[Konvas] Shooting 16mm Fomapan R100 B&W reversal in verypoorlight condit...

Tue Sep 22 17:04:40 CDT 2009

Leo is right.

Agfa, originally founded in Berlin, built its new, larger factory in 1909 in
Wolfen near Bitterfeld (a town in Sachsen/Saxony, that became later the
center of chemical industries in GDR = East Germany). After the second World
War, the Agfa plant found itself in the part of Germany under Soviet
occupation what ment, that the Agfa owners would soon loose their factory,
because the Soviets and later the East German (soviet influenced)
gouvernment took over every factory with more then 12-20 employees. Now
happened what happened with most factories/companies in the Soviet
occupation zone: The ownership/management of those companies went to the
parts of Germany under american, british and french occupation (what later
became West Germany), trying (and mostly managing) to rebuild their factory
there. What was left in the soviet occupation zone was more or less the
factory building with some of the former workers, mostly not the most
important specialists and scientists (who went to to the West with the
management). In most cases, the companies were re-founded in the west while
the Soviets/East Germans tried to revive the remnants in their area,
resulting in the fact, that two companies existet with the same brand name
in the West and in the East. In most cases, the western companies, claiming
to be the original ones (because of original ownership/managment),  made
International courts to stop the companies in East Germany to use the old
name. This happened also to Zeiss –originally founded in Jena and refounded
in Oberkochen (one example among many others). The Agfa factory in the East
then was renamed in ORWO (in about 1962). ORWO became for the East what Agfa
became for the West: An important and successful producer of films wherever
film is in use (still photos, movie and news industries, X-Ray films,
development chemicals etc.
.ORWO also made the material used in tapes and on
reels for Audio recording). During the eighties, I had the possibility to
use some of the ORWO still photo films. My family belonged to the many
families in Germany, that had been split up by the iron curtain. My aunt
still lived in East Germany, while my father escaped before the Berlin Wall
made every escape almost impossible and turned East Germany into a large
prison until 1989. My parents always sent parcels to my aunt with important
things that where hard to get in East Germany, such as quality clothing,
coffee, etc. In return, my aunt sent films for me, because she knew that I
loved (and still love) to take photos. I used mainly the BW Film ORWO NP 22
(125 ASA). A very fine BW film in my eyes. It was different with the colour
slide films I tried: The 50 ASA film (ORWO UT 18) was quiet good and even
exported into the West, but what they called „Highspeed film“ (ORWO UT 24),
250 ASA, was terrible: Very grainy and a violett/blue shift of colours.

After the end of East Germany, ORWO was given into private hands and tried
to develop modern 35mm still films. They even did, but they where not able
to survive in the international competition. They suffered from old
fashioned factory machines and after many years without following the
technical progress, investments seemed to high to equal Agfa, Fuji or Kodak.
The ORWO plant, that had been the second largest film factory in the world,
was closed in the early 1990s. The tragedy of ORWO was the tragedy of most
factories in East Germany: Technical progress in East Germany stopped on the
level of the 1960s. There was no big progress/improvement in the 1970s and
80s. This is not the fault of the scientists, whose ability is not to be
questioned. It was a matter of money: The state, that held the factories,
made no investments for those industries, that where not part of the heavy
industries. This was a very bad preparation for the situation, these
factories had to face when the cold war ended and they had to join the
competition of the global market. Most factories closed and left a very high
rate of unemployment in their area until now (the most important industrial
centers of former East Germany have now between 25 and 40 % of
unemployment!)

Some scientists of the former ORWO film production founded filmotec some
years after the end of East Germany. With the traditional brand name ORWO,
they startet producing new BW films with modern emulsion. Until now, they
are successful in what they are doing.

Filmotec/ORWO ist NOT re-labeling or re-branding foreign products from
Belgium or Croatia as others do (for example the Rollei and Adox Films in
Medium Format and 35mm photography). The Film labeled as Filmotec ORWO  is
their own product. And it is NOT old (fashioned) rubbish from the GDR (East
Germany) time or even Prewar formula based. Its a new, modern emulsion,
produced with modern machines.

Concerning Ritas question what Filmotec/ORWO is making most of their money
with:

They are mainly producing films for X-Ray based medical instruments and for
surveillance purpose (where digital recording is not yet in use). This might
be the reason, why they are not producing any Colour film anymore, but
entirely BW. Motion picture and still photo films is the smaller part of
their business. They are also producing Films for other labels. For example,
when you buy Medium format or 35mm still film Adox Ortho 25 or Rollei Pan 25
– this is also a Filmotec/ORWO-product (and not a bad one in my opinion).

I can recommend using the modern ORWO/Filmotec BW motion picture films
(don´t worry – I don´t get money from Filmotec for advertising). I like them
very much. Low grain, great tonality. Give it a try and compare it to Kodaks
BW Negative motion picture films Plus X and Double X.

Regards,

Ole

  _____  

Von: cinema-bounces at konvas.org [mailto:cinema-bounces at konvas.org] Im Auftrag
von Leo Vale
Gesendet: Dienstag, 22. September 2009 00:53
An: Konvas Discussion List
Betreff: Re: [Konvas] Shooting 16mm Fomapan R100 B&W reversal in
verypoorlight condit...

--- On Mon, 9/21/09, photones at juno.com <photones at juno.com> wrote:

I believe ORWO is the former Agfa factory location. Agfa used to make
filmstock but your guess is as good as mine what emulsion they use. 

---ORWO is short for Original Wolfen,  the location of the original Agfa
Factory in what became East Germany.

Agfa then set up a new factory in West Germany & were eventually able to get
an International court to stop the Wolfen factory from using the Agfa name.

Otherwise ther was no connection between the two.  Though ORWO probably used
old Agfa formulas.

---LV

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