Rollei RPX 100/400 film now more expensive than Ilford FP4/HP5. What gives?

Sirius Glass · Jan 18, 2022

otto.f said:
No, they've just a better taste

That is extremely questionable.

otto.f · Jan 19, 2022

Craig75 · Jan 19, 2022

MattKing said:
Here is the list of brands of film that Andrew's local camera shop carries (the reference to Canon is in error - it links to printer ink):
View attachment 295892

So if I want the signature Andrew O'Neil look, I need to buy from kerrisdale?

AnselMortensen · Jan 19, 2022

pentaxuser said:
Harry Lime specials
pentaxuser

Extra point scored for name-dropping my favorite movie.

epp · Jan 19, 2022

Could the brand itself, possibly have something to do with the cost of Rollei being more expensive than Ilford?

Take AgfaPhoto for example. The Agfa name and brand has been around for decades. Printed right on a box of AgfaPhoto APX film: Agfa-Gevaert issued a license to AgfaPhoto Holding GmbH (presumably to use the Agfa name and logos). AgfaPhoto Holding then issued a sub-license to Lupus Imaging & Media to use the AgfaPhoto name and logo on cameras, film and other products.

Licensing is also a business, it's not without cost.

Given that both the Agfa and Rollei brands have been around for decades, it could be said that they are both premium brands, that obviously could command a higher price.

AgX · Jan 19, 2022

Brands can deteriorate very quickly.
For instance the number of 20 year olds than can begin anything with AGFA is nihil. In Contrast to Polaroid which over the years entered pop culture and social media.

Marcelo Paniagua · Jan 19, 2022

They surely are. Agfa/Rollei command a certain trust. At least part of those 9.99 dlls are for the name licenser.

Marcelo Paniagua · Jan 19, 2022

AgX said:
Brands can deteriorate very quickly.
For instance the number of 20 year olds than can begin anything with AGFA is nihil. In Contrast to Polaroid which over the years entered pop culture and social media.

I guess so. Depends on the market segment.

Rollei, on the otherside, seeing it on t-shirst and keychains on Aliexpress so maybe it is a little part of pop culture.

pentaxuser · Jan 19, 2022

AnselMortensen said:
Extra point scored for name-dropping my favorite movie.

Yes Harry Lime is a name to be conjured with but Fantome 8 sounds like some gentleman rogue in a kid's book who only steals from the rich

A piece of trivia now. The theme was played by the Austrian zither player Anton Karas whose playing became very popular in the U.K. No mean feat in the early 50s for an Austrian who had fought in the Wehrmacht during WWII. I heard the story that he was invited to play in the U.K. and was given a great intro by the compere. The audience then began to whistle, a sign in the U.K. of delight but not so in mainland Europe where it signalled disapproval It was the U.K. 's equivalent of booing and he refused to come out until he was assured that in the U.K. whistling was a sign of approval

pentaxuser

epp · Jan 19, 2022

AgX said:
Brands can deteriorate very quickly.
For instance the number of 20 year olds than can begin anything with AGFA is nihil. In Contrast to Polaroid which over the years entered pop culture and social media.

My father once had an Agfa Paramat camera, 35mm half-frame. It took fantastic pictures.

epp · Jan 19, 2022

Marcelo Paniagua said:
They surely are. Agfa/Rollei command a certain trust. At least part of those 9.99 dlls are for the name licenser.

Online, I'm seeing $9.99 (USD) for the AgfaPhoto APX 135-36 ISO 400 film and $6.99 for the 135-36 ISO 100. I can definitely see a couple of dollars from each going towards licensing fees.

MattKing · Jan 19, 2022

I was under the impression that MACO had purchased the right to use the name - I don't think they are renting it!

AgX · Jan 20, 2022

MattKing said:
I was under the impression that MACO had purchased the right to use the name - I don't think they are renting it!

No, the brand is in Germany and abroad held by a german trading firm who bought it some years ago and use it for themselves and their products. They license it to Maco for their films and chemicals.

Ernst-Jan · Jan 20, 2022

MattKing said:
I was under the impression that MACO had purchased the right to use the name - I don't think they are renting it!

They purchased the right to use it on certain products eg. light-sensitive materials and darkroom chemicals. I saw the name Rollei also on cheap Chinese plastic crap in Action (like a AliExpress but then in a brick and mortar store), I am sure Maco has nothing to do with that.
Not only Rollei was used, also other once big German names were used, for example Telefunken. If something has a German name people think it must be good

"What a shitty wrench you have there"
-But it is German, isn't it?
"No, it has a German name on it. Stahlkraft is something different than Stahlwille"

Huss · Jan 20, 2022

Next thing you lot are going to say is modern Voigtlander lenses aren't German, and Santa Claus does not exist.

Marcelo Paniagua · Jan 20, 2022

michael_r said:
There is no Rollei making anything though. It’s just a brand name somebody is using.

Yeah I was talking about the name holder making some money by licensing the name. No actual Rollei company now.

Marcelo Paniagua · Jan 20, 2022

Huss said:
Next thing you lot are going to say is modern Voigtlander lenses aren't German, and Santa Claus does not exist.

You come with the funniest ideas.

Sirius Glass · Jan 20, 2022

Huss said:
Next thing you lot are going to say is modern Voigtlander lenses aren't German, and Santa Claus does not exist.

Santa Claus does not exist and Voigtlander stole lens designs and sold them as his own.

Marcelo Paniagua · Jan 20, 2022

Sirius Glass said:
Santa Claus does not exist and Voigtlander stole lens designs and sold them as his own.

You shouldn't believe everything you read on internet. In particular, the Santa Clause part.

Sirius Glass · Jan 20, 2022

Marcelo Paniagua said:
You shouldn't believe everything you read on internet. In particular, the Santa Clause part.

San is a male saint.
Santa is a female saint.
So is Santa Claus a cross dresser or a transsexual?

jay moussy · Jan 20, 2022

Sirius Glass said:
San is a male saint.
Santa is a female saint.
So is Santa Claus a cross dresser or a transsexual?

Italians are smartly on it: La Befana

Sirius Glass · Jan 20, 2022

jay moussy said:
Italians are smartly on it: La Befana

Thanks
I had to look that up.

Arcadia4 · Jan 20, 2022

Rollei brand is licensed by RCP Technik Verwaltungs GmbH

Ilford/Rollei Pricing differential may simply reflect a different cycle of pricing revisions, harman/ilford typically review prices around March/April, but price revisions for supply of contracted product may depend on dates in contract arrangements, as well as maco views about what pricing the market will bear.

Ernst-Jan · Jan 21, 2022

Huss said:
Next thing you lot are going to say is modern Voigtlander lenses aren't German, and Santa Claus does not exist.

That's true, because we have Sinterklaas (5th December) and no Santa claus like the guy with christmas that many other parts of the world have

macfred · Jan 21, 2022

Ernst-Jan said:
That's true, because we have Sinterklaas (5th December) ...

Not to forget the Zwarte Piet !

Rollei RPX 100/400 film now more expensive than Ilford FP4/HP5. What gives?

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