Rollei Retro = Agfa

[George Papantoniou]

I got this Email today from Hans O Mahn co. It might be old news for some, I rather liked the possibility of shooting APX 100 in 120 format again...

From our stock again - now - available:
AGFA APX 100 + AGFA APX 400

now under the new name
ROLLEI RETRO 100 + ROLLEI RETRO 400

From the latest fresh production from firm AGFA, "master rolls" of 2,000 Sqm each per roll, are
made available. These master rolls have been cut and packed meanwhile, as
35mm 135-36, and rollfilms 120.

These manufactured films will be offered to our customers now under the name
ROLLEI RETRO.
This opened now the possibility, to obtain the reliable AGFA quality,
for a long time to go.

Delivery program:

135-36 cartrigde packed with Agfa system, 30,5 meters of 35mm perforrated, Rollfilm 120.

The film range and prices can be also retrieved in the Internet under www.rollei.com.
The actual fixed prices remain unchanged until May 31, 2006.

100 Euros -at moment- 124 US-Dollar.


RETRO 100 10x135-36 # RR1011P 28,90 Euro

RETRO 100 61x135-36 # RR1011X 158,60 Euro

RETRO 100 Test Set # RR10K 18,50 Euro
5x135-36 + 250ml film developer

RETRO 100 12x120 #RR1001P 30,00 Euro

RETRO 100 100x120 #RR1001X 225,00 Euro

RETRO 100 Test Set #RR11K 15,50 Euro
5x120 + 250ml film developer

RETRO 400 10x135-36 #RR4011P 28,90 Euro

RETRO 400 61x135-36 #RR4011X 158,60 Euro

RETRO 400 Test Set #RR40K 18,50 Euro
5x120 + 250ml film developer

RETRO 400 12x120 #RR4001P 30,00 Euro

RETRO 400 100x120 #RR4001X 225,00 Euro

RETRO 400 Test Set #RR41K 15,50 Euro
5x120 + 250ml film developer

ALL RETRO FILMS ARE NOW EX STORAGE AVAILABLE!

PRICES ARE FIXED UNTIL MAY 31, 2006.

Latest ordering must be received until May 30, 2006 or on May 31, 2006
NLT 10:00 A.M. European time.

With kind regards
Mit freundlichem Gruss
Hartmuth Schroeder
Director of the
MACO PHOTO PRODUCTS
Hans O. Mahn & Co. KG
Brookstieg 4
D-22145 Stapelfeld/Hamburg GERMANY
Phone +49 -40 -237 008 88
Fax +49 -40 -237 008488
E-Mail: <mailtohoto@mahn.net>
Internet:
Mahn/Maco <http://www.mahn.net/>
Rollei Fototechnik <http://www.rollei.com/>
+++

 

[antielectrons]

What is the point. It will run out pretty quick...

 

[George Papantoniou]

What is the point. It will run out pretty quick...

This is exactly the point. If it runs out pretty quick, then this'll mean that people are still looking for good old B&W film...

 

[Fotohuis]

For those who want to shoot on APX 100/400 emulsion one of the last changes to get it and stock it.

By the end of 2004 APX on rollfilm was already not available in the Netherlands anymore.

Best regards,

Robert

 

[Gerald Koch]

What is the point in going to all the bother of testing and calibrating a film that is in limited supply. Better to invest the effort in films that will be available in the future.

 

[George Papantoniou]

What is the point in going to all the bother of testing and calibrating a film that is in limited supply. Better to invest the effort in films that will be available in the future.

If you haven't yet tested APX 100 or APX 400, then don't bother... leave others that have been shooting them for the last 15+ years buy the stock...

 

[df cardwell]

What is the point in going to all the bother of testing and calibrating a film that is in limited supply. Better to invest the effort in films that will be available in the future.

Yes.

And yet, APX 100 is unique.

It's color rendition cannot, and will not, be replaced.

.

