Efke
Encyclopedia
Efke is the brand name of photographic film
s, papers
, and chemicals manufactured by Fotokemika d.d., a company located in Samobor
, Croatia
.
films with high silver
content and as a result give a large exposure
latitude and high quality grayscale reproduction when compared with modern films. The Efke 25, 50 and 100 products are made using the ADOX
formulas that were first introduced in the 1950s. Efke also makes an infrared film sold as Efke IR820.
The Efke films are more forgiving of exposure variations than modern tabular crystal films. The nature of the product also allows large, grain free, enlargements to be made from negatives.
Efke films are coated in one layer, unlike most other films which are coated in multiple layers. This makes the film thinner and the emulsion more easily damaged, especially when still wet after development. A hardening fixer
can be used to help protect the emulsion. The film base is also thinner and more transparent, making inspection of the negative easier. However it can also make the film curl more easily.
Efke is one of the last manufacturers still making the once-popular 127 film
, and indeed was the only manufacturer in the world making 127 format film between 1995, when Kodak discontinued the format, and 2006, when a http://www.frugalphotographer.com/cat127.htm Canadian company also began making 127.
Efke's Infrared Film, sold under the brand name Efke IR820 is currently the only infrared film manufactured that has good IR sensitivity beyond 750nm extending out to 820nm. In the past other films such as Kodak's HIE offered this but have recently been discontinued and are no longer made.
Official Fotokemika Website: http://www.fotokemika.hr/
Photographic film
Photographic film is a sheet of plastic coated with an emulsion containing light-sensitive silver halide salts with variable crystal sizes that determine the sensitivity, contrast and resolution of the film...
s, papers
Photographic paper
Photographic paper is paper coated with light-sensitive chemicals, used for making photographic prints.Photographic paper is exposed to light in a controlled manner, either by placing a negative in contact with the paper directly to produce a contact print, by using an enlarger in order to create a...
, and chemicals manufactured by Fotokemika d.d., a company located in Samobor
Samobor
Samobor is a town in the Zagreb County, Croatia. It is part of the Zagreb metropolitan area.-Geography:Samobor is located west of Zagreb, between the eastern slopes of the Samoborsko gorje , in the Sava River valley.-Population:...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
.
Products description
The Efke films are black-and-whiteBlack-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
films with high silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
content and as a result give a large exposure
Exposure (photography)
In photography, exposure is the total amount of light allowed to fall on the photographic medium during the process of taking a photograph. Exposure is measured in lux seconds, and can be computed from exposure value and scene luminance over a specified area.In photographic jargon, an exposure...
latitude and high quality grayscale reproduction when compared with modern films. The Efke 25, 50 and 100 products are made using the ADOX
ADOX
In photography, ADOX is a trademark with a long history. It was originally a brand name used by the German company, Fotowerke Dr. C. Schleussner GmbH of Frankfurt am Main, the world's first photographic materials manufacturer. The company's founder, Dr...
formulas that were first introduced in the 1950s. Efke also makes an infrared film sold as Efke IR820.
The Efke films are more forgiving of exposure variations than modern tabular crystal films. The nature of the product also allows large, grain free, enlargements to be made from negatives.
Efke films are coated in one layer, unlike most other films which are coated in multiple layers. This makes the film thinner and the emulsion more easily damaged, especially when still wet after development. A hardening fixer
Photographic fixer
Photographic fixer is a chemical or a mix of chemicals used in the final step in the photographic processing of film or paper. The fixer stabilises the image, removing the unexposed silver halide remaining on the photographic film or photographic paper, leaving behind the reduced metallic silver...
can be used to help protect the emulsion. The film base is also thinner and more transparent, making inspection of the negative easier. However it can also make the film curl more easily.
Efke is one of the last manufacturers still making the once-popular 127 film
127 film
127 is a film format for still photography. The image format is usually a square 4×4 cm, but rectangular 4×3 cm and 4×6 cm are also standard. Oddly, C. F. Foth & Co. used 36×24 mm for its first “Derby” model....
, and indeed was the only manufacturer in the world making 127 format film between 1995, when Kodak discontinued the format, and 2006, when a http://www.frugalphotographer.com/cat127.htm Canadian company also began making 127.
Efke's Infrared Film, sold under the brand name Efke IR820 is currently the only infrared film manufactured that has good IR sensitivity beyond 750nm extending out to 820nm. In the past other films such as Kodak's HIE offered this but have recently been discontinued and are no longer made.
Official Fotokemika Website: http://www.fotokemika.hr/