international-imaging-industry-association gives free access to the 2008 version of the I3A document listing all DX codes. For instance, for APX-100 : 1-7, which is coded into 16*1+7=23, consistent with the 0023 middle digits listed above for AgfaPhoto APX 100 (read the Wikipedia document). So much for the Internet rumors (trying to stay polite) that anything with expiry pas 2010 is "New", or anything "Made in EU" is also "New".

A correction to my previous post. The 12/2011 films are "Made in EU", while, the 12/2014 are "Made in Germany". All have the 0023 middle digits in the DX codes, corresponding to the 1-7 allocated to Agfa by I3A. All say "produced for and distributed by Lupus Imaging". I believe both kinds are from real Agfa master rolls.

Just to bring this thread to a conclusive end: could somone
(a) confirm code x1771x for APX-100 with "New" on the package; interesting to know that if one breaks down the 1771 (again see Wikipedia article) as 110*16+17, the 110 part is a production code assigned to Harman Technologies by I3A; see controversy in https://www.flickr.com/groups/42106791@N00/discuss/72157628644704557/, near the end of the thread...
(b) provide the DX-code for a sample of Rollei Retro-100, rumored to be real Agfa APX-100.

 

[Xmas]

My post 13 purchases all made in EU your Harman code and different colour cassette and package graphics I could scan a rebate if I filed better. Note the different colour was subtle.
My pre 14 all had made in Ge with an Agfa Dx.
Are you reading a box label for the 11 date and made in EU?

But none of that worried me it was the £ increase that stopped me buying another brick (ie x10).

I used the Agfa cause it was cheap post assert strip.

It is only of interest if you don't like badge engineering.

Try Kentmere 100.

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

It's not the same film, it's something else bearing the same name. If interested Google APX new and you will find lots of (conflicting) information as usual.

And it's been discussed here on APUG quite frequently too.

 

[bernard_L]

Are you reading a box label for the 11 date and made in EU?

yes; as far as I can see no expiry date on canister, only on box; "made in EU/Germany" appears on the canister as well.

It is only of interest if you don't like badge engineering.

Don't care about re-badging. The new-APX, whatever it is may well be a good film in its own right; I don't know and that's not the point. Point is that it's different: dev time in Rodinal 1+25 is 8min for original and 5min30s for new; and probably a different tonality. This is why I need to know.

And it's been discussed here on APUG quite frequently too.

Indeed, and quoting pdeeh, in (there was a url link here which no longer exists) (post #39)
There is never a shortage of people who claim to know what one film or another "really" is (witness the recent threads on Rollei RPX25 & Retro 400S) ... but when asked for evidence for their certainty, it never seems forthcoming ...
I was trying to secure, for myself and others, a little piece of reliable information, based on industry-wide codes allocated by I3A.

 

[Ricardo Miranda]

Hi Bernard

Congratulations on your search skills.

But, as Richard pointed out, this has already been discussed here and elsewhere as you have found out.
That's why I asked you to post the DX code. It is just easier.

To answer your questions:
a) As you saw on the DX discussion, all 017 are Harman Technology films.
b) Rollei Retro 100 has been out of production, because it was Agfa APX100. As far as I know there was no DX code on the cassettes.

 

[pdeeh]

quoting pdeeh, in (there was a url link here which no longer exists) (post #39)
There is never a shortage of people who claim to know what one film or another "really" is (witness the recent threads on Rollei RPX25 & Retro 400S) ... but when asked for evidence for their certainty, it never seems forthcoming ...
I was trying to secure, for myself and others, a little piece of reliable information, based on industry-wide codes allocated by I3A.

Hello hello, my ears are burning

The main problem with this is simply that the people who really do know the answers - those who are involved in manufacturing and distributing - are of course bound by commercial confidentiality, and anyone who claims to be repeating commercially confidential information isn't really to be trusted because of that very breach of confidence!

So all we are left with - once you choose to ignore anecdote and hearsay, however confidently and apparently authoritatively expressed - is doing some diligent research along the lines you are doing and drawing whatever conclusions we deem safe.

Comparing development times is only useful if they are radically different of course: identical (or very very slightly different) development times tell us nothing.

good luck!