There doesn’t seem to be much to cheer for film photographers in 2021. Supply chain issues, global film shortages and soaring prices have led to a wave of grievances among photographers. movies, causing many people to cry into cups of soy sauce and burn their berets.
But over the past few months, the sun has begun to shine through the clouds with announcement after announcement delighting videographers and emptying our wallets. In this article, I’m ranking eight of the recent new movie announcements.
8. Kosmo Foto Agent Shadow
Collecting wooden spoons in 8th place is Kosmo Foto’s Shadow Agent. Things are looking bright for our secret agent friend after a successful Kickstarter campaign in August 2021. The film community is excited to get their hands on the beautifully designed film box and sequel. bonuses, including a graphic novel, a briefcase and even active Soviet film cameras.
Like Kosmo Foto’s first film Mono, this is not a new film, but an existing film rebranded with new packaging. Unfortunately, the production of the film has been delayed several times. Perhaps agent Shadow was captured behind enemy lines while on a secret mission?
In an update on Kickstarter, the founder of Kosmo Foto, Stephen Dowling, explicitly identifies the delay as being caused by the manufacturer. Industry rumors suggest that the film could be Harman Technology’s Kentmere 400, but the film’s identity is officially unknown. Harman is also a producer of the Ilford series.
Even though I put Shadow Agent in last place, there are still some positives. Agent Shadow is now starting to come out into the world, with the movie set to be released in the past few weeks. And having said that, Kosmo Foto has the best branding and packaging in the movie industry. Who wouldn’t want a box of this on their shelf?
7. Kodak Gold 200 in 120 . format
In a potentially controversial move, I ranked Kodak Gold in 120 format at 7th place. Gold Kodak 200 It’s not a new historical drama, and it’s not even new in the 120 format, but we welcome it back with open arms after a 25-year hiatus.
A lot of people have been asking to buy the Gold 200 in 120 format, so this is a positive sign that Kodak is listening to consumers. I would love to see how happy the photographers are to finally buy and shoot this, and the pictures posted on social media look amazing.
I’m glad Gold has been made available in 120 format. The downside, however, is the lack of supply for Kodak’s consumer lines: Gold 200 and Ultramax 400 in 35mm. Many stores have had limited supplies for more than a year.
It is said that due to the pandemic of supply chain shortages, Kodak has prioritized the production of professional Portrait films over those lines. If you look closely at the Gold 120 pro package, what do you see? The word “professional” right on the box. So it’s great that they’ve brought the Gold 200 to 120, but it looks like it will come at the expense of other consumer movies that aren’t available.
Adding to this combination is the insane situation that Fujifilm is selling 200 speed film in North America which, by all accounts, has an identical data sheet to the Kodak Gold 200.
6. Orwo Wolfen NP100
The past decade has not been great for the European film industry, but with some significant developments in Germany recently, hopefully things will go up.
At the end of April 2022, Orwo announced a new black and white film, WOLFEN NP100. The company describes the film as “an exceptionally smooth, 36-exposure, 100 ASA black-and-white photographic film.” It is produced in a strictly limited run of 36,000 boxes with the code DX.
This is the first brand new and professionally finished feature film released by Orwo in decades. The film is still produced on its original site in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, north of Leipzig, where film production began in 1910.
Two say that the Wolfen NP100 differs from its counterpart, the Wolfen UN54, because it has an extra layer of anti-halation dyed for improved sharpness. This layer is located between the base material and the emulsion layer and is responsible for preventing the formation of a reflective halo. Wolfen UN54 was sold by Lomography under the name Potsdam.
Along with this announcement, Orwo has launched a new online store sell their movies directly to the public. Some of these films were previously only offered to consumers in bulk rolls, while others were available in single reels with other names such as Lomography.
5. Orwo Color NC 500
In fifth place, I made a very exciting announcement from Orwo, a new color feature film. This brought the German manufacturer back into color film production for the first time in about 50 years.
Orwo introduced a new color film in late 2021, but many assumed it would be a stock of moving images with remjet that would need to be processed in the ECN-2 process. This is not an easily accessible product for many film photographers, as most labs do not process film with remjet.
However, Orwo went and surprised us: the newly announced NC500 is a color cinematic to process C41. They say that the core of our new color film lies in a unique chemical formula based on the legendary and wonderful raw material last used in the Oscar winning film “Out of Africa”. They go on to say, “Famous for their greens, unsaturated shadows and fortified cereal, these are all aspects we’re embracing our new addition.”
As for the Wolfen NP100, this is a limited edition, rather confusing. One theory is that in the process of research and development, they created a viable product that they are currently releasing, and that future movies will be improved and improved.
Pre-orders launched on June 1, 2022 with the NC500 going on sale for 14.90 Euros a roll. Shipping is expected to begin in July 2022.
