Ilfocolor 400 Plus Vintage Tone C41 film

In December, I was in my local camera store in Asheville - Ball Photo Supply, and saw that they had this film for sale.  I was curious as to what it was, so I bought a roll.  Now, the only color film that Harman/Ilford is known to be manufacturing is the Phoenix 200 color film, so what it this? The cassette says “ILFORD Imaging Europe GmbH  ilfocolor.com” and of course, Process C41. So what is this?  A visit to the Ilford site reveals that it’s not the Ilford that we associate with the B&W films.  Single-use cameras, simple plastic cameras, ink-jet printing papers, and the Ilfocolor brand are found there.  Ilford Imaging Europe GmbH is the umbrella for Ilfocolor, Ilfochrome (remembering the Cibachrome connection from years past), Ilford ink-jet papers, and of course, inexpensive plastic cameras.  The Ilford site lists all of the company history, which is useful to know. 

If you go to ilfocolor.com, you'll see color films (C-41 and E-6) as well as color chemistry, and single-use and plastic cameras

If you go to ilfordphoto.com, you'll see b&w films, etc.

If you go to harmanphoto,co.uk, you'll see Phoenix 200 film

If you go to the Harman Photo site, you can see the difference, as follows:

“HARMAN Photo is a trading name of HARMAN technology Ltd, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of analogue photographic films, darkroom papers, and photo chemicals. Formed in 2005 by former managers of ILFORD Imaging UK, HARMAN technology takes its name from Alfred Harman, founder of the original ILFORD company in 1879. At the same time the company also acquired the facilities in Mobberley, England, the traditional home of their black & white photographic products, ensuring their ongoing production and survival. HARMAN technology Ltd was acquired by Pemberstone Ventures Ltd in 2015 and is now a pioneering imaging specialist blending the traditions of manufacturing excellence with a passion and commitment to its customers and the future of analogue film photography. Through significant ongoing investment, and backed by a world-class R&D function, a commitment to innovation, and a unique portfolio of equipment, facilities, and expertise, it is one of the world’s last remaining companies capable of the full end-to-end process of developing, coating, and finishing high quality analogue photographic products. Today, the company manufactures millions of units of film, paper, and chemicals under the HARMAN Photo, ILFORD Photo and KENTMERE ranges and ships these around the world and into the discerning hands of beginners, enthusiasts, students, and professional film photographers as well as leading labs, classrooms, and darkrooms.”

So, while the Harman Photo UK is a film, chemical, and photo paper manufacturer, Ilford Europe GmbH is not.  I assume that the ink-jet papers are manufactured by Ilford GmbH. The Ilfocolor films are manufactured by other companies.  In my previous post on the Ilfocolor Rapid Half Frame camera, I noted that the film looked like Kodak Gold 400.  There were no edge markings other than the frame number and a barcode.  So, it could have been Kodak-manufactured - maybe.  However, the subject of this post is Ilfocolor 400 Plus Vintage Tone. After having shot the roll in my Spotmatic SP, and developed by Ball Photo, I can say that it sure looks like Orwo NC500.  

In today’s world of corporate mergers, equity firms, etc., things can be complicated, and in the case of Ilford, things are very convoluted.  Branding is everything, and the dilution of a brand is problematic.  But it’s not terribly different from Kodak.  There are all sorts of items branded as Kodak, that Kodak does not manufacture, but have licensed their brand to other companies. Even within Kodak, we have Eastman, which is the brand of the cine-films, and then Kodak/Alaris, the consumer film division.  A far cry from the hegemony of Kodak in the 1970s-80s.  We are certainly Lucky in the present day to still have so many types of film available, no matter who makes them.

That brings me back to the the Ilfocolor 400+ Vintage Tone.  I have shot the Orwo NC500 and there is no doubt in my mind that the Vintage Tone is the same emulsion.  A 36-exposure roll of the Orwo NC500 is about $9.00, and a roll of the Ilfocolor 400+ Vintage Tones sells for $12-$15.  I’ve said before that Orwo’s branding is not great, and of course, Ilford’s branding is more recognizable. But to pay $3-$6 more per roll to get the Ilford branding, that’s up to you.  

Ilfocolor 400+ on the left side, Orwo NC500 on the right.

I am happy with the results from the film, as it was pretty much as I expected.  Of course, a dull January isn’t ideal for showcasing color, but here are some examples.  All negatives were scanned on my Epson V700. 

This definitely has the "Vintage Tone"

So, I hope that I haven't confused you too much!

