Rollei announces new "Vario Chrome" ISO 200-400 slide film

[AgX]

Or rather, it sounds familiar...

 

[Berri]

Or rather, it sounds familiar...

It sounds like cr200 to me...not that bothered

 

[trendland]

It sounds like cr200 to me...not that bothered

Indeed Berri - you got it.
Rollei anounced it half a year ago.This Film should follow the cr200 wich is discontinued (sold out).
It may be more than 1/2 year ago.From my mind there where absolute no info
about this film. I was just a press release
info about an ISO 160 - 320 E6 emulsion.
Well and now it is arrived.
So if we all don't speculate that Rollei is first before Kodak and before Ferrania with new E6 emulsions AND wenn we shall know it is no fuji film.
What is it ?
Agfa RSX II 200 and Agfa RSX II 400 - the only problem ? RSX II 400 had never
exist......
So it is ISO 200 film rated as variable speed film.

E6 film does habe indeed variable speed :
.1/3 stop !! ....

I am sorry to tell you but : Hands of - this
is a pore film.

with regards

 

[trendland]

I picked up some Rollei-branded CN 200 film which has the Agfa logo toward the bottom of the label.

Yes that may be - but notice CN indecates c41 Films.
Just 89% of Rollei Films are Agfa brands.
It may be that there is somwere between Norway and Italy a bw manufacturing.
I doubt on c-41 production - but there is
definitifly no E6 manufacturing on this planet at the time.
The only exeption is Fuji - but indeed I doubt also a bit on this......

with regards

 

[trendland]

As far as I understand it, Rollei does not manufacture films so is this old film stock that has been renamed or is it a brand new film, in which case who makes it?

The point I definitifly don't understand is :
cr200 is sold out. And Rollei stated they are working on a replacement.
It last more than a year to introduce the
NEW FILM ( an other old roll originaly produced by Agfa ....in 2008...)

I saw the film on a side "speed tolerance of 1 stop" - what a GREAT NONSENCE....

with regards

 

[Berri]

I am sorry to tell you but : Hands of - this
is a pore film.

I know, and there is just no way I'll pay that much for a film I don't even know whati it is or how old it is. This is just ripping off big times. Also if people are willing to buy this unknow old crap for 8,30 per roll nobody dare say anything if Kodak will make you pay 15 or so for new ektachrome

 

[trendland]

I know, and there is just no way I'll pay that much for a film I don't even know whati it is or how old it is. This is just ripping off big times. Also if people are willing to buy this unknow old crap for 8,30 per roll nobody dare say anything if Kodak will make you pay 15 or so for new ektachrome

Cr200 was a cheap offer at the begining some years ago. $ 49,- (100ft) it was just
a kind of a "$2,- +" film to people who like
grainy E6 films.
But to this time first brands of last Kodak films and first Fuji brands offered a good
quality in E6 to $ -,45 more a film.
Well - berry I would personaly buy this film ( at $ 22,-/100ft roll ) because this film is meanwile with "no better "
characteristics than years ago.
(Just to avoid the word "worst")
But to $ 8,50 or to $ 9,90 I would spend the money to buy 6 fuji c200 because they are real "vario films" ISO 200-400 or lets better say Box speed is OK with E.I.
ISO 64 - 320.
Noting to say against Rollei, nothing to say against their products (there are some fine films in bw) nothing to say against their marketing (it was sometimes just nice in the past)
BUT WITH THIS FILM - AND WITH THIS
MARKETING : IT IS JUST A JOKE !!!!


It is a simple joke (various speed WITH E6 ...) up to the Spezial Day when Rollei will state that this film came
from the very last batch of Fuji
PROVIA 400X and Rollei rate a box speed of ISO320.....
But in case of Rollei I would like to see
an Execute Immediate Statement in this direction. Otherwise it seams to be a JOKE to me.

with regards

PS : I have no hope on a fuji origin..
It is our old friend from Agfa...

 

[trendland]

I thought they still coated at the old Gevaert facility in Belgium? That info may be outdated.

Brady - I hear this argument since years :
Made in Belgum by Agfa in "Morstel" but
what is the real true behind ? (bw films).
Perhaps I should buy the Book :
Making Kodak Films (from Robert L.Shanebrook) and I should read the chapter : E6 films. just to understand how
simple produktion of film today seams to be.
Making E6 in Belgium should be my Top
Story after the lecture. ....

with regards

PS : Some say Agfa produce bw films in "Morstel" (Belgium)...some say this bw
films are allways from Agfa "Leverkusen"
(old bw masterrols) some say this films
were assembled in Belgium.
Others may say this films were shipped
to Morstel - and in Belgium they had a deal with Ferrania (at the time of the last days of Ferrania)?
So Ferrania assembled several bw films.
I can not say fore sure - but when they
have an assembling it seams to me they are allways speaking about production.
And now they are in business with E6.
Agfa Morstel is just a bureau!

with regards

PS : Hope that isn't incorrect I just stated
aboud Agfa ......
Perhaps it is a big Shipping Organisation. ..........

