EFKE/Fotokemika now completely gone!

[Papercut]

I guess I'll try to order a couple 100 ft tins of Efke 25 from Freestyle in a few days. I like Efke 25.

 

[rxmd]

I suppose they could have sold it at a sufficiently high price with the right marketing. The Impossible Project does manage to sell worse films for more. But with the Croatian collective psyche currently set upon tossing all old-fashioned Yugoslavian relics and being as modern and European as possible, even recognizing that they have a valuable traditional product may be impossible - and if you yourself don't value it, you cannot market it.

I'm not sure. Harman is already doing that with Ilford and it works because they have a dealer network and higher volumes and are a well-known traditional brand already. Establishing yourself as a traditional product in peoples' consciousness takes marketing expenses that Efke simply doesn't have if they can't even get their paper coating machine repaired.

I don't think the post-Yugoslav mindset has anything to do with it, just look at established Slovenian brands such as Gorenje or Lek (now bought by Sandoz), they started off as Yugoslav brands and then managed the transition - and the Slovenians have no more love for everything Yugoslav than the Croatians.

The Impossible Project gets away with it because they have no competition at all, and because Polaroid photography is much better suited to tapping hipsters' pockets than mere traditional B&W photography.

 

[Argenticien]

It's just occured to me that if Fujifilm continues with their general trend of discontinuing emulsions at the rate they have been Ilford could finish up virtually controlling the film market ... I have no faith in Kodak continuing as Kodak sorry!

I seriously don't like Ilford's various film emulsions enough for that to be viable for me and I would prefer the scenario of someone picking up EK's production facilities and calling it whatever they want ... just keep making the damned stuff!

Oh I don't know if Ilford are such bad guys. Kodak were infamous for not heeding market forces; Ilford take orders annually for custom ULF film runs. Which would you rather deal with? My impression was Ilford generally are trying to take care of the hobbyist/artist market and are dedicated to film. As to pricing, I hate monopolists as much as the next guy does, but if at some point the other makers have all found their way to ruin (or a market exit to avoid same) at current pricing, then ("DUH!") maybe the survivor's (Ilford's) pricing needs to be higher if we want to have even one viable film provider. I don't relish that but it's better than all our cameras being bricked by lack of film.

--Dave

 

[Chris101]

Now I have TWO orphaned IR films in my fridge. HIE, move over, make room.

 

[sykotec]

2 boxes of PL25 in 4x5 and 20 rolls of R25 in 120 should be on the way from B&H, assuming the online ordering system was right about that 'in stock' thing.

Wish I could afford to stock up more, maybe after a posting in the classifieds this weekend. Also wish B&H had the Aura IR820 in 4x5 in stock - Freestyle does, but I'd rather not have IR film shipped cross-country in this heat.

 

[dogbunny]

I've read a few places on the Internet that some Adox films are the the same emulsions as some Efke films. Can someone here confirm this? Which ones? Will this effect Adox production as well?

Thanks,

db

 

[rxmd]

I've read a few places on the Internet that some Adox films are the the same emulsions as some Efke films. Can someone here confirm this? Which ones? Will this effect Adox production as well?

Adox CHS 25, CHS 50 and CHS 100. If Efke films disappear, all three of them will disappear, too.

 

[loquax ludens]

I guess I'll try to order a couple 100 ft tins of Efke 25 from Freestyle in a few days. I like Efke 25.

The 100 foot bulk rolls of KB25 were sold out several days ago. The 50 and 100 ASA bulk rolls are gone now too.

You'll need to watch for the last shipment, if/when it arrives, and buy fast and furious if you want to get any.

The KB25 is extremely popular. The 50 and 100 should last a little longer than the 25.

 

[GaryLH]

Excuse my French, but FCUK! I've just started a love affair with Efke R25! Need to stockpile the stuff pretty pronto.

+1 🙁

Need to stock up on more film and chemistry.

