Harman Phoenix II 200, 36 Exposures

Harman Phoenix II 200 is the next chapter in a rather interesting story for colour film.

Made in the UK by Harman Photo, the people behind Ilford, Phoenix began as an ambitious project to bring a new colour negative film into the world.

The original Phoenix 200 had a character all of its own, with bold colours, noticeable grain and a look that could be wonderfully unpredictable.

Phoenix II takes what Harman learned from that first release and builds on it.

With a redesigned emulsion, this second-generation film offers more controlled contrast, improved colour reproduction and finer grain, while keeping the individual character that made Phoenix interesting in the first place.

At ISO 200, it's a lovely choice for photographing outdoors, exploring the city or taking your camera along on a weekend away.

It's still a film that rewards curiosity. Different lighting conditions, exposure choices and scanning methods can all influence the final result, giving you plenty of room to experiment.

Each roll gives you 36 exposures, enough to spend a day exploring without feeling like you have to make every frame perfect.

A great option if you enjoyed the original Phoenix and want to see how it's evolved, or if you're simply looking for something a little different to load into your 35mm camera.

Best for

Street photography, travel, outdoor portraits, everyday photography, creative experimentation and anyone interested in exploring newer colour film stocks.

What to expect

Harman Phoenix II 200 is a daylight-balanced colour negative film with an ISO rating of 200.

It performs particularly well in good natural light, making it suitable for sunny days, outdoor photography and well-lit scenes.

Compared with the original Phoenix 200, the updated emulsion is designed to deliver more balanced colours, smoother tonal transitions and improved highlight and shadow detail.

It's still worth paying attention to your exposure. As with most ISO 200 films, darker conditions may call for a wider aperture, slower shutter speed or flash.

Your final photographs will also be influenced by the lab's scanning process, so it's worth mentioning that you're shooting Phoenix II when you drop your film off.

Developing

Harman Phoenix II 200 uses standard C-41 colour negative processing.

Once you've finished your roll, take it to a film lab for developing and scanning or printing.

No special chemical process is required, although scanning adjustments can help bring out the film's colour and tonal characteristics.