4. Japanese Photographer FuguFilm
Following on from the Gold 120 and Cinestill announcements, Japan Camera Hunter has set in motion to announce their new ISO 400 color projection film called FuguFilm.
Of course, Fugu in Japanese means puffer fish, consuming them can be deadly if not prepared properly. In an article on their website, JCH explains the name began as a joke in conversation about an episode of Simpsons where Homer eats a fugu in Japan. The movie franchise looks bright, fun and, dare I say, a bit gaudy.
When this product was posted online, not many details were available, leading many to assume that this is a long-forgotten freezer and will be remade under the JCH brand.
A few days later they came out and said that Fugu is a brand new emulsion that has been in production for three years. Not only that, but it will be the first new color projection film in about a quarter of a century, since Fujifilm launched the Fortia.
To bring a new color film to market without crowdfunding is quite a feat. We all know that there was a big delay between Kodak announcing the return of Ektachrome and when it actually hit the shelves. Adding to the mix is a ban on certain chemicals used in the production and processing of slide films. Bringing the new 400-speed color projection film to market is truly impressive.
3. Geography LomoChrome Turquoise
If you had asked me earlier this year which movie announcement I was most looking forward to, it would have been this announcement.
Lomography Turquoise is a popular gradation film first released in 2015. The film converts everyday colors into shades of deep emerald, cobalt and cyan, while shades of blue fade. into beautiful golden gradations.
Since it was discontinued in 2017, the reels have changed hands on eBay for ridiculous sums. If you’re sitting on a couple of reels waiting to kill, you may have missed your chance.
Lomography announced the return of Turquoise in November 2021 and wasted no time opening pre-orders in three formats: 35mm, 120 and 110. This time, it’s a whole new formula for the color. turquoise, so it will be interesting to see if there are any differences from the old version. Customers who received the film last November will receive the film in June 2022.
The full name of the film is LomoChrome Turquoise XR 100-400. Alike Lomography’s Purple Film, Turquoise is a mutable ISO film; you can evaluate it anywhere from ISO 100 to ISO 400 for different results. In the second half of 2022, I am hosting a Turquoise film contest and a community magazine through my podcast Matt loves the Camera.
2. CineStill 400D
It was difficult to decide who to pick in second and first place, but after much consideration, I placed the CineStill 400D in second place. Through their successful pre-order campaign, CineStill has confirmed that they are producing the 400D in large format 35mm, 120 and hopefully also 220.
Cinestill says that 400D is a new film that they have been developing over the years with their production partners around the world. In the FAQ on their website, CineStill says that it’s not a remjet-free repackaged stock of motion pictures, but it’s specifically designed for still photography. “This new film builds on the cutting-edge technology found in motion picture emulsions, and offers features specific to still image documentation in both the unexposed and processed states.”
As for the “dynamic” term in the title, CineStill claims that the 400D has “pretty great exposure latitude.” It can be exposed at EI 200 to EI 800 with normal processing and push processing up to EI 3200. On the box, there are very few checkboxes for you to label how many stops you have pushed the film: 1 stop. , 2 stops, or 3 stops. That’s right, this movie is practically begging you to push it.
When this film was announced, I immediately ordered 20 rolls. I’m happy, my order arrived from California at the end of May, and I’ve already spun two reels.
Hot My first roll in my Fujfilm Klasse S at box speed. I love the images from this scroll; The film seems to have a soothing color palette compared to other color negatives on the market. Many of the images on the reels have subtle and not-so-subtle fanfare.
Several photographers have commented on my images to say that the 400D resembles the Kodak Vision3 250D.
The second reel I took was my favorite. I put an ISO 1600 sticker on it and shot it through my Fujifilm Natura Black f/1.9. I asked my lab to push it to two stops, and the results look amazing. I look forward to shooting more. Maybe this will become my favorite movie by the end of 2022.
1) Adox 200 . Color Quest
In first place is the impressive Adox Color Mission 200. Here’s another surprise announcement: a new color film coated by one of Adox’s partners before they went bust. The film has been kept in cold storage until its release in March 2022.
Adox is selling the film to fund the research and development of an entirely new color film over the next few years. They claim to have enough of the Color Quest until that new movie is in production, but that’s before everyone completely rushes to buy out the first batch, so who knows how long it will last. .
What makes me give this photo number one is the rich vibrant colors you can capture: mint green, red-orange, deep blues and oranges. The movie doesn’t have a great dynamic range, so it’s interesting to compare it to the Cinestill 400D.
I love the four Color Mission reels I’ve shot so far, and I look forward to spinning many more. My first two reels were shot on a Contax G1 camera, and my second two reels were shot on a high-end point-and-shoot camera. Usually, highlights are a bit bright, with some images looking like cross-processed slide shows.
So what do you think about how I rate new movie announcements? Have you shot any of these movies yet? I’d love to know your thoughts below.