 

[HerrBremerhaven]

Thanks for passing on the information. I downloaded the PDF for Rollei Retro, and then compared the Spectral Sensitivity curve to my 2005 data sheet for AGFA APX100. They look too close for me to think they are not nearly the same. To add to this, the other specifications provided by Rollei also match. Looks the same to me, at least enough to try some film.

While I have never been a fan of APX400, the curves also seem to match. The funny thing is that other than your letter you posted here, there is no mention of AGFA nor APX100 on the data sheet, though I guess that is to be expected. Does the quote ". . . for a long time to go" mean they will continue to offer these new films?

Ciao!

Gordon

 

[Ole]

... Does the quote ". . . for a long time to go" mean they will continue to offer these new films? ...

I tried translating that phrase back to German, but it still doesn't make sense. I still have no idea what it means...

The really sad thing about this is that I had just started using APX100 sheet film when it disappeared. For a short while it was the most easily available 6.5x9cm film, which I use to feed some of my old plate cameras (if you had a 6.5x9cm Voigtländer Bergheil with a 120mm f:4.5 Heliar, in Syncro-Compur, wouldn't you like to keep it fed?). And just as soon as I got used to it, it was gone...

 

[antielectrons]

That is my point Ole. If they are just selling rebadged old stock then it will be gone too soon for anyone to get used to it. Even if you have used APX in the past, it would be advisable to test this stuff also. I dont think it is worth the effort unless Rollei are saying there is a long term future for this stuff?

 

[Foto Ludens]

I was under the impression that rollei's stuff was being coated on a different base than agfa's stuff (some sort of stronger stuff, which would lay flatter). To me, this suggests that the emulsions would be in production still.

Of course, I don't remember where I read this, and there's an undeniable chance that I'm flat wrong.

Should I even have posted this? Oh well, too late.

 

[Christian Kolinski]

Here something from Maco regarding the Rollei Retro Films (sorry, but this is 2nd hand, it's a copy of a email published in a German forum)

H. Schröder from Maco writes:
"Wir haben äussert grosse Mengen Masterrollen von der Agfa Photo
gekauft, die seit einigen Monaten unter ROLLEI RETRO aufgeschnitten werden.
Seit Montag dieser Woche können wir beide Empfindlichkeiten auch als Rollfilm liefern.

Die Geschichte mit Belgien mag sich für Aussenstehende so darstellen, ich kann dazu nichts sagen,
denn meine APX-Filme stammen aus Deutschland. "

Translation:
"We bought a huge number of masterrolls from Agfaphoto which are cut to 35mm and 120 and labeled "Rollei Retro" since some month.
Since Monday last week we are able to deliver both speeds as type 120 also.

The story about Belgium (the question if Agfa Geavert was able to produce new APX was raised after a German magazine wrote that Rollei films are "from fresh production in Belgium", C.K.) may look like that, but I can't say something about this my films come from germany ."

 

[George Papantoniou]

In the Email they sent me, it's clearly stated that they have bought several 2000 sqm "master rolls" of film. They are cutting the film in 35mm and 120 rolls, and selling it. That's all there is to know. They claim that there is going to be enough to last for a long time, because "Several"x2000 sqm is a lot... I don't know what the demand is, but I guess that you cannot sell "severalx2000 sqm" of film in a few weeks... (for your info: one roll of 120 film = approx. 0.07 sqm. This means that with 1 sqm of film you can make approx. 14 rolls. With 2000 sqm you make 28000 rolls...)

On the other hand, it may be a fact that the other Rollei emulsions (the ones that were available for the last couple of years or something) come from the Eastern European manufacturers, as we all have heard...

 

[thefizz]

I just received this message from retrophotographic.com to say the following:

"Dear Customer,

At last we have stocks of the Rollei Retro 100 and Retro 400 films in 120 rollfilm. The films are Agfapan APX 100 and 400 re-branded under the Rollei label and are from the last Agfa production run before closing. There is sufficient raw film to supply these films for many years."

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

Does J&C intend to carry this specific stock of Retro?

 

[jandc]

Does J&C intend to carry this specific stock of Retro?

On the way, sometime in May.