AGFA Vista 400

<p>AGFA Vista 400--discontinued a couple years ago yet this has become a new favourite film in the last few months!</p>

<p>Vista 400 is is VERY grainy but sharp and very saturated--it reacts strongly to primary colours like blues and reds. it renders some artificial lights (haven't figured out what they are yet) green that my fuji films have rendered orange/white. </p>

<p>my humble brick of Vista expired in 2006 (i think) but has been cold stored and seems to be processing just fine. Feel free to post any of your AGFA photos!</p>

<p>examples: </p>

<p><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2585/3698124565_a6188c3589_b.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="704" /></p>

<p><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2436/3697597985_c22071bc4b_b.jpg" alt="" width="679" height="1024" /></p>

<p><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2665/3697585285_b0626e1fb6_b.jpg" alt="" width="679" height="1024" /></p>

<p><img src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs084.snc1/4892_93860873977_638133977_2016925_1510278_n.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="604" /></p>

<p><img src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs130.snc1/5580_98656018977_638133977_2097840_5198749_n.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="604" /></p>

<p><img src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs150.snc1/5580_100808648977_638133977_2132410_4182023_n.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="604" /></p>

 

<p>Honestly, I always found Agfa film to be rather "grainy" by Kodak and US standards, but for a fairly recent film, I'm surprised that your example is so close to the Ansco (née Agfa) GAF 500 film of the 1970s.</p><div></div>

<p>oh yeah, that DOES look very similar from what i can see at this size. AGFA was always rebadging cameras, it wouldn't surprise me if they were rebadging film too!</p>

<p>i agree the vista's grainy as hell! i would never use this for a paid gig or 'normal' look but i think it's really fun. i like films that proudly brandish the fact that they are not digital and i think vista does that loud and clear! </p>

<p>Well, Agfa owned Ansco until into WWII, when it was taken over by the "Enemy Property Custodian".</p>

<p>Despite the imposed divorce, I sense there was still some contact between the two companies, and I was almost wondering if the technology of the Agfa film was rejuvenated or reanimated from the GAF film, in this case. Sort of Franken-film?</p>

<p>So as not to seem to be misrepresenting anything, GAF 500 had fresh from processing a strong magenta cast, which, in the example given above, I have corrected. I was merely commenting on the grain, not the color cast of the two films....</p>

<p>It has been my misfortune to fall in love w/ Agfa film just as they went kaput.</p><div></div>

<p>Nice shots Johnny. I love Agfa for its grain. Grain is why I shoot film these days. Nice colors. I used to shoot a lot of Agfa film (but then I worked for the US distributor some years ago). I've been wondering if the Rollei Digibase E-6 is a remake of Agfa. I've been meaning to test it. I thought I hear Arista also had an E-6 film.</p>

<p>Michael,</p>

<p>Agfa-Gevaert is producing color negative and color reversal film. Have a look at <a href="http://www.agfa.com">www.agfa.com</a>. They are primarily producing color film for aerial photo and movie film.<br>

Agfa-Gevaert in Belgium is the third big film manufacturer behind Kodak and Fuji, and bigger than Lucky in China AFAIK.</p>

<p>We as "normal" photographers can buy two of their color films from their current programme, both under the Rollei-Film brand: Rollei DigiBase CN 200 (color negative film without orange mask; this film has a look like the films of the seventies, unique stuff).<br>

And Rollei DigiBase CR 200: E6 color reversal film. That is the original Agfa RSX II 200 emulsion, but coated on a PET base. A film with very natural colors.</p>

<p>see:<br>

http://www.agfaphoto.com/appc/content_manager/page.php?ID=195501&dbc=3d5a55f99216da2ab9be9061049f28e6</p>

<p>Brian,</p>

<p>"AgfaPhoto" is a complete different thing: The company behind is "AgfaPhoto Holding" in Germany. They didn't get in insolvency, but AgfaPhoto production in Leverkusen, Germany did.</p>

<p>AgfaPhoto Holding is licensing the name "AgfaPhoto" (not the brand "Agfa" !! Agfa is Agfa-Gevaert in Belgium) to the company "Lupus Imaging" in Germany, and Lupus Imaging sells AgfaPhoto Vista CN films. But the current AgfaPhoto Vista films have nothing to do with the original Agfa Vista films. AgfaPhoto Vista is stuff from Ferrania in Italy, looking completely different compared to original Agfa Vista.</p>

