First Roll – Harman Switch Azure

Over recent years “new” film has been released. Some of those films are repackaged or rebranded film while others are creatively altered film. In December 2023 Harman (the parent company Ilford) released a new experimental color film called Phoenix; later they inverted the film and called it Red due to the red scaled appearance. In 2025 Harman released Phoenix II.

In early March 2026 Harman released their next new film – Switch Azure. This is a unique film that “switches” the dye layers resulting in blue that takes on an orange cast, yellows become azure and reds take on a purple shade.

I enjoyed a photo walk around Ann Arbor’s Main Street district with the Yashica Mat 124 and was happy with my first roll results I can say that this film is not an everyday film and certainly not suited to skin tones or portraiture. I can also say that I love it! The color shift is fun and a bit striking. Buildings and architecture look good. I imagine that landscapes with cloud sky detail will look great.

While not being for every occasion or suited to every photographer I am happy to support research and development for any new film. Keep up the good work Harman!