eXtensions - Monday 9 June 2025
By Graham K. Rogers
Harman, makers of Ilford films have been pushing out some new films recently. It was a surprise when the color film, Phoenix, arrived; then 120 Kentmere films also appeared; followed by a 120 Phoenix. Now Harman have added a 200 ISO film to the 100 and 400 Kentmere range with 35mm and 120 offerings at a nice low price.
Like many new films, especially those coming from the home of Ilford, as soon as the Kentmere 100 and 400 for medium format cameras (120) became available to me (online via Camera Film Photo), I ordered some rolls. I was pleased with the output but seemed to have better results from the 400. That was probably me as I have seen good results online from those using Kentmere 100. I have used Ilford films since the late 1950s and despite the cheap plastic cameras I was limited to as a child, some photographs were nicely done, particularly a close-up of the Queen Mother who had come to officially open our new council estate on the north-west edge of London (negatives and print long lost).
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I rushed to digital cameras when they became workable, although did use some 35mm film (mainly Konica). I decided to move to the DSLR. My first was a choice between the Canon D30 and the Nikon D70. The moment the D70 was in my hands, I knew this was the right camera. I have since gone on to the D7000 and currently the D850. In the meantime, I began to look at film again. Although I had been familiar with 35mm cameras, some reading led me to medium format and bought a Hasselblad 500cm from a local source. I have since bought several other cameras; and some former students gifted me a Nikon F3. My two main choices these days are that Hasselblad and a TLR Rolleiflex that needs a new mirror but takes some good shots.
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Harman has been on a bit of a roll in the last couple of years, they already had a good selection of Ilford black and white films and I tried many of these, ranging from the Pan F Plus ISO 50 and Ortho 80 films up to the Delta 3200, with my overall favorite being the SFX 200. Using Harman branding, they also produced a couple of color films: Phoenix, with which I have had some reasonable results; and Red, currently only for 35mm. The recent arrival of the new Kentmere 200 was a must for me. Although I had some films in my fridge that were (at last) sourced in Bangkok, these were limited. A review from Jaron Schneider (Petapixel) had me reaching for the browser and I ordered 5 each of Kentmere 400 and Kentmere 200. The first roll of the latter has just been developed.
As the first scanned image began to appear (despite the skewed output) it was clear that Schneider's observations were spot on, especially concerning sharpness, grain and contrast. At the price - just over 190 baht plus delivery - this is a winner. For this first roll, I started in the Siam Square area of Bangkok, which is a location I pass through frequently, usually on a Saturday morning. It is full of people and always changing. Unfortunately the authorities have had a clean-out of the food sellers and lottery ticket vendors that add to the interest. It may be that, bit by bit, they will drift back over time. Street food is best in the street and not in some covered market.
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I did make some mistakes, particularly with under-exposure in one or two shots (and the skewed images), but this is for my enjoyment. Every photograph is a learning experience, even (especially) the bad ones. Jason Schneider shot with 35mm rolls. As several photographers found when Phoenix arrived in 120 rolls, the 120 may be less grainy. The larger frames handle grain better and of course I have edited the images (mainly in Apple Photos on the Mac and Photometer on iPad Pro). Looking back at this roll, I may consider slightly more exposure over box speed for the future; but this was a good investment.
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Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs. After 3 years writing a column in the Life supplement, he is now no longer associated with the Bangkok Post. He can be followed on X (@extensions_th). The RSS feed for the articles is http://www.extensions.in.th/ext_link.xml - copy and paste into your feed reader.
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