Gary

 

[chippy]

Taken with Efke 25 🙂


Smokey - Nikkor-N 5cm 1:1.1 by jonmanjiro, on Flickr

Taken with Efke 100

blooody hell! that guy in the middle is keen on his smoking eh! only has one lung left, his right side lung, and he still wont give it up

ya can tell cos the smoke is just pouring out his right side nostril , dead givaway , good on him, everyone hates a quitter 😀


cheers
chippy

 

[Keith]

blooody hell! that guy in the middle is keen on his smoking eh! only has one lung left, his right side lung, and he still wont give it up

ya can tell cos the smoke is just pouring out his right side nostril , dead givaway , good on him, everyone hates a quitter 😀


cheers
chippy

I heard he clogged the left nostril up snorting lines of washing powder through a rolled up Leica warranty card 😀

 

[Fotohuis]

Apart from Adox CHS 25-50-100 also the Ortho 25 films from Adox and Rollei. Also the Rollei retro 100 TONAL is involved. It's an Efke 100 film, made Orthopan (like Efke 25/50).

The 127 roll film formats too: Efke 100 and Retro 80S in 127 roll film.

Here a 6x7cm example of the Retro 100 TONAL, C.V. Bessa III 667:

 

[pakeha]

I suppose they could have sold it at a sufficiently high price with the right marketing. The Impossible Project does manage to sell worse films for more. But with the Croatian collective psyche currently set upon tossing all old-fashioned Yugoslavian relics and being as modern and European as possible, even recognizing that they have a valuable traditional product may be impossible - and if you yourself don't value it, you cannot market it.

Sad but probably true perspective..and also sad is that a bunch of people are gonna lose their jobs.

 

[Fotohuis]

Official for Europe:

Price increase on all films, 1 rst of September 2012 Fuji and Kodak, resp. 20% - 10%.
I am sure Ilford / Harman will follow soon.

Situation for Efke in Holland: No more supply anymore. What is on stock rests till it's finished. All bulk film is already sold out. A few IR820 films left. A few Rollei Retro 80S 127 roll films in backorder. In Samobor 45mm pancakes of Retro 80S are still waiting for 127 roll film assembly.

Some Retro 100 TONAL also left. I do not think there is much in the pipeline worldwide.

 

[Rico]

Taken with Efke 25 🙂

Lens hood as ashtray: never seen that before. Makes me want to take up smoking. 🙂

 

[Keith]

Official for Europe:

Price increase on all films, 1 rst of September 2012 Fuji and Kodak, resp. 20% - 10%.
I am sure Ilford / Harman will follow soon.

Situation for Efke in Holland: No more supply anymore. What is on stock rests till it's finished. All bulk film is already sold out. A few IR820 films left. A few Rollei Retro 80S 127 roll films in backorder. In Samobor 45mm pancakes of Retro 80S are still waiting for 127 roll film assembly.

Some Retro 100 TONAL also left. I do not think there is much in the pipeline worldwide.

Surely at some point there is going to be some good news to post about film! 😛

 

[haempe]

Damned! This is such a bad message, I do not even know what to say ...
I had just finished to get used to the KB100 as a successor to the APX100 ...
And no money in the pocket to fill the freezer instantly...

Really, really bad.

 

[Highway 61]

Here a 6x7cm example of the Retro 100 TONAL, C.V. Bessa III 667:

I'm sorry but I still can't get what's in this picture which couldn't be achieved with some Fomapan 100, which renders greens quite this way.

Not wanting to play the mooche's bug here but those Efke films weren't such terrific and unreplaçable products IMO.

If they had been, Efke would have become the film market leader, but this didn't happen.

Of course this is sad to see those films go away, and the offer getting narrower.

But I think that the actual disaster for the B&W film photo industry would be the demise of Foma because this will be, IMO, the only "serious" alternative to Ilford when Ilford dominates the market eventually.

I had just finished to get used to the KB100 as a successor to the APX100 ...

It's still quite easily possible to buy some original APX100 packs, especially in Germany.

 

[haempe]

It's still quite easily possible to buy some original APX100 packs, especially in Germany.

You are right, I know, but not available in bulk (I'm using Ixmoo-cassettes nearly exclusive).

 

[Fotohuis]

Fotokemika was a special player in the market because they could produce a small amount of special films: IR820, IR820 aura, Ortho 25, Retro 100 TONAL.

And do special confectioning, 127 roll film format.

Fomapan 100 is a good all round panchromatic film but in resolution limited till 110lp/mm while Tonal is getting 170lp/mm because I has been made orthopan. Very nice when enlarging over 40x50cm.