One of those things that come with having film photography as a hobby in the 2020s is that you are very much aware that the variety of films on the market today is a small subset of what was once on offer.

And while I wrinkle my nose over older enthusiasts who dismiss the film on the market today as uniformly terrible¹, it is also very much true that there are sorts of film that just aren’t available anymore.

I mostly think of the constellation of slide films that, while always smaller-run and more expensive, were something one could purchase. While I’ve only ever exposed two rolls of it, I would be more than excited if Fuji decided to bring Reala back again.

I am not so sure if that necessarily applies to Agfa’s AgfaPan APX 25 in the end. It’s sure a legend for its sharpness and fine grain and this roll I exposed in 2022 confirms that it did not lose any of that between it being discontinued in 2000 and my use of it.

Although these photos aren’t anything to write home about (Hi Mom!), having been made on a sunny Sunday afternoon four years ago, they do make me wish that (a) I could still purchase this film; and (b) that our early Spring were sunnier.

…and then I remember that I can likely get the same (or at least similar) results from the rolls of Rollei RPX 25 I have in the refrigerator. I will have so see!

…once the sun comes out again. ☀️

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1. In my opinion, their struggle isn’t with modern film. Their struggle is with other parts of their lives. ↩︎