Is ORWO NP22 the same film as Fomapan 100?

[Graham06]

I got a long expired 30m roll of ORWO NP22 with my darkroom stuff when I started out and I decided I rather liked the look. I've scoured the web looking for a possible current source. It became wephota np22 in 1996 and then after that I don't know (was sold in from a california photo place till a few years back).

I found this the other day when someone mentioned it:
http://www.digitaltruth.com/chart/special/webphot.html
but I don't know if I can believe it. I saw 30M rolls of Fomapan 100 for sale at the place that sells the new Rollei atp 120 film the other day and I bought one, so I will soon have some film I may or may not like. The fact that it is listed as iso 100 and not 125 is discouraging but not damning.

I found a history of B&G here which mentions some of the changes, though I don't understand German and neither does google translate really:
http://translate.google.com/transla...refox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=0wm

I bet Fotohuis who has an account here and on other online forums knows.

It is still available as sheet film, but I have too much sheet film for now after experimenting with delta100, acros 100 and fp4+

That's the extent of the clues I have.

 

[Aurelien]

Why could it be the same?

Orwo had and still has its own plant in Wolfen.

Foma coats his films in Hradek Kralove, Czech Rep.

I can't see anything common between these two firms.

Except the fact that before 1990, they were at the same side behind the iron wall.

 

[Graham06]

Why could it be the same?

Orwo had and still has its own plant in Wolfen.

Foma coats his films in Hradek Kralove, Czech Rep.

I can't see anything common between these two firms.

Except the fact that before 1990, they were at the same side behind the iron wall.

The problem is that a film formula isn't synonymous with a brand name (e.g. they lost the right to to use ORWO, and before that they lost the previous name)
A film also isn't synonymous with a business. In the declining film market businesses fail all the time an others pick up the pieces, or a formula is made in one place and sold to multiple companies with differnt names.

It is also possible that a good recipe is used by two different companies and produce a film that looks just the same.

So, while I am not at all sure that that devchart table is correct, I'm also not at all sure it's wrong.

 

[Alexander Ghaffari]

From what I understand, Fomapan 100 is a newer technology film. ORWO NP22 is most likely an older style emulsion.

I must not understand your query. Why is it that you claim that these two films are one in the same?

 

[Graham06]

From what I understand, Fomapan 100 is a newer technology film. ORWO NP22 is most likely an older style emulsion.

I must not understand your query. Why is it that you claim that these two films are one in the same?

I have just the slim evidence here:
http://www.digitaltruth.com/chart/special/webphot.html
I'm pretty sure ORWO NP22 is Wephota NP22, and the page says that that is Fomapan 100.

But I feel my claim is about as strong as claiming that there were aliens in Roswell, New Mexico, which is why I'm posting to ask if someone has any better evidence in either direction.

I've scoured the net for hints and there isn't very much. In fact this thread now comes up, so I don't want to perpetuate bad information.

 

[Aurelien]

We can find everything and nothing about that. I have just read that wephota films are rebadged forte films...

 

[ath]

Wephota buys big rolls of film and cuts them in different and often weird and hard to find sizes. AFAIK they also do custom sizes.
I don't know the history in detail but they were related (or part of) ORWO in the former GDR. After the reunion and ORWO stopping coating film they used up what was left of ORWO stock. That's where the designators like NP22 (which is an abbreviation for normal (contrast) panchromatic 22 DIN (125ASA)) come from. After the stock dried out they needed another film supplier and started to buy from Forte and Foma.
Wephota just continues to use their designators (kind of house brand).
They are quite open regarding the origin of their stock.

I'm quite sure that ORWO NP22 and Fomapan100 are not the same. They might be similar, I don't know.

 

[michaelbsc]

I have just the slim evidence here:
http://www.digitaltruth.com/chart/special/webphot.html
I'm pretty sure ORWO NP22 is Wephota NP22, and the page says that that is Fomapan 100.

But I feel my claim is about as strong as claiming that there were aliens in Roswell, New Mexico, which is why I'm posting to ask if someone has any better evidence in either direction.

I've scoured the net for hints and there isn't very much. In fact this thread now comes up, so I don't want to perpetuate bad information.

Hey, you found it on the Internet. It's *GOT* to be true. Isn't that how it works?

 

[Alexander Ghaffari]

I have just the slim evidence here:
http://www.digitaltruth.com/chart/special/webphot.html
I'm pretty sure ORWO NP22 is Wephota NP22, and the page says that that is Fomapan 100.

But I feel my claim is about as strong as claiming that there were aliens in Roswell, New Mexico, which is why I'm posting to ask if someone has any better evidence in either direction.

I've scoured the net for hints and there isn't very much. In fact this thread now comes up, so I don't want to perpetuate bad information.

It says that Wephota repackaged Forte, Foma, and Efke films.

That has nothing to do with ORWO films. ORWO currently makes several kinds of films, some of which can be found on its website. For example, Rollei Pan 25 is an improved emulsion of ORWO NP15.

From the website you list, it shows that Wephota NP22 is not ORWO NP22, but Foma 100. This is totally opposite of what you are thinking.

 

[ath]

AFAIK ORWO does not exist any longer (well, it does, sort of. It tries to be a photo finisher...). Their spin off Filmotec coats films like Rollei Pan 25 and two good motion picture films, N74 and UN54. And a traffic surveillance film which is sold as Rollei R³ according to the rumours.

