News — film

Artist Spotlight: Ethan Gulley - Desert & Denim

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Alabama-born and California based photographer Ethan Gulley first popped onto our radar with his bold commercial and editorial photography, and as founder of the independent publication Sonder Mag.
Ethan recently packed up a bag full of CineStill Film and headed to Joshua Tree to document Desert & Denim, a festival for entrepreneurs, artisans and idealists. The results are stunning, with a palpable sense of western nostalgia and craft flair. Thanks for taking us along on your adventure, Ethan!

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No Compromises - Df96 compared with popular traditional developers

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Due to the long history of multiple bath processes being the only ones available, many may wonder, "What are the compromises with a monobath?" Well, we can tell you that it is not compromised quality with Df96. We are standing on the shoulders of giants, and the reason monobaths weren't popular before is most likely because of economies of scale and cost, in addition to shorter shelf life. In the past, there was more profit in just producing the large volume photochemicals for film to be processed en masse. After all, back then everyone had to process film to capture a photo. Now that craft film manufacturing is being tooled for smaller batches, lower volume products can be more viable. Small batch, on demand, chemical manufacturing works just like craft beer. Fresher product with more characteristics. Thus the modern monobath was born, formulated to be produced at a craft scale.

Df96 is very forgiving for all film speeds and different emulsion types. This is partially because of the advanced developing agents used. But also as chemical development self-completes, archival fixation takes over breaking down silver and allowing physical development to redeposit it in thin areas of the film, while diffusing the grain to be finer and smoother. As you can see in the samples below, it renders somewhere between the Ilfotec DDX grain structure and Kodak Professional HC-110 tonality.

Detail crop of BwXX processed at ISO 250 in HC-110 liquid concentrate, Df96 monobath, and D-76 powder chemicals.

Detail crop of BwXX processed at ISO 250 in DD-X liquid concentrate, Df96 monobath, and ID-11 powder chemicals. 

Df96 also works well with tabular grain films, like Tmax, but to fully eliminate residual color dyes in the emulsion we double the recommended processing time. This does not affect the image since all films complete development within the first 3 minutes. Below you can see the smoothness and crisp contrast Df96 pulls out of TMax100...

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Processing 16+ different B&W films with just one chemical! Df96

Posted by CineStill on

Out of all of the available processes we've had the pleasure of using, Df96 is possibly the most uniform and consistent with all emulsions. It's not only a single-step solution, it makes over processing virtually impossible. We decided to test processing over 16 different emulsions exposed at their box speed, in one bath, at the same time, at the same temperature. Df96 has terrific uniformity due to the simultaneous development and fixing of the silver, competing to reveal every detail, from the most subtle to extreme exposure.

Kodak TMax P3200 exposed at f/2 and 1/125, 1/60, 1/45 with a Summicron Dual-Range 50mm lens and processed normal. 

Df96 monobath easily processes any standard black and white film at any room temperature. It is designed with traditional cubic-grain emulsions in mind, like BwXX, TriX and HP5. It also works well with tabular grain films containing color dye technology, like Tmax, but to eliminate residual dyes in the emulsion you should double the recommended processing time. High speed films like P3200 and Delta3200 can be processed between ISO 1000-1600 by the instructions on the label, or pushed to 3200 by adding 10°F (6°C)....

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CineStill 800T In Your Toolbox

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With many film choices currently available, it is necessary to have some understanding of how a particular film excels, so you can get the most out of every roll. When choosing CineStill 800T, it helps to understand where this film originated and what it was designed to achieve, in addition to considering its increased speed and quality over other options. 

CineStill 800T was originally based on a motion picture emulsion designed for shooting in limited artificial, continuous, incandescent light. It can also be shot in daylight with the appropriate “85” filter, or with a warmer “85b” filter in blue cast shade. It is also popular to shoot 800T with no filter for a cool look, or to be color corrected warm for a Wes Anderson aesthetic. This film is optimized for a hybrid workflow, ideal for scanning, but comparable with standard still photography processing and darkroom printing, with literally futuristic features (from a still photography perspective)....

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Announcing the Rebirth of Kodak Tmax P3200 TMZ for Preorder!

Posted by CineStill on

ROCHESTER, N.Y. February 23, 2018 – After 5 years of "darkness" for high speed black and white film emulsions, Kodak has proclaimed the end of the "Dark Ages" and onward to the "Film Renaissance" with the rebirth of one of the most unique films on the market! 

Tmax P3200 35mm available to ship in March, 2018

KODAK PROFESSIONAL T-MAX P3200 Black & White Negative Film ⁄ 3200TMZ is a multi-speed continuous-tone panchromatic black-and-white negative film that combines high to ultra-high film speeds with finer grain than that of other fast black-and-white films. It is especially useful for very fast action; for dimly lighted scenes where you can’t use flash; for subjects that require good depth of field combined with fast shutter speeds; and for handholding telephoto lenses for fast action or in dim light. It is an excellent choice for nighttime photography.

Features and Benefits:

  • KODAK T-GRAIN Emulsion
  • High to Ultra High speed
  • Fine grain
  • Superior sharpness
  • Maintains subject detail in prints higher degrees of magnification than conventional films

To preorder this reanimated film stock simply add it to your cart from our product page.

“It’s no secret that we’ve been looking for opportunities to expand our portfolio” said Dennis Olbrich, President – Kodak Alaris Paper, Photo Chemicals and Film. “Darkroom photography is making a comeback, and B&W Film sales are clearly on a positive trajectory. Given these very encouraging market trends, we believe P3200 TMZ will be a great addition to our lineup”.

 

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Film’s Worst Enemies (7 common film issues)

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“Here today, gone tomorrow...” 
 
A predominant theme in the modern digital world around us. The greatest appeal of photography is the ability to capture that fleeting moment. To lock it, in true permanence, with the swift and sure click of a shutter. But as with all things ones and zeros, digital photography is by nature immaterial. Film photography, on the other hand, is a physical process with...

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CineStill Film at WPPI in Las Vegas!

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CineStill Film will be joining photographers in Las Vegas, March 3rd for the week of WPPI this year and we will be teaming up with the coolest companies in the wedding and portrait photography world to throw the sickest party ever for photographers!


Silver Rush Party will be held at Drai's Beach Club & Nightclub! Located on the roof of the The Cromwell Hotel and Casino, Drai's is the hottest club...

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"Cigarettes & Coffee Porter" on 800T by Jessica Palopoli

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"I went to a blind tasting at a brewery in SF (Cellarmaker) - they brewed their "coffee and cigarettes" porter with three different types of coffee beans from local coffee roasters. Tasters had to vote for their favorite." - Jessica Palopoli

Jessica is a freelance photographer living in San Fran working a lot with local Bay Area businesses. She has been doing photography since 1993 and is very...

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