[jzietman]

Seeing so many beautiful shots here using agfa apx 100/400 and the equivalent rollei retro films, and seeing as I've a nice big bottle of Rodinal, I'd love to get my hands on some. But BH, Adorama, and Freestyle don't seem to have any. I know Agfa recently was re-launched in North America, though maybe films haven't hit shelves yet. What about the Rollei Retro?

Thanks,
Jack

[RawheaD]

What do you mean?

Black & White Film 120 & 220 size | Freestyle Photographic Supplies

[Agnostic]

I don't know for the States but for Europeans I think this is the cheapest place to order. They have loads of analog photography stuff and most of it at very good prices: Retro 100

[fearview]

I don't know for the States but for Europeans I think this is the cheapest place to order. They have loads of analog photography stuff and most of it at very good prices: Retro 100

thanks for the link..

i can see

Fuji Superia 1600 135-36

..

[jzietman]

What do you mean?

Black & White Film 120 & 220 size | Freestyle Photographic Supplies

I'm sorry, I should have specified that I'm using 35mm film. Is it only available medium format? I don't see retro 100 under 35mm, just a lot of other films like retro 80s, 400 infrared, etc.

[stevebrot]

I inquired at Freestyle just yesterday regarding Rollei Retro 100 in the 100' roll and they indicated that the item was no longer available from the manufacturer. I then checked rolleifilm.com and found that it was no longer listed there as well either in bulk or as single rolls. I fear that it is no longer available in N. America. I saw that it was still available from macodirect.de in a variety of packaging, but they require a 50 Euro minimum order + shipping

Freestyle has the Retro 80s at a little less that $4.00 a roll. It is supposed to be wonderful stuff, though I wish they sold it in the bulk roll.

Steve

P.S. Should anyone be interested, here is a link to a pdf review of the 80s product: http://www.maco-photo.de/files/images/The_Rollei_RETRO_80s_AJ.pdf

[artobest]

Rollei Retro 100 has been discontinued. The last stocks of it (manufactured by Agfa) were being sold off cheaply on the Maco website last time I was there. I have used Retro 100 and 400 extensively and am looking forward to trying the 80 when my current supply of 100 runs out. I hope it has a thicker substrate than its predecessors.

Anyone used Rollei Superpan 200? I have some but haven't shot with it yet. (Sorry, threadjack).

[jzietman]

So, looks like there's no way to get it, expect probably expensively via eBay. Any word on when the new stocks of Agfa APX will arrive?

[Agnostic]

Rollei Retro 100 has been discontinued. The last stocks of it (manufactured by Agfa) were being sold off cheaply on the Maco website last time I was there. I have used Retro 100 and 400 extensively and am looking forward to trying the 80 when my current supply of 100 runs out. I hope it has a thicker substrate than its predecessors.

Anyone used Rollei Superpan 200? I have some but haven't shot with it yet. (Sorry, threadjack).

Rollei is not marketing the APX 100/400 anymore but AGFA took it back into production under the old names Agfapan APX 100 and Agfapan APX 400. It seems to be quite hard to get though and I don't think they are producing it in rollfilm format.

[stevebrot]

So, looks like there's no way to get it, expect probably expensively via eBay. Any word on when the new stocks of Agfa APX will arrive?

You can still order directly from Maco in Europe, but you have to buy a lot of it. As for whether it is discontinued...It is on the most recent product list for Maco/Mahn (November 2009). They key thing to remember regarding this product is that the film itself is being cut from existing stocks of APX 100. When that is gone, there will be no more. The same is true of Retro 80s (cut from stocks of Agfa Aviphot Pan 80) and probably Retro 400s.

There is rumor of a reformulation of Retro 100 to be made by Maco/Mahn. They also have something new in the Web store called Rollei Blackbird that is rated at either ISO 25 or ISO 100 depending on development. The sample photos are intriguing.

Steve

[stevebrot]

Rollei is not marketing the APX 100/400 anymore but AGFA took it back into production under the old names Agfapan APX 100 and Agfapan APX 400. It seems to be quite hard to get though and I don't think they are producing it in rollfilm format.

Agfa resuming production? That would be something indeed. Do you have a link for us?

Steve

[GeneV]

Agfapan 25....please!

[Agnostic]

Agfa resuming production? That would be something indeed. Do you have a link for us?

Steve

Ok I did some further research.

There are a lot of misunderstandings surrounding Agfa. Many people think they went bankrupt completely but in fact only the German part of Agfa with their plant in Leverkusen went under. Agfa Gevaert is still alive and in fact producing all kinds of stuff.

The german plant in Leverkusen was taken offline and the remaining stock of APX 100 and APX 400 produced there was bought up by a company called Lupus Imaging and Media and has been sold under the Rollei Retro brand as well as under the old Agfa APX brand. As far as I can tell all the APX 100 and 400 (Rollei Retro 100/400) is indeed old stock and it's running out.

This is why Rollei (which is owned by HANS O. MAHN GmbH, a company that is also the current owner of the Maco brand and the previously mentioned Macodirect webshop) went to Agfa Gevaert for a replacement for the APX100/400. Agfa Gevaert still has a production plant in Mortsel, Belgium which produces Aviphot 80S and 400S aerial photography films among other things and those are now being sold on the consumer market under the Rollei Retro brand as Rollei Retro 80s and 400S.

You can see that the Aviphot films are still in the current Agfa Gevaert product catalog here:
AGFA.com - Aviphot

So it looks like I was wrong about the APX films going back into production but the Aviphot films are still being produced for sure.

[jzietman]

Thanks, Agnostic!

I just found the link posted in December by ChrisPlatt that says Agfa film is being reintroduced in North America:
Agfa Film Re-Introduced In North America

The link says that APX 100 is returning, but there are no dates. No one's heard anything more, I take it? I wonder if APX 400 will come back, too...

[stevebrot]

Ok I did some further research.

There are a lot of misunderstandings surrounding Agfa. Many people think they went bankrupt completely but in fact only the German part of Agfa with their plant in Leverkusen went under. Agfa Gevaert is still alive and in fact producing all kinds of stuff.

The german plant in Leverkusen was taken offline and the remaining stock of APX 100 and APX 400 produced there was bought up by a company called Lupus Imaging and Media and has been sold under the Rollei Retro brand as well as under the old Agfa APX brand. As far as I can tell all the APX 100 and 400 (Rollei Retro 100/400) is indeed old stock and it's running out.

This is why Rollei (which is owned by HANS O. MAHN GmbH, a company that is also the current owner of the Maco brand and the previously mentioned Macodirect webshop) went to Agfa Gevaert for a replacement for the APX100/400. Agfa Gevaert still has a production plant in Mortsel, Belgium which produces Aviphot 80S and 400S aerial photography films among other things and those are now being sold on the consumer market under the Rollei Retro brand as Rollei Retro 80s and 400S.

You can see that the Aviphot films are still in the current Agfa Gevaert product catalog here:
AGFA.com - Aviphot

So it looks like I was wrong about the APX films going back into production but the Aviphot films are still being produced for sure.

That is essentially my understanding except that I read that Lupus owns the AgfaPhoto brand and that Mahn is the entity that acquired the film. Thank you for filling in the details regarding the Retro 80s and 400s stock. That makes sense and sounds like a good thing given what I have heard about those two films.

As for product being sold by Lupus under the AgfaPhoto name...I have my doubts that the "new" APX is the same as the old one.

Steve