Harman Phoenix II 200

Harman Phoenix II 200 is an ISO 200 daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film made in the United Kingdom. This completely reworked second generation of the original Phoenix offers finer grain, more balanced contrast, improved detail rendition and wider exposure latitude. Its distinctive colors, sometimes pastel and sometimes vivid, together with still-prominent film grain create a unique analogue look. It is particularly suited to creative portraits, unconventional landscapes and experimental photography.

Film Characteristics

Best for:
Experimental: Color rendition that differs from conventional color negative films, variable tones and occasional halation around bright areas offer unusual visual possibilities. Exposure and scanning also significantly affect the results.
People: More balanced skin tones and smoother tonal transitions than the previous generation make it suitable for distinctive portraits. Color rendition remains somewhat unpredictable, so it is particularly recommended for creative people photography.
Landscape: Distinctive hues and improved detail rendition can give foliage, skies and natural surfaces an unusual appearance. Depending on the lighting, colors may appear more subdued and pastel-like or more vivid.

Look & feel:
Punchy: Clearly visible grain, distinctive colors and pronounced shadows produce a characteristic, classic analogue look. Although more restrained than the original Phoenix, the film retains its recognizable visual character.
Experimental: The redesigned emulsion can still produce unusual color shifts and halation around strong light sources. The lack of a conventional orange mask gives scanning settings an especially important role in the final colors.

Lighting:
Bright daylight: Its ISO 200 sensitivity suits sunny outdoor scenes. The improved emulsion can preserve highlight detail better than the original, but scenes with a wide brightness range still require careful metering.
Mixed light: It also works well in overcast conditions, diffused daylight and lighter shade. More even illumination can help retain tonal detail while allowing the film’s characteristic color rendition to produce varied results.

Color balance:
Daylight: The daylight-balanced emulsion may reproduce colors differently from conventional negative films. The color temperature of the light source, accurate exposure and scanning settings all affect the final result.

Grain:
Coarse: Although its grain is finer and more even than in the original Phoenix, it remains notably visible among ISO 200 color negative films. Grain is especially prominent in 35mm photographs and less conspicuous at the same display size with larger 120 negatives.

Contrast:
Normal: The redesigned emulsion offers more balanced tonal separation and better highlight retention than the previous generation. Shadows can still become very dark, so final contrast depends significantly on exposure and scanning.

Saturation:
Normal: The film can render more muted, pastel tones as well as occasional vivid blues, greens and pinkish hues. Saturation and color shifts vary with lighting, exposure and digitization.