 

[cmacd123]

PS : Some say Agfa produce bw films in "Morstel" (Belgium)...some say this bw
films are allways from Agfa "Leverkusen"
(old bw masterrols) some say this films
were assembled in Belgium.
.

When AGFA merged with Geveart. they had factories in Belgium and Leverkusen. They basically made all their "commercial", "industrial" and special film in Belgium. I recall 30 years ago using Geveart Microfilm with made in Belgum on the can, when I played with using Movie film for stills it was made in Belgium. Mass market still film came from Leverkusen.

Over time the plant in Belgium started to ONLY make Polyester based film. But one of their last Movie Products was Sound recording film which is on Polyester but black and white. Part of teh AVIphot line was also B&W.

I don't believe the Belgian plant was equipped to package film in cassettes and 120 rolls.

when Maco was buying film from agfa Belgium, they were having it converted and packaged by other parties. I am sure "Old Ferrania" as the king of private lebel Photography would have participated in that business, as would Foma and probably Fotoimpex. (who does have s

 

[AgX]

I don't believe the Belgian plant was equipped to package film in cassettes and 120 rolls.

Before the merger Gevaert were into consumer films too and thus back then had the respective facilities.

 

[trendland]

When AGFA merged with Geveart. they had factories in Belgium and Leverkusen. They basically made all their "commercial", "industrial" and special film in Belgium. I recall 30 years ago using Geveart Microfilm with made in Belgum on the can, when I played with using Movie film for stills it was made in Belgium. Mass market still film came from Leverkusen.

Over time the plant in Belgium started to ONLY make Polyester based film. But one of their last Movie Products was Sound recording film which is on Polyester but black and white. Part of teh AVIphot line was also B&W.

I don't believe the Belgian plant was equipped to package film in cassettes and 120 rolls.

when Maco was buying film from agfa Belgium, they were having it converted and packaged by other parties. I am sure "Old Ferrania" as the king of private lebel Photography would have participated in that business, as would Foma and probably Fotoimpex. (who does have s

Thanks for that special info cmacd123.
It makes sence (your statement concernig bw) because the majority of
Rollei emulsions is on the base of (clear /transparent) polyester.
In addition most of bw films are no origin photographic films (industrial use) like aerial films.
The main issue to the origin of todays film outside the big manufacturers - so as here with "new E6" Rollei Variochrom

 

[cmacd123]

Before the merger Gevaert were into consumer films too and thus back then had the respective facilities.

I am sure it was at the time, but the German plant was probably bigger and better equipped for such things, and so the two branches specialized. Unfortunately all the resources of the German Plant were transferred to the first iteration of AgfaPhoto, and so the remaining equipment is spread out. Not sure if Ilford got packing machines from the breakup, or if they already had Agfa made machines as Agfa used to be one of there equipment suppliers.

 

[Berri]

I am sure it was at the time, but the German plant was probably bigger and better equipped for such things, and so the two branches specialized. Unfortunately all the resources of the German Plant were transferred to the first iteration of AgfaPhoto, and so the remaining equipment is spread out. Not sure if Ilford got packing machines from the breakup, or if they already had Agfa made machines as Agfa used to be one of there equipment suppliers.

In Germany there still is Inovis coat witch is originated by agfa engineers and probably agfa machinery

 

[AgX]

I am sure it was at the time, but the German plant was probably bigger and better equipped for such things, and so the two branches specialized.

At the merger both companies were at equal state. But had opposing market shares at the consumer and non-consumer markets.

 

[wlodekmj]

I have now exposed and developed a roll - as no-one else has yet reported their experience, I'll do so.

The film comes in the same style of packing as Maco's Rollei CR200 (and their b/w films from Harman).
The packing has a lot of gold tone on it. The store below temperature is 13C. Process by date is Aug 2020.
The base does not curl like that of Rollei CR200 (or Agfa Aviphot 200 sold by other companies) - to the touch it feels more like acetate than polyester.
At ISO320 I found it to be overexposed, with blown highlights. A test frame at ISO400 was better and I shall try my next roll bracketed around ISO500, but the highlights may be like that just because it is old film.
(This is not a processing fault - I developed it together with a roll of well-stored and correctly exposed Ektachrome 100G which came out perfectly.)
All the frames have a noticeable cyan cast - not the yellow that Rollei CR200 often has.
I have not yet checked the grain nor scanned any shots.

