EFKE/Fotokemika now completely gone!

[Fotohuis]

This is what you are going to miss:
Efke R25 E.I. 25 in Rodinal 1+50
C.V. Bessa III 667

 

[Highway 61]

Great greyscale but I still can't see why this couldn't be achieved with FP4+ or Fomapan 100.

I recently shot FP4+ in 120 and developed it in Rodinal 1+50 and the result was very nice.

And I suspect the result had been the very same had the film been developed in D76 1+1.

 

[Fotohuis]

If you're going to print on an enlarger you know what you're going to miss. It's an irriplacable film.
And indeed: It's very easy to reproduce nice Grey tones on Efke films.

Made yesterday along the border of the river Maas in Holland.

 

[KoNickon]

Very sad to see Fotokemika bite the dust, not least of all because they were the only ones still making 127. It would be great if Ilford spooled 127!

To paraphrase John Adams on his deathbed, "But Adox still lives...."

 

[Fotohuis]

Adox is the brand name of Fotoimpex. All their Adox CHS films are 1:1 Efke compatible and for their Ortho film depending on Fotokemika too.

Rollei discontinued their PAN 25 (v2, also Efke 25) in favor of the Retro 80S from Agfa Gevaert. About Ortho, the same problem. Also the Retro 100 TONAL ( a modified Efke 100 emulsion, made Orthopan) can not be continued.

Impex can only pack and cutting things. For coating they are 100% depending on Inoviscoat which screwed up their last attempt in Pan 400 films. If you do not have a large production experience it's very difficult to set up a new production line.

Maybe better to look at some Russian photo suppliers for Ortho film now (Slavich or Tasma).

 

[Roger Hicks]

Well, I think you are right. I don't know much about emulsions to really tell whether silver rich is the same as any other. What I do know is that Efke 25 gives me bucket loads of tonality with minimal grain when stand developed. Is the tonality due to more silver in the emulsion? If it is, then I will go with any other film that gives me more of the same quality. Suggestions anyone?

'Fraid not. It's SO personal. Keith loves Acros. I loathe it. I suspect this is because he had better experiences with it straight off than I did: I had to try several developers and development regimes before I found anything I could even begin to like. No doubt I could have got better results with more persistence, but after 10 rolls of Acros I decided that I preferred Delta 100 (sharper, if grainier; nicer tonality for me) and that as the Ilford material was a lot more forgiving, there was no reason to persist with Acros. And, for pure tonality at that speed, I prefer plain vanilla cubic-crystal to epitaxial and tabular anyway: Foma 200.

Neither of us is right or wrong. It's all a compromise, along with a generous dash of alchemy.

Incidentally, in identical 'normal' developers such as ID11/D76, Acros is around ISO 80 or a little faster and Fomapan 200 around ISO 125 or a little faster. Delta 100 is closer to 100.

Cheers,

R.

 

[sevo]

For coating they are 100% depending on Inoviscoat which screwed up their last attempt in Pan 400 films.

While they seem to rely heavily on the expertise and staff of Inoviscoat, they own a small scale lab coater (the former Agfa R&D), located in their own premises off Berlin. The Inoviscoat machine at Monheim is huge - too huge for many more fancy products at least at the current pricing structure.

 

[Ezzie]

I'm finding Acros to be a remarkable film tonality wise at the moment ... but who knows how long that will be around! 🙁

My favouirite 100 speed film going too? I'm starting to regret getting up this morning.

 

[Fotohuis]

The smallest coating plant had Efke for a minimum of 6000-8000 films. At the current pricing structure they can not make enough profit to maintain their machinery. Talking about IR820, Efke 25/50, Retro 100 TONAL, Ortho 25, ATO all special films in the market.
If they can not do it with all expertise of years and with re-cycled Silver from local suppliers any new attempt to produce such films will be a failure.

The reason that Fotokemika collapsed is that Impex made for example their own roll film assy, Freestyle put the prices of Efke products too low and due to higher energy costs and Silver prices Efke could not compete anymore with the multinationals.

