Are the Agfa APX films officially dead?

[jnovek]

APX 100 is getting harder and harder to find. The only place that I know of that has 100' bulk rolls is

Ultrafine ( http://ultrafineonline.com/agapx100fi35.html ). I had seen rumblings on PN that someone was going

to do a new coating of this stuff back in January. Were those just unsubstantiated rumors?

[erik_hattrem]

Its a nice film, but newer films from Kodak and Fuji ar even better, so i dont care anymore:)

[Mike Gammill]

Arista II from Freestyle is APX, but I think they are down to individually boxed rolls now rather than bulk. Also, Rollei Retro 100 is the same as APX 100, but at a higher price. The supply of it may be limited, though.

[pc_b]

Adox will produce new runs of APX 100 and 400 (probably both 135 and 120 formats) very soon and call them Adox

ADX100/400.

It will be manufactured on the original machines with the original formulae and by the same ex-Agfa technicians.

Distribution channels will be www.fotoimpex.de and www.retrophotographic.com.

Rollei is out of Retro 100 in 120 format.

Cheers, Pete

[karl_french1]

That's good to know APX100 was one of my favorite films.

[alan_rockwood]

PCB,

 

I thought I had read somewhere in the internet that the Agfa coating machines had all been sold off for scrap, so are you sure they are going to use the original machines? Of course we all know that it must be true if it was posted on the internet somewhere.

[jim_appleyard]

I've also read where the machines were scrapped and even the building torn down. It has been my understanding that Adox doesn't make anything; only another name for Efke. If that's the case, I sure hope QC is better.

[spanky]

I think the final curtain call for APX was several years ago when agfa went under. I did purchase about 80 120 rolls of APX 100 shortly thereafter. Once those were gone I tried Rollei Retro 100 but found it was similar to APX but not quite the same. Developed in Rodinal 1+50 for 13 minutes as I did for APX 100 I found the base to be a little thicker and somewhat less tonality with the Rollei film. APX 100 was my favorite medium speed film.

[leicaglow]

I think there was a thread here with words like "film use on the rise" or something like that. It was in regards to Photokina, and it pointed to a report about films on another website. I thought they mentioned that this film was being made again under another brand, like a licensing deal.

[christer_almqvist2]

Jim,

 

your understanding that "Adox doesn't make anything" is wrong.

 

The name ADOX was/is a registered trademark and thus protected. It has a history of ownership changes. The

penultimate owner did not renew the registration when it run out a couple of years ago and anybody who wanted could

register the name again on a first come first served basis. The owner of Photoimpex in Berlin (google!) had realized this and re-

registered it. If he did so in his own name or via a holding, that I do not know, but the trade mark office records are

official and not secret.

 

Photoimpex (or subsidiary or a holding or whatever) also bought some of the old Agfa manufacturing equipment. For

example they bought the machines used by Agfa to produce test run quantities of photographic paper, the market

obviously being non-existent for large production run equipment. They have installed this equipment near Berlin and are

producing paper which they sell under the ADOX name. Staff from the old Agfa factory are deeply involved in the production, but I do not

knowl if they are employees or consultants.

 

 

I have just bought the ADOX paper, but I have so far only made a few test strips for calibration purposes. I am very pleased with the very

white white and the very deep black.

[jim_appleyard]

Thank you for the info. If Agfa paper is back, hopefully film will be as well.

[machts gut]

My canary bird is dead, for almost 20 years now and my greek turtle is also dead, but I never heard of dead film, nor living film either.

[chris_waller]

Retro Photographic, of the UK, are still selling it.

 

http://www.retrophotographic.com/agfafilm.htm

[Vlad Soare]

Stefan, one feature that distinguishes English from other languages (at least from those I

know) is its capability to assign an extreme multitude of meanings to one single word. Many (probably all)

languages make use of homonyms, but it seems to me that English beats them all by far. <br>

If you look at <a href=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dead><u>this</u></a> page, the ninth definition

reads <i>"no longer current or prevalent"</i>. This could apply to discontinued products. Also, if we look it up

in the thesaurus we'll find <a href=http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/dead><u>here</u></a>, in the first

paragraph, the synonym "extinct", whose second definition <a

href=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/extinct><u>here</u></a> reads <i>"no longer in use; obsolete"</i>.

One might argue that a discontinued film is not literally "no longer in use", because people might have it

stocked in their refrigerators and still use it, but I'm sure that many English speaking folks would have no

problem in describing a discontinued product as "extinct".<br>

;-)

[thirteenthumbs]

<a href=http://agfaphoto.com/appc/index.php>AgfaPhoto</a>. <a href=http://www.lupus-imaging-

media.com/content/view/77/58/lang,en/>Lupus Imaging</a>.

[rothelle]

Agfa APX were great when they were out but now as time has past I went back to Plus-X, Tri-X. HP5+ and FP4+ and that is it.I tried all the Rollei and films that wanted to be like it but it was not. I moved on and if it did came back I would not run and drop m=the films I'm using now. In my mind and heart Agfa died and thats about it. Life gos on.

[pc_b]

I'm amazed how supposedly serious photogs claim Rollei Retro was not like Agfa APX.

It is a fact that Rollei Retro simply _was/is_ rebadged APX.

 

"Agfa APX were great when they were out but now as time has past I went back to Plus-X, Tri-X." ..?

 

Did APX wear out, or did it get out of fashion? It was very easy to fill one's freezer at bargain prices...

During the production of the APXs Tri-X and Plus-X were each changed at least once, if not twice (Tri-X), so how

can one 'go back' to those now-different films?

