Introducing Phoenix II, Harman's latest colour film offering

We’re excited to stock Harman Phoenix II, a colour film that’s perfect for those of you who like a bit of unpredictability, personality, and charm in your shots. If you’re after something a little different from the usual Kodak or Fuji colours but still want usable, beautiful results, this might just be your new favourite roll.

Phoenix II is a 200 iso colour negative film that is available in 35mm or 120 format. It uses standard C41 processing, so we can handle it in-house like any other colour film. It’s an updated version of the original Phoenix, but with a few improvements that make it easier and more consistent to shoot with while still keeping that experimental edge.

How to shoot it

Phoenix II is fairly flexible, but you’ll get the best results when you:

• Shoot outdoors in good natural light

• Meter for the mid-tones

• Use a UV filter on brighter days to cut haze and improve colour

It works well at 200 iso, but you can shoot it between 100–200 depending on your lighting and how contrasty the scene is. If you’re unsure, try bracketing your shots, especially if you’re shooting high contrast scenes (think strong shadows and bright highlights).

What Makes It Special?

Compared to the original Phoenix, version II is:

• Less wild, more controlled

• Smoother grain

• More accurate colours

• Easier to scan and work with

That said, it’s still not your average film. It has no orange mask (so colours look different to Kodak/Ilford/Fuji), it can show halation in contrasty scenes, and the negatives come out purple, which is completely normal, by the way.

In a Nutshell

If you want clean, clinical results, this probably isn’t your film.

But if you’re into a slightly offbeat, creative colour palette with room to experiment, Phoenix II is a brilliant option. It’s more forgiving than the original, but still has that unique, expressive look that makes it stand out from all of the current films out there.

Examples

Here are a bunch of examples shot by us here at the lab. A mixture of 35mm and 120.