Cinestill Film (stylized as CineStill film) is a Los Angeles-based company selling photographic film for analog cameras in collaboration with Kodak motion picture cinema film stock. The two brothers who founded the company started as a small business shooting music and wedding photography, hacking cameras and lenses, then moved on to chemically adapting cinema film so it could be processed at photo labs.
CineStill started selling film in 2012. The emulsions are manufactured by Kodak in collaboration with CineStill and then some of the films are modified by CineStill to be able to work in commercial minilabs. The film is then finished into 35mm 135 cartridges and 120 film. This collaborative approach to manufacturing increases efficiency and supports the necessary infrastructure for film to exist while still allowing the company to operate at a very small scale.
Color negative films
For their color negative films, CineStill works with Eastman Kodak to produce modified versions of Kodak's motion picture cinema emulsions, allowing them to be developed with the C-41 process rather than the Eastman Color Negative (ECN) process.[1] For their 50D and 800T films, CineStill modifies the motion picture cinema film by eliminating the Remjet backing, a separate anti-halation backing used to protect the film from scratching and static in high-speed motion picture cameras. Due to having no anti-halation backing, CineStill film exhibits a glowing effect on the image in areas with strong overexposure.[2][3] CineStill films should be processed in C-41 chemistry for optimal results for still photography processes, and also could be processed in ECN-2 chemistry for a lower contrast image. Despite there being no Remjet layer, all ECN-2 steps must be followed for proper development for the motion picture process.[4]
50Daylight (50D)
CineStill's 50Daylight, also known as 50D, is a daylight balanced (5500K) color negative film that is a variant of Kodak's Vision3 5203 motion picture cinema film. It can be rated anywhere between EI 12-100 without the need for push or pull processing. Similar to the 800T, 50D has its remjet layer removed which results in a slight halation effect. For 35mm, it is factory spooled into DX-coded cassettes.
400Dynamic (400D)
In Spring of 2022, CineStill announced 400Dynamic, also known as 400D. It is a 400 speed daylight balanced film, balanced for most photographic scenarios. CineStill announced their newest film via a crowdfunding campaign, reaching the goals that allowed the company to produce 400D in 35mm, 120 Medium Format, and 4x5 Large Format.[5][6][7][8]
800Tungsten (800T)
CineStill's 800Tungsten, also commonly known as 800T®, was the first color film stock that the company released. The film is a variant of Kodak's Vision 3 5219 motion picture cinema film. For 35mm, it is factory spooled into DX coded film cartridges. As a result of its high sensitivity, it is most suitable for low-light photography than any other film.[9]
Redrum
In October 2021, CineStill launched their limited edition Redrum film, which was available in a limited quantity. Originally a manufacturing error, Redrum was a redscale version of 800T. The film was only available in 120 Medium Format, which sold out within a few days.[10][11][12]
Black and white negative film
CineStill's BwXX is a variant on Kodak's Double-X 5222 film stock. It is a classic panchromatic black and white negative film. It has a variable base ISO of 200 for tungsten lighting (3200K) and 250 under daylight (5500K). In 2021, CineStill made BwXX available in 120 Medium Format, which had never been available for this emulsion before.[13][14][15]
Film Chemistry
CineStill offers various film chemistries for users to process a wide range of film at home. Their product lines include their Df96 B&W Monobath, Cs41 Color Simplified, Cs6 Creative Slide, and Cs2 Cine Simplified. Many of their processes are available in both liquid and powder concentrates.