 

I find it great to (still) have two more quality bw-films to choose from. After all, they both differ quite a bit

from Kodak's and Ilford's classical/conventional emulsions.

 

For reintroducting (Agfa's) MCP paper ADOX (or whoever precisely) deserve high praise and I wish them profitable

business with it.

(Wrong forum, I know).

 

Cheers, Pete

[wolf_rainer_schmalfuss]

The AGFA APX as well as the SCALA are in Germany regularly and reliably offered in mail-order shops.

 

Here is a link: http://macodirect.de/agfa-13536br10-filme-p-144.html

 

Since the package with 10 ea. APX cost around 15 Euros, which is currently a price under 20 USD equivalent. The SCALA can also be easily delivered. As far as I know, German mail-order shops delivering also to the USA. Insofar as my inquiries in Cologne at the Photokina noted, will be especially the AGFA APX 100 and 400, and the SCALA, as 35mm packaged without any quantity restrictions, and sold relatively cheaply.

 

Another information is on the ROLLEI RETRO as roll film 120. These are 1:1 identical with the AGFA APX films, were coated in 2005 at last in Leverkusen/Germany, and therefore correspond to the last improved quality. It may well be varitations in processing times with these roll films.

 

Cheers

[christer_almqvist2]

It think it would be appropriate for WRS to declare his connection with MACO when pushing that company.

 

A google search shows the following

 

*Wolf Rainer Schmalfuss*

Technical Adviser

*MACO PHOTO PRODUCTS*

Hans O. Mahn & Co. KG

Brookstieg 4

22145 Hamburg-Stapelfeld/Germany

Fone: +49 (0) 40 23 70 08-88

Fax: +49 (0) 40 23 70 08-488_*

*_E-mail: _*photo@xxxxxxxx*_

Web: _*http://www.mahn.net*_

_*http://www.rolleifilm.de*_

_*http://www.macodirect.de*_

Handelregister Luebeck HRA 2205 RE

USt.-ID-No. DE1188123098

Komplementaerin: MAHN Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH

Geschäftsfuehrer: Thomas Mahn

Handelregister Luebeck HRB 7794 HL

[wolf_rainer_schmalfuss]

Hi Christer,

 

is it not sportsman like, if I openly and unreservedly post helpful informations? Under open mention of my name?

 

Do you recognize any problem in the veracity of my informations?

 

Cheers

 

WRS

[erik_hattrem]

I will say thanks to WRS, who gave me a link to a fantastic webshop, i buyed items for 100EUR straight away. I have in my own stock APX100 from the last run and Rollei Retro 100 in 120 format and APX100 in 135-format. For me, it looks like the Rollei Retro 100 in 120-format is cut from the 125-masterroll. Rollei Retro 100 in 120-format curls like hell and is very difficult to use in a flatbedscanner. Only wetscan is a solution for that film in 120-format. The apx100 in 120 format is not curling at all.

[lex_jenkins]

Christer, those of us who have been here awhile are usually well aware of the business affiliations of our membership. We welcome those who participate constructively, as Wolf has always done.

 

I have always welcomed the expertise of industry representatives who participate according to photo.net guidelines and who do not merely post self-serving comments. We all benefit from their participation. I prefer not to make them feel unwelcome merely because they have industry connections.

 

Please leave the moderation to the moderators. If you have concerns please address them to me privately via e-mail or to the site administrators.

[walter_ivenz]

Hello anybody,

let me say something about the successor of the legendary APX-Films:

The "photoimpex"-company stated in her last ordering catalogue that there will be NO new "ADOX"-Films in the future,

because "the original Agfa APX-Films will be available years long". So Fotoimpex will not investing money in the film-branch.

Agfa APX 135 or Rollei Retro 135 as well as 120 films are available through continental-europe by ordering-shops e.g.macodirect.de.Since some weeks you can order also in english language. The maco-company is shipping your orders

throughout the world.

Grettings from Austria!

Walter

[sal_santamaura]

After reading the immediately preceeding post, I asked Mirko about it. Here is his reply:

 

<A HREF="http://www.apug.org/forums/692440-post88.html">Adox post</A>

[mirko_boeddecker2]

The APX project is not stopped at all. While there is an infinite amount of APX 100 still in the channel (an

alternative place to order them would be www.fotoimpexshop.de) the APX 400 is coming soon to an end.

So we are currently working on the APX 400. As a matter of fact we had samples at our stand at Photokina to show

them to the public.

These samples were coated on a scientific machine but showed a full build up of layers except for the

anti-halation layer. We are not quite there yet. The blue and red sensitization needs to be calibrated a bit more

to match the original and we are lacking about 15% in speed. We are currently working on this.

 

We cannot compete with the bankruptcy stock. No one can make a quality film in Europe at the price of below 1,50

EUR. Once these films are out of the channel we start preparing the first runs. This will probably be as soon as

the first half of 2009.

 

We are aware of the fact that there is a demand for sheetfilm already existing but we need a certain volume to

justify a production run and this volume can only be achieved by making 35mm, 120 and sheetfilm at a time (we can

switch supports during a coating). 35mm is by far the largest part in this equation, so it is crucial for us to

have this market available.

The APX 100 films will expire in one and a half years. The question is if there are customers willing to pay 2,90

EUR for a roll of recreated fresh film while there are outdated films around at by then probably 99 cents. Any

feedback to this question is highly welcomed.

 

If you have any further questions about how we do this or the machinery of the Agfa plant just ask.

 

Kind regards,

 

Mirko

 

ADOX