I was recently given a couple of rolls of Harman Phoenix 125 color film to evaluate - one roll of 120, and 1 of 35mm. This review is about the roll of 35mm, which is what I shoot the most.
Some History
Back in late 2023, Harman launched their Phoenix color film, and called it “experimental” which was an appropriate move, since the film had some issues with dynamic range and depending on the lighting, the colors could be quite saturated. The other problem was with scanning. The film was (and still is) on a clear acetate base, much like slide film. Scan quality varied considerably, but I found that scanning the film as a positive and then inverting gave me much better and consistent results.
Phoenix II was released in July, 2025, and Harman purportedly fixed some of the deficiencies in the original Phoenix film. Improved grain, shadow and highlight retention and improved contrast were touted features of the new film.
With less fanfare, we now have Harman Phoenix 125.
From the Harman website:
“HARMAN Phoenix 125 retains the same characteristics that you loved (or hated) about the original Phoenix 200 but with a new speed of 125 to reflect how you told us you shoot it.
High contrast and strong, visible grain are just some of its unique traits that help to produce characterful, unmistakeably analogue, results unlike any other colour film.
With a DX coded cassette (IN 35mm), and a box speed of ISO 125, It performs best in good, consistent light and on brighter days or when shooting into the light there is also a possibility of halation.
It delivers punchy, vibrant colours although they react differently to different scanners and settings. Getting the exposure right will certainly help to get the best results so we suggest metering for the mid tones to retain shadow or highlight detail (over or under exposure is not Phoenix’s friend)!
Part of the fun of shooting film is expecting the unexpected and this film delivers exactly that from its uniquely coloured negatives to chance encounters with occasional coating anomalies. Hold back your expectations and enjoy the experience!”
It’s great that Harman acknowledges the peculiarities of Phoenix 125. Is it just a rebranded Phoenix II at ISO 125 instead of 200, or did they also tweak the emulsion? I don’t know the answer to that, but given what I do know, I think it’s fair to shoot it as an ISO 125 film and see where that takes me.
I loaded the roll into my very trusty Vivitar V2000 K-mount SLR. This is a camera that’s been on long road trips and has consistently produced good results. I used a Pentax 50/1.7 and 28/3.5 lens for the roll, that I shot in one day on an outing to Black Mountain, NC. Sunny to partly cloudy conditions.
I dropped the exposed roll off at Ball Photo in Asheville to get it developed, and then scanned the negatives at home on my Epson V700. Scanned as positives and then inverted in Corel PaintShop Pro, and applied any other minor adjustments.
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| The clear base looks a lot more like the original Phoenix |
Overall, I think these are the best results that I have achieved from the Phoenix films. I would say that the colors are more muted, and the reds tend to be more orange-ish. The halation is still there, and some may like it. However, the grain seems better, and the shadow detail has improved. It’s not designed to be the “Kodak Gold Killer” as it’s a quite different emulsion, but it does now offer a reasonable and more likeable result. I think that Phoenix 125 certainly deserves a look, and as more people shoot it, we’ll see more opinions about this film. Harman definitely has listened to users of its products and as they get more feedback and experience with making a color emulsion, we shall possibly see some more tweaks in the months ahead.
Making color film isn’t a simple process, and in this day of digital, we ought to appreciate Harman’s dedication to the process. I’m ordering some more Phoenix 125.
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