CineStill 800T 35mm 36 exposures. This film is designed for use at ISO800 although you can push it up to ISO3200. CineStill 800 Tungsten is a unique film for photographers, you will see that this film is prepared from the same material used by leading cinematographers around the world. It is designed for difficult low light situations but is also excellent during the day, it can be used in a variety of situations to achieve clearly excellent results.
ANALYSIS OF CINESTILL 800T 35MM FILM
You are probably aware that analogue photography is enjoying a renaissance after a decade or two of digital camera advances that were intended to kill it off. You probably wouldn’t be reading this otherwise.
Something that is not often realised is how many great TV programmes and films are still being shot on film. TV shows such as Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead and Boardwalk Empire, and films such asInception, Django Unchained and the latestStar Wars episodes.
What all these films and many more have in common is the type of film on which they were shot, at least partially, and that film is Kodak Vision 3 5219, which brings us to the questionof what CineStill 800T is.
WHAT IS CINESTILL 800T?
Back in 2012, identical twins Brandon and Brian Wright, known as The Wright Brothers, started working on something special.
The goal was to take the film that needed to be processed with the ECN-2 method, modify it and make it available to everyone in a usable still photography format (35mm to start with). And capable of being processed in the much more common and therefore accessible C-41 configuration.
In simpler terms,this meant removing the RemJet (which may stand for Removable Jet Black Coating) anti-halation backing from the aforementioned Kodak Vision 3 5219 without damaging or destroying the film in doing so.
In reality, this took years of research, development, perhaps blood, probably sweat, and possibly even tears. Personally, we are very grateful that the brothers have gone through all that so that we can have a unique kind of film to shoot. And here the Cinestill 800T
IMAGE QUALITY
If you Google “CineStill 800T” and look at the images tab, you’ll see a lot of streets lit up at night, neon signs, restaurant and shop windows, and maybe even a gas station.
All this is to be expected. As an ISO 800 balanced tungsten film,CineStill is designed to be shot under artificial light as well as in low light.
What you will also see in all these night shots, if you look closely at the bright lights in them, is the result of the removal of the RemJet anti-halation layer. That means, (Surprise…) halo (Halo refers to the diffusion of light around bright areas in an image, typically a photograph).
In a nutshell, these are the red halos around the bulbs in the first two photos. Not that this is a bad thing, in fact it is not a good thing either. But when you realise it, it’s something very recognisable from CineStill.
Apart from the halos, the CineStill 800T gives everything you would expect from it, cool and muted tones in general, with the neon signs or bulbs providing the lights.
The fact that this is an ISO 800 tungsten balanced film does not mean that it can only be photographed at night,some frames can also be taken in daylight, for this it is recommended to use an orange 85B filter and shoot at ISO 500 in the sun.
Blue tones are to be expected when shooting a tungsten-balanced film in daylight, but they are also not as exaggerated as you might expect. It’s different from what normal film, especially Kodak film, has to offer and we like it a lot.
FOTOGRAFÍA DE CALLE CON CINESTILL 800T
Although CineStill 800T is often used for shots where neon and bright lights are the main subject, you can of course think more about the people in those scenes and do street photography at night as well.
We know that the idea of shooting on the street and at night on film without a flash can be intimidating, but if you focus on the light source, meter it, and let it illuminate the people in your shot as it does in reality, you will get a natural and very colourful photograph, with a much more natural feel than usual.
The ISO 800 rating of this CineStill should give you enough speed if you use that technique, and if you are indoors in well-lit places, it should definitely give you impressive results.
Using this film can be very rewarding and enjoyable, as well as a refreshing experience to do something a little different and go out for the evening instead.
It’s worth mentioning again how CineStill 800Tungsten allows you to mix things up on a single roll too, by being able to shoot in daylight without the need for a filter or ISO change (although this is recommended).
The results that can be obtained in both situations demonstrate why CineStill 800T is such a unique and valuable option.
Although Kodak ColorPlus 200 and Gold 200films are different, how different are they really? Would the results be distinguishable in a blind test? And how can you shoot day and night with the same film?
Both are excellent for what they do and each film has its own use cases and strengths, although what we can see is that the CineStill 800T is exceptional and far superior to these in every way, it’s certainly a film you can’t afford to miss.
CINESTILL 800TUNGSTEN SPECIFICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT
CineStill 800T Xpro C-41 is a balanced tungsten (3200K) film produced with modified Kodak Vision 3 5219 film. You can find the Kodak Vision data sheet here.
Thanks to the RemJet removal process that the reel is subjected to beforehand, it can be developed with C-41 in our lab, and in fact by purchasing this film in our online shop you will receive a 25% discount on the development, thus getting the best price on the market for the full use of this film, you can see the prices of developing here(Without the 25% discount added)
CineStill, which has a great FAQ page here, says that the 800Tungsten can be taken up to ISO 3200. Although to be frankly honest, we do not recommend this. They have also released details of the new enhanced batches of the film.
As you can see in a couple of images in this post, the roll I have photographed had no box, but came only in a labelled plastic film container.
The rolls produced from now on will be boxed and DX-coded. They will also have a longer shelf life, with less deterioration, even after expiry. CineStill recommends storing them in the refrigerator, using them within 6 months and processing them quickly afterwards.
For the record, although my roll was unboxed, it had an expiry date of January 2020 – which I shot earlier – and the DX code 753915.
An important detail to mention are the vertical light leaks that have been reported by several previous CineStill users.
According to Andre Domingues, director of customer solutions at CineStill,the film is vulnerable to this even before loading. The removed RemJet layer means that the canister slit is not as light-tight as with other films, which means that some light can enter.
It is therefore recommended to keep the film canister in its small plastic container until it is to be loaded, and to do so in a dark environment. Then unload it in a similar dark place and put it back in the container as soon as you have removed it from your camera.
And also… We can develop your negatives (And at a discount! *)
At Visualkorner we are specialists in analogue development for all types of formats, For each reel you buy in our shop (physical and online) you will receive a 25% discount voucher so that you can bring the film to be developed and make copies or scan the negatives and receive your photographs by WeTransfer.
The discount voucher will be sent to you by e-mail once you have made your purchase and you will be able to have your photographs as soon as possible.
Vea nuestros precios con más detalle en nuestro catálogo
At Visualkorner we provide our customers with the largest range of products for analogue photography. We strive to always maintain a constant stock of film and to keep our prices as low as possible in view of the monopoly in the film industry, this is part of our aim to offer our customers the best possible quality of film. our commitment to art.
We also offer you a wide range of chemical products for black and white development and, as always, we offer you the highest quality in the development of your negativesand photofinishing. We are a Hahnemühle certified laboratory (Certification No.: 169197) which proves our excellence in printing your photos.
We also make shippings all around Europe, Contact us if you want to know more about our International shipping methods.
International shipping (All around Europe) +€5 more, free shipping from €250
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