Special products, special prices but an Efke 25 is much cheaper then an Ilford PAN F+ film. Regular price in Holland Eur. 6,50 Efke 25 Eur. 3,75. But we all know that asking Eur. 6,50 for an Efke 25 film the demand will be at a real minimum. Maybe they forgot the marketing too.

 

[sevo]

My favouirite 100 speed film going too?

Nobody knows - it would be rather odd if Fujifilm abandoned film for good, given their strong domestic market. And black and white is a fairly stable market segment and has not shrunk that much from its production figures of ten or twenty years ago, compared to the huge slump colour had to take - so it should be the easiest to produce at a profit.

 

[dcsang]

Oh no.. no.. not this... 🙁

*scurries off to B&H to grab what is remaining*

Dave

 

[sevo]

Maybe they forgot the marketing too.

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.

 

[Roger Hicks]

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.

Ouch. Frighteningly close to the analysis I'd have made if I weren't so afraid of treading on toes.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Keith]

Sadly my heritage is Croatian ... when my bulk order of EFKE gets here it'll be like a package from my ancestors! 😛

On a different note I got an email from Marv Keller at Freestyle this morning letting me know they are one 100ft roll short of KB100 on my order but will have more stock on the 7th September.

I seriously advise anyone thinking of ordering some Efke film to get it under way ... I can't see them getting much after the 7th! It's not Kodachrome but I do think people who have used and loved this film will be stocking up and supplies will disappear relatively quickly.

 

[Keith]

Oh ... and if anyone has anymore Efke pics to post in this thread while we 'wimper' ... that would be nice! 🙂

 

[Keith]

'Fraid not. It's SO personal. Keith loves Acros. I loathe it. I suspect this is because he had better experiences with it straight off than I did: I had to try several developers and development regimes before I found anything I could even begin to like. No doubt I could have got better results with more persistence, but after 10 rolls of Acros I decided that I preferred Delta 100 (sharper, if grainier; nicer tonality for me) and that as the Ilford material was a lot more forgiving, there was no reason to persist with Acros. And, for pure tonality at that speed, I prefer plain vanilla cubic-crystal to epitaxial and tabular anyway: Foma 200.

Neither of us is right or wrong. It's all a compromise, along with a generous dash of alchemy.

Incidentally, in identical 'normal' developers such as ID11/D76, Acros is around ISO 80 or a little faster and Fomapan 200 around ISO 125 or a little faster. Delta 100 is closer to 100.

Cheers,

R.

Hi Roger,

It's very true what you say and halfway through my 100ft roll of Acros I was thinking "This stuff is crap ... what do people see in it?"

Then I shot some in very strong light and developed it in Rodinal and finally saw where it's strengths lie. I won't be getting any more because LP100 is long gone from Freestyle and individual (36 exp) rolls of the genuine thing are more than I'm prepared to pay.

The slower emulsions seem to be the ones that I have trouble settling on ... my favourite to date has been Rollei Retro 100. I liked that from the beginning of the 100ft roll to the end ... and that's gone too!

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Oh ... and if anyone has anymore Efke pics to post in this thread while we 'wimper' ... that would be nice! 🙂

Efke 100, 35mm, in Rodinal 1+50

 

[jonmanjiro]

Oh ... and if anyone has anymore Efke pics to post in this thread while we 'wimper' ... that would be nice! 🙂

Taken with Efke 25 🙂


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

Taken with Efke 100

犬様散歩 - Nikkor-N 5cm 1:1.1 by jonmanjiro, on Flickr

 

[Keith]

The coolest of the 'cool' ... love it! 😀

 

[Retrotech68]

Gentlemen,
I just read through all the post on this thread. This is very sad, or to put it mildly, seriously bad news. I got used to KB-100 over the last year and really, really like the stuff! :bang:
Besides, I am also a happy user of their 127 film (a format bound to vanish as such, for no other manufacturer makes it - that means one has to "adapt" 120 from now onwards).

Alex