Filmotec homepage

 

[jim appleyard]

Yeah, but there WERE aliens in Roswell.

 

[Anscojohn]

Zwar wird das bewährte SW-Fotopapier nicht mehr direkt in Wernigerode hergestellt, man konzentriert sich vor Ort auf die Konfektionierung und den Vertrieb. Jedoch nach Wernigeröder Originalrezept wird Fotopapier bei osteuropäischen Partnern gefertigt.
*****
What I get from this snip from B and G's website using my high school German deals with papers. That they only are handling ready-made products and retailing at the old place. However, that the black and white photo papers are manufactured by an eastern European partner of B and G. according to the original ORWO forumulations.

I did not see anything about film except for a new ISO 200 in 135-36. At another place, in their list, they say that they carry EFKE, Foma, Wephota and Konica Monochrome roll films and EFKE sheet films.

 

[railwayman3]

"Orwo" was one of the original Agfa factories. in Wolfen. which, after WWII was in the Russian sector, which subsequently became the German Democratic Republic. The factory then became a State Enterprise ("VEB Filmfabrik Agfa Wolfen") but lost the right to use the Agfa name in the early 1960's, when it became just "VEB Filmfabrik Wolfen". At that time the products were rebranded Orwo (from "Original Wolfen"). The NP22 film was certainly around in 1970, as I have an empty box with that expiry.

After the fall of communism in 1989, the factory struggled on for a while, but eventually closed completely, the names and trademarks being taken on by entirely new and different owners.

After that history lesson I'd doubt anyone would still coat using the old NP22 formulas. I'd think that Efke are probably now the only real "old-style" makers. I recall reading that Foma suspended production for a time last year to update their plant. And I believe Forte closed a while back?

 

[Alexander Ghaffari]

Yes, I miss my Forte films. I stocked up on enough 120 Fortepan 100 to last me until it expires in 2010; however, I have fallen in love with Adox/Efke 25 in Rodinal 1+100.

 

[2F/2F]

Why don't you write one or both of these companies and ask them?

 

[Ole]

... I recall reading that Foma suspended production for a time last year to update their plant. And I believe Forte closed a while back?

FOMA closed their plant for two weeks last year, as they do every year: Any photo plant needs an annual cleaning before moss starts to grow on gelatine spills. The only difference between FOMA and Ilford or Kodak is that FOMA announced the fact in a language other than English, which led to the expected poor translations and alarmist nonsense!

 

[Anscojohn]

Yeah, but there WERE aliens in Roswell.

*******
Naw....they were only Texans!

 

[LarryD]

MACO/

 

[jim appleyard]

*******
Naw....they were only Texans!

 

[AgX]

AFAIK ORWO does not exist any longer (well, it does, sort of. It tries to be a photo finisher...). Their spin off Filmotec coats films like Rollei Pan 25 and two good motion picture films, N74 and UN54. And a traffic surveillance film which is sold as Rollei R³ according to the rumours.

Filmotec homepage

Filmotec uses the Orwo brand for their films, so `Orwo´ survived as a brand name.

As the Filmotec company originated from the emulsion research of the Orwo company there still should be a strong link.

 

[AgX]

"Orwo" was one of the original Agfa factories. in Wolfen. which, after WWII was in the Russian sector, which subsequently became the German Democratic Republic. The factory then became a State Enterprise ("VEB Filmfabrik Agfa Wolfen") but lost the right to use the Agfa name in the early 1960's, when it became just "VEB Filmfabrik Wolfen". At that time the products were rebranded Orwo (from "Original Wolfen").

The Wolfen company (East) in a way did not lose the brand/company name, but left it deliberately to the Leverkusen company (West).

They where in a situation where their products were sold on many exports markets via Agfa Leverkusen. As the Leverkusen plant got more technically advanced and less dependent on Wolfen products, the Filmfabrik Wolfen got more and more controlled on these markets by their new twin.
This originated for a great part in the fact that during the soviet period no attention was paid to the legal situation of their brand names, which by time allowed the Leverkusen company to get control of them internationally. As a result long going legal disputes and negotians followed.
A year before a major treaty between the two companies had to be renewed in 1964, Wolfen no longer claimed the Agfa brand from Leverkusen. This was done due to the GDR authorities being in a mood of national autarchy, which had great effect on their chemical industry. The Filmfabrik Wolfen should make a new start with a brand of their own. This has actually been prepared before. And even the new brand name was at hand; it belonged to the synthetic fibre branch of the Filmfabrik and had been used for their product range of synthetic sausage skins. The exchange of brand was accompanied by an unprecedented marketing campaign and for the first years was successful.
Those rights on Agfa-brands in foreign countries (eastern block) which Wolfen still held were used to block the new Agfa from those markets, but finally sold to Leverkusen.
The same time Agfa Leverkusen merged with Gevaert which in the long rung had the effect that most Gevaert brand names were exchanged for Agfa-related brand names.

 

[Brac]

Going back to the original question, Orwo NP22 is definitely not Fomapan 100. I used Orwo NP22 & NP27 a lot in the 1980's and still have some long expired rolls. As others have said, it was made in the former Agfa plant in the former East Germany. Fomapan was and is made by Foma in the Czech Republic. As to Webphota, I've no idea but again as others have said it has probably changed its suppliers more than once over the years. They may well have used Forte in Hungary at one point but that plant closed about 2 years ago. As far as I can see no-one is making an emulsion similar to Orwo NP22 today.