Adox Color Mission Helios

The Adox Color Mission Helios is another colour film from the German film production company Adox. This film is a continuation of the Color Mission released in 2022 and is characterised by its ultra-low ISO setting as a colour option for photographers.

Production of the Color Mission film began in 2022 as a means to fund future research and development of colour film emulsions. The Color Mission 200 is a normal colour film with a sensitivity of ISO 200.

Adox describes the new film as a “simplified colour film” with only four colour layers. These include single-layer emulsions of red-sensitised cyan couplings, green-sensitised magenta couplings and blue-sensitised yellow couplings with filter and protective layers.

The film was designed by Adox with a nominal speed of only ISO 3 and a usable speed of ISO 1.5. The ultra-low ISO makes it ideal for long exposures and, according to Adox, “removes” anything moving from urban landscapes.

However, the low ISO may make some users hesitant about its practicality. However, Adox states that it is possible to take photos without a tripod, provided they are taken during the day in sunlight with a fast lens.

Regardless of how users shoot, Adox states that Helios requires a lot of light. However, the result is an extremely fine grain with pastel tones that have a warm colouring with intense red tones.

Availability

In terms of availability, Adox states that the final layers of the film are currently being applied on their machine in Switzerland, in early 2024, and they hope to offer 35mm film and sheet film next season.