Lucky C200 Review – A Reborn Film That Makes the Industry Bloom Again

Introduction

We’ve been eager to give the Lucky 200 film a proper review ever since it launched on July 23, 2025. Luckily, one of our customers got us a few rolls of the 35mm and 120 version. I shot a roll myself, and I have to say the results were beyond my expectations. 

About Lucky Film

Before diving into the review, let’s take a closer look at the company behind it. According to Wikipedia, Lucky is a Chinese manufacturer of photosensitive materials founded in 1958. During the 1980s, they primarily produced photographic paper in China.

As the arrival of major international brands like Kodak and Fujifilm in the 1990s gradually eroded their market share. In 2003, Lucky signed a 20 year partnership with Kodak, gaining access to emulsion making and coating upgrading technology until 2007, a period that coincided with the rapid decline of the traditional film market due to the rise of digital photography.

Between 2003 and 2015, Lucky released over ten film products, including the well-known Lucky Super 100 and Lucky SHD 400. After 2015, the company largely went dormant in the market.

What is Lucky 200 and Film Samples

After a decade, in 2025, Lucky made a comeback with the Lucky 200 film, positioned as a more affordable alternative to Kodak, priced at 59 RMB (approximately £6.30). Only 100 rolls were available on the first day at the Shanghai Image & Vision Expo.

According to Reflex Lab, this film “has a very strong rendering of red tones, while cyan and blue appear less vibrant compared to red.”

Here are some samples shot by Jimmy during Christmas. The film was developed and scanned at J&A Photography Studio.

Comparison with Other 200 Films

Strengths:

• Harman Phoenix 200 II: Lucky 200 is less orange and less saturated, offering a more balanced tone with reduced contrast.

• Gold 200 (Fujifilm): Lucky C200 has a slightly more pronounced red tone. And I personally find that Lucky C200 holds up very well against Gold 200 for indoor use, and in certain situations, it actually produces better results.

• Colorplus 200: Lucky C200 is punchier and more saturated, with red tones that stand out more, giving the images a lively feel.

Weaknesses:

Compared to Gold 200, Fujifilm 200, and Colorplus 200, Lucky 200 shows more noticeable grain in both highlights and shadows. While this isn’t always showed in compressed online images, inspecting scans up close reveals grains larger than those typically seen in Kodak film.

Conclusion

"Surprise” is the first word that came to mind when I saw the scans. Shot on a Contax TVS point & shoot camera, the images display beautiful, natural tones with fine grain, making Lucky C200 feel like a reliable everyday choice, and very much in the same category as Kodak Gold, with well saturated colours, balanced tones, and impressive contrast and grain control.

What truly stood out to me was how versatile the film turned out to be. Based on online reviews and sample images, I had expected much heavier red dominance, yet the real world results were far more balanced and flexible across different lighting conditions. Though the red tone may perform differently by different labs and scanners. 

Overall, I’m genuinely excited to see a new colour film enter the market with such competitive quality. If you’re looking to try something different from Kodak or Fujifilm, Lucky Color 200 is absolutely worth exploring, especially when it’s handled by a reliable C41 film lab.

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All images featured in this blog are produced by J&A Studio – a professional photo studio and film lab, click here if you are looking for film developing from us.

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