The cassette now reads 125. Harman Photo announced on 12 August that the original Phoenix — the experimental color negative film it released in 2023 at ISO 200, returns as Harman Phoenix 125, repackaged, DX coded for the new speed, and listed in both 35mm and 120.

The emulsion is described as unchanged. What changed is the number on the box, and Harman is unusually direct about why: the film "retains the same characteristics that you loved (or hated) about the original," now with "a new speed of 125 to reflect how you told us you shoot it."

That is two-thirds of a stop, and it is a manufacturer conceding that its own rated speed was optimistic. Photographers had been pulling Phoenix down for two years. The DX code now agrees with them, which matters most to anyone shooting a body that reads the code and offers no exposure compensation. The film will meter the way it is actually used, without the shooter remembering to intervene.

Harman's guidance is unchanged in substance. Standard C-41. Meter for midtones. The company says the film "performs best in good, consistent light" and that "over- or under-exposure is not Phoenix's friend," a warning worth taking literally on a stock this contrasty and this prone to halation.

Phoenix 125 does not replace anything. Harman's color catalogue currently lists it alongside Phoenix II, RED 125 and Switch Azure, each in 35mm and 120. Two Phoenix emulsions now run concurrently, which will confuse shelves for a while.

The second half of the announcement is the part that will reach more people. Harman is reported to be cutting prices across the Harman Photo colour line — Phoenix II down to £7.32 for a 24-exposure roll and £9.27 for 36, with 120 at £7.90, and further reductions on RED and Switch Azure. [Prices reported by Kosmo Foto, 12 August 2026. Harman publishes no prices on its own site; verify against retail listings before publication.] No price has been announced for Phoenix 125 itself, and Harman has given no date beyond saying the film reaches retailers soon.

Color film has gone one direction this year. Kodak Alaris raised its distributed stocks in February and named silver. Kodak told investors this month that silver had more than doubled since year end. Against that, a British manufacturer cutting the price of an entire color line in August is worth noticing — and worth watching, because nobody has said how long it holds.

Source: HARMAN Phoenix 125

GP