Good News for Film Users!

SolaresLarrave · 04-08-2006

I don't know if THIS NEWS were reported here before, but check it out.

Agfa's not going away, but reincarnating!

[Got it from the Leica-sponsored forum, which in turn got it from the Amateur Photographer, who picked it up off Photoscala. I thought you'd like to know that...]

Now, start the celebration!

bmattock · 04-08-2006

I had not heard it, but it is most welcome news!

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

amateriat · 04-08-2006

Very interesting...if this also manages to save Rodinal, it'll be time for an RFf line dance!

- Barrett

bmattock · 04-08-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by amateriat

Very interesting...if this also manages to save Rodinal, it'll be time for an RFf line dance!

- Barrett

Previously reported - Rodinal (and all the B&W Agfa chemistry) was purchased by German company a&o, which is producing it currently. I have heard that it is starting to show up in Canada already. Same bottle, different logo.

Of course, the usual complaints that even though it is made on the same line, by the same employees, using the same chemicals, it has somehow been tampered with and is no longer 'real' Rodinal. I have never used Rodinal, but I hope to some day. However, Rodinal users are such big babies...

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

wlewisiii · 04-08-2006

"Special technical attributes" IOW, industrial & artsy-fartsy types

We won't be seeing it back at Walgreens probably, but it's good to see it's going to be around somewhere. Being a chemical company, the film production should actually shoehorn into their infrastructure relativly easily at low additional overhead cost. Probably the best kind of company to invest in film these days...

Good news. Thanks for the post, Francisco.

William

Trius · 04-08-2006

This will be interesting to follow. Exactly what films will be continued? Vista? Agfachrome? (PLEASE!!!) APX 100 & 400? (PRETTY PLEASE!!!)

Oh, and can you bring back Portriga?

amateriat · 04-08-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trius

This will be interesting to follow. Exactly what films will be continued? Vista? Agfachrome? (PLEASE!!!) APX 100 & 400? (PRETTY PLEASE!!!)

Oh, and can you bring back Portriga?

Well, let's just bring back APX 25 while we're at it! (Only 5% sarcasm in that remark!)

- Barrett

david b · 04-08-2006

Rodinal is available at www.freestylephoto.biz

Michael I. · 04-08-2006

I am all tingly inside

jlw · 04-08-2006

This is interesting, but how much film production can you do with 50 people? Note that's all they said they'll employ -- eventually maybe rising to 70, which still isn't a lot.

jlw · 04-08-2006

Agfa has (or at least used to have) a pretty big business doing private-label films for store chains and such. That's probably what drives the volume that attracted Hyosung to buy it.

Also, now that I think of it, if Hyosung moves all the management, marketing and planning in-house, and just retains production-line people at Leverkusen, 50-70 people probably WOULD be enough to run the actual plant. Don't count on much R&D happening, though...

jaap · 04-09-2006

I'll hope and pray they start producing Agfa multicontrast classic again. One of the finest black and white fibre based papers.

peter_n · 04-09-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaap

I'll hope and pray they start producing Agfa multicontrast classic again. One of the finest black and white fibre based papers.

Jaap did you find a close alternative to MCC?

lushd · 04-09-2006

Brand new half litre of Rodinal is sitting on a shelf downstairs right now and it is great news about the film. Agfa colour film is my personal favourite and it suits the old fashioned FSU lenses very well. I am determined to remain an up to date 1950's photographer!

robert blu · 04-09-2006

It would be great if they go on with the Scala production ! Excellent black and white slide film, for the (few) ones who still love slide proiections! I like it !

Uncle Bill · 04-09-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolaresLarrave

I don't know if THIS NEWS were reported here before, but check it out.

Agfa's not going away, but reincarnating!

[Got it from the Leica-sponsored forum, which in turn got it from the Amateur Photographer, who picked it up off Photoscala. I thought you'd like to know that...]

Now, start the celebration!

Not wanting to sound cynical but I want to see a link to a media release even if it is in german. Will APX 100/400 be around, will it still trade under Agfa or will be re branded? I am a really cautious optimist here.

Bill

graksi · 04-09-2006

Efke will make APX100 and APX400 in Maco brand later this year... (Efke make Maco products in last few years, also)...

bmattock · 04-09-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by graksi

Efke will make APX100 and APX400 in Maco brand later this year... (Efke make Maco products in last few years, also)...

Where did you get that info? Maco is very tight-lipped about who makes their film, insisting that *they* make it themselves, in the factories they don't have.

I'd love to know who makes Begger as well, but again, they aren't very forthcoming, even going so far as to print "Made in France" on some boxes of film that are clearly not made in France. Well, maybe the boxes are.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

Mackinaw · 04-09-2006

This topic also came up on APUG. Somebody there suggested that the "new" Agfa will only be producing the plastic base that is used for film production and they will not be coating it with any photo-sensitive emulsion.

Jim Bielecki

bmattock · 04-09-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mackinaw

This topic also came up on APUG. Somebody there suggested that the "new" Agfa will only be producing the plastic base that is used for film production and they will not be coating it with any photo-sensitive emulsion.

Jim Bielecki

Jim, I don't want to add fuel to that rumour, but when I was staggering through Korean translations last night, I noted that they used a specific term "specialty films" which has a meaning closer to what you read on APUG - different types of plastic film, not photographic film. However...I hope they mean to continue to produce Agfa photographic films.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

graksi · 04-09-2006

I hear for Efke - APX - MAco combination last week in Efke factory (I write some article about factory in newspapers when I working).. In few weeks Efke will repackage Agfa surveilance films too...
I don't know nothing about Berger, but I heard rumours about Rollei and old Orwo receptures...

Socke · 04-09-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mackinaw

This topic also came up on APUG. Somebody there suggested that the "new" Agfa will only be producing the plastic base that is used for film production and they will not be coating it with any photo-sensitive emulsion.

Jim Bielecki

Makes sense, as I've just heard from Fotoimpex some Efke products are currently unavailable because those are made on an Agfa base which is unavailable at the moment.

bmattock · 04-09-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Bill

Not wanting to sound cynical but I want to see a link to a media release even if it is in german. Will APX 100/400 be around, will it still trade under Agfa or will be re branded? I am a really cautious optimist here.

Bill

I know what you mean - and I'm one to back things up as well. I *did* find several German news releases and one in Korean that said exactly the same thing. All very short blurbs, all very tersely-worded. But saying the same thing as the link posted at the start of this thread. I'm sorry I didn't save them, but they're out there.

The one thing I did learn by dredging through the Korean stuff was that SOME of the production line will be moved to South Korea. SOME will stay in Germany (Leverhausen or however you say it). They still do not say WHAT they plan to produce.

I am cautiously optimistic, and prepared to be wrong about my incessant drum-beating on FID. Well, actually, I don't think I am wrong, but you never know. I was wrong before, once or twice.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

Andy Andrews · 04-12-2006

With automated equipment, 50 well-trained employees can equal 500 that used to be required. Yes, like it or not, robots are taking over the planet. But would you let your daughter marry one?

bmattock · 04-12-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy Andrews

With automated equipment, 50 well-trained employees can equal 500 that used to be required.

But give the unions a chance, they can slow things down until 500 employees are required again.

Quote:

Yes, like it or not, robots are taking over the planet.

Actually, we already did. But we don't like it much. Want it back?

Quote:

But would you let your daughter marry one?

Gbzzetd. Does not compute. Get the intruder, get the humanoid.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks