Anyone who chooses film photography for their first reason is not to slow down their process, but to experience the richness of colors. With film being the main ingredient in analog photography, there are a handful of brands, like Ilford, Kodak, and Fujifilm are some brands that are launching new negative. Join this list is now Harman Technology, one of the world’s leading producers of analogue photographic film and darkroom products in the United Kingdom, whose new film will excite photographers.
Per their press release, the new film is called Phoenix II, which has ISO 200, and is a color negative available in 35mm and 120 format. This is a major milestone as the negative was the first ever negative made entirely from emulsion to cassette in Mobberley, UK.
Phoenix II has been anticipated for a very long time, as it is the successor to Harman Phoenix, which was launched in December 2023. In fact, the new model has been said to be a completely re-engineered negative built from scratch. We even spoke to Zeb Andrews, General Manager at Blue Moon Camera, who confirmed how unique the film is. “I’ve heard some people speculate on whether it’s repackaged Kodak, but it’s not. It doesn’t look like any other film on the market, and HARMAN has completely made it in their own factories. It doesn’t seem to have a lot of latitude due to that contrast.”
The Phoenix 200 II, on the other hand, takes this a step further. It is created using the C41 process, making it compatible with most commercial labs, and is said to deliver “punchy, vibrant colours.” It features new dyes, couplers, and even an experimental layer construct, showcasing its new chemistry. The film is also an important part of the company’s own new R&D segment, where they aim to use the profit to further develop colour film development projects.
“Harman Phoenix represented a significant milestone in the long history of our company and was a solid starting point on our colour journey,” said Greg Summers, Managing Director at HARMAN. “Since then, our teams have been working very hard behind the scenes, taking what we have learnt, alongside valuable feedback from the film community, to further develop, optimise and refine this into a brand-new film.”
What Harman is doing currently is nothing short of empowering. With the final samples looking exceptional, it gives one hope that film photography is here to stay in a digital era. If you are convinced and want to purchase the film, head to Harman’s website.
Sample Images