Ilfocolor Rapid Half-Frame camera

I thought that I had sworn off single-use cameras, but a few months ago, I purchased three Ilford Ilfocolor Rapid Half Frame single-use cameras from Reformed Film Lab for $7 each. I probably should have gone with the special price of $6 each if I had purchased 10.  I’ve always had a sort of love-hate relationship with half frame 35mm. I loved the compactness of the cameras, but churning through a roll of film took some time, and the vertical format wasn’t exactly a favorite.  However, I figured that the price was too good to pass up, and I could always wind the film into the cassette in the darkroom and use the film in another camera should I want to.  

First of all, at this price, it was too good to pass up, and I opened the package to get a look at the camera — it looks pretty much like any other single-use camera, but with a viewfinder that matches the half-frame aspect.  A 27-exposure roll of film becomes 54 half-frames.  Certainly enough to evaluate the camera.  The camera has a built-in flash, activated by a switch on the front.  The film is stated to be 400 ISO color, and I have no idea what emulsion it is supposed to be, but it looks a lot like Kodak Gold 400.  It is NOT the same film that’s labeled as Ilfocolor 400 Plus Vintage Tone, which I will review separately. In addition, the only color film that Ilford/Harman is currently making is the Phoenix 200. So, these cameras are using some other outsourced film. They are made in China, not the EU. While the film is "expired" in 02/2025, it should be good for a few years more.

Over the course of a couple of months, I shot the roll and took it to Ball Photo in Asheville to be developed.  After scanning the film myself, I have to say that I am pleased with the results from this camera.  For one using this camera, like any other single -use camera, is easy. There’s no focusing, just point and shoot.  To be fair, I picked subjects that I thought would work well with the film format and exposure latitude of 400 ISO color film.  I used the flash only a couple of times, and you definitely need to be within 8 feet of the subject.

Here are some examples from the first roll, all scanned on my Epson V700 scanner:

Some of the images with clear blue skies had yellow streaks
in the sky as shown in the enlargement below.
 

I don't know if this is an emulsion defect, or x-rays or development. But it did not appear on other rolls that I had processed.  It did not go through any airport scanners, but maybe the shipment from China did? A curious thing.

I sent one of the cameras to my daughter, and I cannibalized the other one for the roll of color film inside.  Note - you need to wind the film into the cassette before you open the camera.  You can do this by taping over the lens with black tape and shooting the roll, and it winds into the cassette with each exposure, or in this case, unexposure!   Then, you crack open the camera to retrieve the cassette. If you have wound the film all the way into the cassette, a leader retriever will get the end of the film out.

Now that I see the results from this camera, I’ll have to see if Reformed Film lab has any left to sell. While I’m not ready to plunk down $500 for the Pentax 17, this Ilfocolor camera will give you a good idea what to expect with half-frame cameras.   I know that Kodak has a simple half-frame plastic camera, but their H35N sells for between $45 and $60, a far cry from the $7 I spent, and I would expect similar results from the Kodak.  The Kodak H35N does have a bulb mode and a coated glass lens, but I have yet to try one out.  If anything, the Ilford Rapid Half-Frame is a good introduction to the world of half-frame 35mm, and I highly recommend it if you can find one.  I ordered 10 more of them from Reformed Film Lab on 3/30/25, so they are still available.

The Balda Jubilette - A 35mm folding camera

Folding cameras, no matter what format, are an interesting concept. From the early bellows-style cameras that took film plates to the Polaroid Land cameras and the SX-70, the idea of making a camera more compact and easier to carry has a long history.  Not only are you unfolding a camera, you are changing its dimensions to accommodate a lens of a particular focal length, hence the bellows. A No. 4 Folding Kodet Kodak camera from 1894 has a bellows that extends from a box-like rear.  There is not too much involved in extending the bellows on the camera.  Later, the No. 3A Special in 1914 used roll film and the bellows is extended from a compartment to the lens board on the front of the camera, changing its overall shape from a relatively compact flattened item to a body with a bellows at a right angle, extending on a bed.  That configuration became popular with roll film cameras into the 1950s.  The technology improved with self-erecting fronts (the front standard pops up when the bellows is extended), better shutters, better viewfinders, including rangefinder focus on some models of medium and 35mm format folding cameras.  Of course, the smaller the format, the shorter the focal distance for the lens, with 35mm cameras requiring a very short bellows to operate.  Thus, 35mm folding cameras, which date from the late 1930s into the late 1950s were an alternative to the solid-bodied 35mm cameras from Argus, Leitz and Zeiss.  The folding 35mm cameras were discussed by me in a previous post here on RCB.

Kodak Premoette Jr. No. 1, 1913. All those dangly bits 
are protected when it's folded.

The beauty of a folder is that once the front of the camera has been closed, it’s quite easy to carry in a pocket, and the optics are well-protected inside that closed camera. For 35mm cameras, it really makes them quite compact with no big protrusions to prevent them from being easily retrieved from a pocket.  Press a button and  they magically unfold, ready to use.

