Analog.Cafe › Film and Darkroom › 15-minute read by Dmitri. Published on August 19, 2025. Updated on August 19, 2025.
Currently, there are only two lines of colour-negative film being produced that are not from Kodak, both originating from Europe and representing the first entirely new C-41-based emulsions since the mid-2000s. In this article, I will conduct a side-by-side comparison of these films to determine which might come closer to following Kodak’s legacy of innovation and excellence in colour photochemistry.
I'll be comparing Harman Phoenix II with ORWO Wolfen NC200, also known as KONO Color 200 or Optik Oldschool OptiColor 200. The content of this article includes:
- The actual number of colour-negative film options available
- An overview of the experiment and methods
- An answer key
- Comparisons of portraits in natural light
- Comparisons of portraits in studio light
- Product photo comparisons
- Exposure test comparisons
- Development and scanning differences
- Price comparisons
- Which film stands out as the best?
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Special thanks to Lily Li Hua (Instagram: @lilianlihua) for modelling!
How many colour-negative film options do we truly have?
There are almost three hundred options available for film photographers today (although the actual figure is likely much greater). However, similar to many products, numerous films on the list are rebranded, respooled, or modified versions of original stocks.
Rebranded products aren't necessarily negative; while some may carry a premium over the original, many are priced the same or even lower than the manufacturer's price. Rebranded stocks might be the only means to access specific emulsions, and as I noted recently, some film modifications (like those in CineStill films) can be nearly impossible to replicate at home.
Kodak, the largest manufacturer of colour-negative film, is rumored to produce film for Fujifilm, which is then repackaged and sold under the Fujifilm brand. That being said, these products could not exist without the downstream factories that produce the film. A deeper investigation reveals that there are only three plants worldwide that manufacture colour-negative film.
The primary factory producing colour-negative film is Kodak's facility in Rochester, New York. It produces such significant quantities that filmmakers often purchase it in batches costing millions of dollars for each production, with the still photography community investing many millions more. Kodak manufactures Vision 3, Portra, Ektar, Gold, ColorPlus, Ultramax, and numerous emulsions sold under various names.
InovisCoat GmbH (commonly known as ORWO) produces ISO 400 colour-negative films, such as ORWO NC 500 and the new films packaged by KONO (Color 200) and Optik OldSchool. Unofficially, they are also the producers behind Lomography Lomochrome films and those marketed under the Ilford Ilfocolor brand. InovisCoat GmbH is based in Monheim am Rhein, Germany.
Harman Technology is the last factory on this list that creates colour-negative film located in Ilford, UK. They also produce all Ilford-branded black-and-white films; however, they license the Ilford brand from a Swiss company that separated from the original Ilford years ago. Since Harman does not have the rights to use the Ilford name on colour-negative films, they distribute their new colour product under the name Harman Phoenix.
ORWO NC200 by InovisCoat GmbH, marketed as KONO Color 200.
The key difference between Kodak's films and those from ORWO/Harman lies in Kodak’s extensive facility and intellectual property developed on a large scale since 1892. In contrast, ORWO has recently begun to coat colour-negative film, while Harman offered their first colour film since the 1960s last year.
Kodak remains the producer of the most colour-accurate colour-negative film globally, while its historically close competitor, Fujifilm, has recently exited the colour-negative film market—now supposedly selling Kodak-manufactured colour-negative films under the Fujifilm brand.
In summary, Kodak produces nearly all colour-negative film available on the market, while ORWO and Harman are newer entrants, essentially starting from scratch. Notably, ORWO leverages vintage Agfa intellectual property to formulate their films, whereas Harman has no prior experience in this type of product, aside from Ilford XP2—a black-and-white film designed for C-41 developers.
Regrettably, despite being on the verge of gaining recognition as a UNESCO cultural heritage, film photography relies on a complicated and costly production process that requires continuous financial support. Recently, Kodak shared alarming statistics that led some photographers to question the future of the company.
With that
Currently, apart from Kodak, there are only two lines of colour-negative film being produced. Both of these are made in Europe and represent the first entirely new C-41-based emulsions introduced since the mid-2000s. In this article, I will perform a side-by-side comparison to determine which of these formulas is more likely to succeed Kodak’s legacy of innovation and quality in colour photochemistry.