News — beta test

What Makes 800T the Original and Only True 800-Speed Tungsten-Balanced Film for Still Photography

Posted by CineStill on

Photo of a light table with some samples of imitation films processed together in the same tank with 800T as a control.

When searching for CineStill films have you come across any “brand new” color films “made by” random brands lately? Are their claims strikingly similar somehow? Have they cracked the CineStill code? No, they have not… Through thorough quality assurance, we have concluded that true 800T — utilizing our meticulous and unique production process — is the only color film that can stand behind the claim of being both 800-speed and Tungsten balanced. This article will further explain how we came to this conclusion and go into detail showing the results of our extensive testing. We are not here to be nit-picky or point fingers and name names — which might get a little confusing — but some names may sound familiar to you by now. Those “800T” imitations and “400D” generics (repurposed from existing 500-speed or 250-speed motion picture film, respectively) are not representative of the original motion picture film’s quality nor the performance of CineStill films’ sensitivity and color fidelity. Although they may replicate the signature CineStill red halation glow, they are only somewhat comparable to expired film, in that they appear age fogged with shifted color-balance and exhibit a slower effective film-speed (200-400 ISO at best) resulting in a film not suitable for proposed use, let alone low-light photography; that is unless you like underexposed/expired film. For those looking for fresh film, we are fortunate to still have several other excellent high-speed color films available today (even with the recent unavailability of 400H and C200) — from UltraMax and Portra 400 to Lomo 800 and Portra 800 — but 800T is still the only tungsten-balanced, true 800-speed film made for still photography. Anything else, isn’t…

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The Film Show - Ryan Muirhead "The Final Beta Test"

Posted by CineStill on

The Framed Network's Film Show dedicated an entire episode to shooting CineStillFilm 800Tungsten at night in Las Vegas! All five hosts had to shoot ambient light portraits under the extreme conditions of the Las Vegas strip, in the rainy winter. At the time of shooting, we were just wrapping up beta testing of the film and process, and had not finished assessing the results, or gone into mass...

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The Film Show - Jonas Peterson "The Final Beta Test"

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Jonas Peterson was one of the beta testers of CineStillFilm 800Tungsten and a host of The Framed Network's Film Showfor episode 5 of season 2 in Las Vegas. He has been primarily a digital shooter up until recently, when he began a love affair with film. Jonas has plenty of experience shooting high ISO digital in low light, but had yet to try a color film that could compete with the detail and...

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The Film Show - Tanja Lippert "The Final Beta Test"

Posted by CineStill on

Photographs taken on the final beta run of CineStillFilm 800Tungsten by Tanja Lippert, host on The Framed Network's Film Show, in Las Vegas. All processed normal in C-41, and untouched scans straight from the Frontier scanner.

All five hosts had to shoot portraits under the extreme ambient conditions of the Las Vegas strip. These beta rolls were all hand spliced into used 135 canisters, and no one...

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The Film Show - Tia Reagan "The Final Beta Test"

Posted by CineStill on

One of The Framed Network's Film Show hosts, Tia Reagan, faced quite a personal challenge during the filming of episode 5 "The Night Shoot". This was an unfamiliar situation for her, shooting 5 minute portrait sessions on theLas Vegas strip AT NIGHT. She was forced to use a film stock with no expectations, that was still in beta testing. For her, a lot was on the line. She really connects with her...

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The Film Show - Jan Scholz "The Final Beta Test"

Posted by CineStill on

Some more results of CineStillFilm 800Tungsten by Jan Scholz on The Framed Network's Film Show in Las Vegas. All processed normal C-41, and untouched scans straight from the Frontier scanner.


All five hosts had to shoot ambient light portraits under the extreme conditions of the Las Vegas strip. These beta rolls were all hand spliced into used 135 canisters, and no one really had much of an idea...

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