So, it is as previous posts in this thread suggested, and as the name "Vario" suggests.
I wonder if it comes from an old test coating of Agfa RS 1000, made on a polyester base, never released, but now sold to Maco by Agfa, when they ran out of Aviphot 200 and Maco asked Agfa if they had anything else.
I shall be happy to use this film for experimenting, for playing with, or for Lomography, thank you Maco.
However, for colour accurate E6 shooting, let's keep buying Fujichrome, so they don't stop making it.

 

[AgX]

The base does not curl like that of Rollei CR200 (or Agfa Aviphot 200 sold by other companies) - to the touch it feels more like acetate than polyester.
I wonder if it comes from an old test coating of Agfa RS 1000, made on a polyester base, never released, but now sold to Maco by Agfa, when they ran out of Aviphot 200 and Maco asked Agfa if they had anything else.

Your statements on the base are contradictory.
For the rest an interesting assumption, but Agfa Mortsel most likely never had any RS 1000 in stock.

 

[wlodekmj]

Your statements on the base are contradictory.

Yes, they are contradictory. Maco say the film is on a polyester base, and Dave Bias at Ferrania said their film slicers could not cut it reliably because it is polyester, but to me it does not look or feel or curl like a polyester base. I assume it is a different kind of polyester base to what I know - are there different kinds?

For the rest an interesting assumption, but Agfa Mortsel most likely never had any RS 1000 in stock.

Agreed - RS 1000 stopped production in about 1989 - this is just a guess that Agfa or Maco found it somewhere else.

 

[Ricardo Miranda]

I wonder if it comes from an old test coating of Agfa RS 1000, made on a polyester base, never released, but now sold to Maco by Agfa, when they ran out of Aviphot 200 and Maco asked Agfa if they had anything else.

Thank you for the test!

My suspicion is that this is a Kodak film, the same emulsion as the FPP slide film.

 

[tomfrh]

It better not be that CR200 junk. I've spoken to a few people who were turned off slide film after trying that stuff.

 

[BMbikerider]

My take on this is that it IS old stock from wherever - it doesn't matter. However they have shed load left over so they have re-branded it to get rid of it. A bit like selling off last years designer clothing under a new name! Not for me I'm afraid I much prefer decent stuff when the processing costs so much.

 

[AgX]

Let us wait for the results. A fast slide film is interesting.

 

[zanxion72]

"As the name of the film suggests it has a broad exposure latitude from 200 to 400 ISO (DX coded at 320 ISO). If you intend to project the slides we suggest to shoot the film at 200 ISO whereas 320-400 ISO is preferable for scanning applications."

Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems to be a 200 film. A stop less exposure would make it presumably better for scanning just like any other. slide film.
It is welcome though. The more film, the merrier these days.

 

[Berri]

I don't get why there is to be all this secrecy around this film...why they just don't tell what it is?

 

[AgX]

For a long time that was Maco's business model, up to acquiring the right to use the Rollei brand.

 

[wlodekmj]

I don't get why there is to be all this secrecy around this film...why they just don't tell what it is?

I don't know if Maco want to keep this a secret, but it is a general principle that companies who sell film made for them by someone else do not say who that is.

Sometimes the companies who made the film don't want it known. For example, if a company like Maco wanted to sell outdated Ilfodak ultraviolet film, the maker might not want it known that this is their film, because it is outdated and of poor quality. Or a company that sells a film under its own name, but also lets another company sell it cheaply, might not want it known officially that their film is available this way at a lower price.

At other times, the company selling the film does not want to say where it is from, because they keep changing the supplier, but do not want to admit this.

So this is normal - but Maco do give us some clues. Films they sell that they get from Agfa are labelled Made in Belgium. The films made for them by Harman in England are labelled Made in the EU (I suppose this will have to change in 2019). Oddly, VarioChrome is labelled Made in Europe - which suggests it was made in a country that was not in the EU when the film was made. (So my guess that it is old Agfa RS 1000 is probably wrong.) But where? We know that companies made film in East Germany, Croatia, the Czech republic and the Ukraine, but would any of them have made a colour reversal film on a polyester base?

Interestingly, Wittner do openly state that their chrome 200D film is Agfa Aviphot Chrome 200. As for the Rollei name - yes, Maco use it as a brand name for their films, but there is not a Rollei factory making film for Maco.