While the Kodak Retina series remain the best-known 35mm folders for good reason, other European companies made them, including Agfa, Balda, Beier, Certo, Voigtlander, Welta, and Zeiss Ikon.  

Balda Jubilette

The Jubilette, so-named  for Balda-Werke’s 30th anniversary, is a pre-war (WWII) 1938-40 camera that is similar to the 1935 Baldina.  The Baldina has many variants with different lens/shutter combinations, and I suppose making the Jubilette was an easy way to honor the company’s 30 years.   It’s not a complicated camera, and it’s certainly capable of good results. It’s also not terribly different from a Kodak Retina 1. 

Some features of the Jubilette

The Jubilette in closed position. That's the shutter release
on the right of the viewfinder, on the extending bed.

The Jubilette that I have has a front release button on the top plate of the camera.  Push it in, and the front pops open, erecting the front with a nice solid-sounding klunk. The Compur shutter has speeds from T, B, 1-1/300 s, and the lens is a Baltar 5 cm f/2.9 with apertures down to f/16. 

The shutter release is on the left of the front standard (as you are holding it), which means your left hand controls the shutter release, and while not typical, it makes sense for this camera. The viewfinder is fairly simple, and does not correct for parallax. The close focus distance of this camera is 50 cm, which is pretty close. As you’ll see in a photo below, parallax correction would be nice.  

The back of the camera features a zone focus chart, which is actually quite useful.  If you are shooting at f/11, everything is in focus from 2.4m to infinity. Basically, that means you don’t have to refocus at anything from about 8 feet and beyond on a bright sunny day.  To focus, simply turn the knurled front edge of the lens mount so that the estimated distance is in line with the red indicator.

Follow the arrows to open the back

Note the unique take-up spool configuration.

Loading the film requires you to slide the chrome tab on the side upwards and push the back away from the body, which is easiest if you close the front standard.  Note that the little handle remains stationary, so don’t pull on the handle to open the back.  The first thing that you’ll notice is that the reception for the film leader does not extend to the edge of the spool. Instead there is a centrally place slot, which means that you’ll have to trim the film leader to fit in that slot.  To advance the film, you push down on the small knob next to the film advance wheel and let up as soon as you start turning the film advance clockwise.   The wheel will stop rotating once it has reached the spot for the next frame.

Press the smaller button down before winding on to the next frame.

Once you have advanced the film, cock the shutter by rotating the cocking lever clockwise. A small tab on the bottom of the lens sets the aperture, and the knurled front ring rotates  to choose the shutter speed.  This is called a rim-set shutter.  There is a screw-in hole on the edge of the front standard for a cable release.   If you wish to take a double exposure, simply reset the shutter.  My standard practice is to always advance the film after each shot, and not worry if I have already exposed a frame the next time I pick up the camera.

Aperture, shutter speed, and focus are all around the front.

When you reach the end of the roll, pull up the film advance wheel and rotate the keyed film rewind clockwise.   The frame counter on the top deck of the camera is an additive one, meaning that it shows how many exposures you have made.  When you insert a new roll of film, set the counter to zero by turning the raised center to get the number in the window to zero.

Overall, it’s a fairly easy camera to operate, and once you get accustomed to its workings, it handles pretty well, especially for an 85 year old camera.  Think about it.  This particular camera is in pretty good condition and works just as it should.  No bellow pinholes, either. I guess some jubilation is in order just for that fact!

Some things to remember 

If you hold down the film advance release button too long, you may advance more than one frame before the wind button stops turning.  So just do a brief push on that button and release it as soon as you start advancing the film.

Since there is no focus aid, you’ll need to guestimate your focus when you rotate the focus distance on the front of the camera. If you are shooting at f/16, anything past 6 feet will be in focus if set at the 2 m mark.

The viewfinder is approximate — it works to generally frame your subject, but it isn’t anything like a nice Retina IIc.

Some sample images

I shot a roll of Eastman 5231 an ISO 80-100 film.  Other than some blank frames where I wound on past the next frame, it had relatively good results.  Sometimes the frame spacing was tight, though.  

as you can see, parallax can throw you off.

Buying a Balda Jubilette

If the camera is in clean, working condition, expect to pay from $75 to $130 for one.  While they are not rare, they are uncommon, especially in the United States.  If you are looking at one, make sure all the functions work as they should.  Balda made hundreds of different cameras, and I suppose building a Balda collection would be quite an undertaking.  However, if you just stuck with their 35mm cameras, it would still be a formidable task.  Balda-Werke was destroyed in Dresden in 1945, and in 1946 moved to Bünde, West Germany, and the company renamed as Balda-Werke Bünde.  They manufactured cameras into the 1970s, often as an OEM for companies like Argus.