<p>And current AgfaPhoto Precisa slide film is looking like Kodak Elitechrome 100. Kodak is in the private label business for some years now. In Europe even some drug store chains are selling Kodak Elitechrome under their house brand.</p>

<p>Thanks for the information. I know know that all Agfa is not the same.<br>

Also I read that Ferrania in Italy had stopped making all film at the end of 2008. If this is true will we see a new version of "Agfa" films in th future?</p>

<blockquote>

<p>"Agfa-Gevaert in Belgium is the third big film manufacturer behind Kodak and Fuji, and bigger than Lucky in China AFAIK."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Didn't Kodak buy Lucky a couple of years ago? I know I remember reading several posts about that, right here on this forum...</p>

<p>@Brian:<br>

The information that Ferrania stopped production last year is wrong. They are still producing. But I doubt that they can compete with Kodak, Fuji, Agfa and Lucky in the long term.<br>

And then we will see a different film in the AgfaPhoto boxes sold by Lupus Imaging.</p>

<p>@ R.T. Dowling:<br>

Kodak hold 20% (AFAIK) of the Lucky Shares some years ago, but they never completely owned the Lucky company.<br>

But in the meanwhile Kodak has sold all their Lucky shares. Lucky is independant from Kodak.</p>

<p>Anyone know where Agfa Vista 400 might be available in the US?</p>

<p>wow, all this is confusing. and on another topic it's been said rollei is releasing an agfa 800 film? very confusing stuff...</p>

 

<p>Butt-ugly film that got what it deserved. Atrocious grain, high-contrast, blocked up colours--gorgeous! Doesn't the OP knock Superia 800's "grain" in another recent thread? You'd have to work to get Superia 800 to look as bad as Vista on a good day. Vista always printed like it was massively under-exposed and looked like a minilab malfunction even when properly handled. Recall that Agfa had a short, inglorious career supplying "Kirkland" film to Costco in Canada--customers and lab staff loathed the stuff. RIP Agfa Vista 400--thankfully.</p>

<p>Studio 35 film from Walgreens used to be Agfa Vista. I have some scans of it in my portfolio. A few years ago, Walgreens started using a Japanese film for their Studio 35. We all assume it is Fuji, but we don't really know what it is. If it is Fuji, it may not be Superia. For all we know, it may be scraps they sweep up off the floor. </p>

<p>Fuji has done store brand films for years, so the scraps are likely Superia. Usually--but not always--it's a trailing edge consumer emulsion that's used;however, it could very likely now be current Superia now since Fuji doesn't seem to be tweeking its consumer materials as frequently as it once did. The biggest problem with store brand I see now is freshness: cheapo print film just collects dust.</p>

<p>I was in a camera shop yesterday, and they had a nice selection of film. I noticed they had 2 types of Fuji 200. The 36 rolls said Superia 200, while the 24 rolls said Fujicolor 200 ( no Superia ). Does Fuji have 200 film that is NOT Superia? Is this what they use for store brand product? </p>

<p>The edge codes on developed negs and/or packaging usually tell all, e.g., CZ for ISO 800 Superia--the Fuji site(s) list these in their descriptions of the various Superias. I'm not aware of any other Fuji ISO200 film. I do know that Fuji packaging varies globally and that such films circulate widely. Superia films are usually available in 24/36 exposure rolls with 24 being the most common.</p>

<p>Are you cross processing that film Johnny? The colors seem weirder than the normally weird Agfa colors.</p>

<p>I think you can still buy Agfa Vista on the lomography site, but it isn't cheap.</p>

<p><a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/10-x-Agfa-Vista-200-Film-35mm-135-36-Color-Negative_W0QQitemZ130314947053QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1e576049ed&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12|66%3A2|39%3A1|72%3A1205|293%3A1|294%3A50">http://cgi.ebay.com/10-x-Agfa-Vista-200-Film-35mm-135-36-Color-Negative_W0QQitemZ130314947053QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1e576049ed&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12|66%3A2|39%3A1|72%3A1205|293%3A1|294%3A5</a> <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/10-x-Agfa-Vista-200-Film-35mm-135-36-Color-Negative_W0QQitemZ130314947053QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1e576049ed&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12|66%3A2|39%3A1|72%3A1205|293%3A1|294%3A50">0</a><br>

Is this the film featured in this thread, beacuse i love the terrible look of it.</p>

<p>I have shot Studio 35 ( Vista ) in 200 and 400. My Nikon scanner just chewed it up, fixed it, and spit out nice pictures. Maybe the scanner and software are more important than the film. </p>