Who makes AgfaPhoto APX new emulsion

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Is there a consensus on who makes Agfa APX emulsions as we see them now? Is it a different formula from the current maker, or is it rebadged something else known otherwise as ????

I know this is NOT what Agfa used to make, I'm just asking relation of current APX to any other film on the market today.
 

DeletedAcct1

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It should be made by Harman (Ilford) and it could relate well to RPX line of Rollei...
 
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Also, I've been unable to find a comparison between original AGFA APX and what we have now. Even when new film is an entirely different product, it would be good to see some comparison tests, even better with any suspect brother like the mentioned Rollei RPX. I want to do some film stocking and Agfa APX is available in bulk.
 

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Agfa-photo APX is produced by Harman Technology since 2013 for the current licence holder Lupus imaging. (sub licensed by Agfa-photo holding Gmbh)
Adox silvermax/scala is nearer the original, but now also end of line.

Between 2005 and 2012, APX was converted from original Agfa master rolls by Ferrania as large quantities had been produced prior to Agfa-photo (leverkusen) insolvency.
The current film is essentially similar to Kentmere, Rollei RPX, Oriental Seagull plus Fotoimpex CHM all in 100 and 400 speeds..all produced by Harman
As per another thread the Ilford Pan films are considered to be different and predate the Kentmere line.
 

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It is not Agfa APX but AgfaPhoto APX


At least in the past there was even a statement on respective films that they were not made under control of Agfa.
 
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On Silvermax it appears it is in production as per Adox and Fotoimpex site, with additional statement it will only be made in 35mm format, which makes me wonder, if it is actually now made by ORWO since it is claimed to be made in Germany. Germany & 35mm only? ORWO?
 
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AgX said:
It is not Agfa APX but AgfaPhoto APX


At least in the past there was even a statement on respective films that they were not made under control of Agfa.
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Yes of course, I misspoke leaving Photo out of Agfa-Photo. I wish trademarks could only be used, if they conform to what trademark implies as APX means a lot to a lot of photographers. yet, this is not APX.
 

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AgX said:
The converting was not done by Ferrania. The type 135 conversion was even done by Maco themselves in Germany.
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There are (or were) pictures on the ferrania site of the closed factory with Agfa-photo APX 135 cassettes still on the dolleys.
To correct my statement above, ferrania shut in 2009, so produced in 2005 -09 however I recall there was a gap in APX availability between the old and new.
 

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Forget about my statement, I mixed up the Maco APX-conversions with the AgfaPhoto APXs. I immediately deleted my post, but you quoted me faster still...
Yes , you are right on Ferrania.
 
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By that you mean ORWO can coat, but not package into cassettes? Something I hope will eventually change, but that is another topic..

Not sure what it would take for ORWO to jump back into 120 format, but I think it would be a killer product.
 

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It worth noting -
Agfa-photo - 'Red dot' Logo. (Made under licence of Agfa-photo holdings Gmbh itself having an exclusive license from Agfa-gevaert for application on consumer film and cameras)
Agfa-gevaert - 'Rhombus' Logo. Appled to Agfa-Gevaert products.
 

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The use of any Agfa related logo or brand by current AgfaPhoto Holding is/was seemingly against the will of Agfa. There was a legal quarrel, which ended by having ti let AgfaPHoto do what they are doing.


Orwo (Filmotec) have no production coating facility.
 
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AgX said:
Orwo (Filmotec) have no production coating facility.
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Where was original ORWO film coated then? Filmotec is proud to claim to be in same facilities as original ORWO factory. I am not into ORWO history, just surprised to hear this.
 

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Orwo is a brand of Filmotec (who revived the brand - part of the original wolfen factory is a museum) .They rely on toll coating but do have some emulsion development technical capability.
In Germany only
 

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The original Agfa-Wolfen/Orwo plant was one of the most huge chemical plants in Germany. Even if one takes off the fiber-production facility the resting plant still was huge. Filmotec only took over one, rather small building.
Basically they are an offspring of the emulsion design department of old Orwo, added with some production means.
 
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AgX said:
The original Agfa-Wolfen/Orwo plant was one of the most huge in Germany. Even if one takes ogf of the fiber-productio facility the resting plant still was huge. Filmotec only took over one, rather small building.
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I see. Do you know if there is an english book on ORWO history? This got me curious.
 

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By way of background. The Agfa plant wolfen post WWII was taken over by its East German successor VEB Film und Chemiefaserwerk Agfa Wolfen. In 1964 they adopted the name OrWo = Original Wolfen.
This name change was adopted because they couldnt sell their film in the west under the Afga brand, which was owned by Agfa-Gevaert.
 

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Yoi are nearby. When there is a chance to travel again, go and visit the Orwo museum in Wolfen. Aside of the Filmotec building some buildings even from Agfa times still exist, as the current Wolfen city-hall.
 

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They did sell their films in the West, but rights in the West were claimed/owned by western-Agfa. Agfa-Gevaert was still to come into existence. Which was in 1964 with the merger of Gevaert with western-Agfa. About the same time eastern-Agfa finally cut business with their western-offspring.

Due to unexplainable cause during soviet or german postwar ownership and the times of splitting up IG-Farben the people at Agfa missed chances to keep trademarks when in the West a new, still tiny Agfa was established, which took these rights. But to be fair: the trademarks were only one disadvantage the Agfa-Wolfen plant had in selling their films in the West. There was a complicated situation of bilateral dependencies between both plants. Over time, added by inflexibility of the eastern side, the advantage moved to the Agfa-Leverkusen side. To end the situation for good it was decided in Berlin and Wolfen to make the best of it by re-starting internationally under a new brand (Orwo), added by a huge marketing campaign. A campaign that in the long run failed.


In hindsight it seems funny that western-Agfa themselves decades later got (some minor) trademark trouble themselves, as hinted at above...
 
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AgX said:
Yoi are nearby. When there is a chance to travel again, go and visit the Orwo museum in Wolfen. Aside of the Filmotec building some buildings even from Agfa times still exist, as the current Wolfen city-hall.
Click to expand...

Is THIS the right place to start?
 

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Witold said:
Not sure what it would take for ORWO to jump back into 120 format, but I think it would be a killer product.
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So far Orwo (Filmotec) was not interested in consumer films. All their efforts and portfolio so far are directed at industrial/institutional bulk-use. Furthermore they lack respective production facilities.

The only manufacturer in the true sense in Germany that got the consumer in mind, and even is designed towards consumer products, is Adox (Fotoimpex).

Next would be Rollei (Maco), but they have to rely completely on toll-design and toll-manufacture.
 
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Thanks, I'm beginning to grasp what's going on n this industry. Just started using Fotoimpex and am happy how things flow. And now am intrigued by the Silvermax product.

But who in Germany has the actual coating capability?
 

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There are only two german firms with production coating facilities: Adox and Inoviscoat.
 
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