A halation is the result of relatively bright points of light projecting through the semi-transparent film and then bouncing off a film pressure plate through the layers. Halation occurs to some degree on all films, which is why manufacturers usually include an anti-halation layer with their film (famously, Kodak Vision 3’s remjet: analog.cafe/r/how-to-remov…). Most films don’t use remjet; instead, their anti-halation layer is either dissolvable or integrated deep into the emulsion.
Halations can occur on black-and-white and colour films. Colour films without the remjet layer, like CineStill 800T (analog.cafe/r/cinestill-80…), and, notably, Harman Phoenix.
Harman must have experience with anti-halation layers (since they produce all Ilford-branded black-and-white films, which use anti-halation), which suggests that excluding this feature is a deliberate choice.
CineStill got a lot of pushback from the community. Many bloggers and YouTubers vowed never to buy their products and called them names (probably for clicks).
But real life isn’t made of villains and heroes. Lives and businesses are complicated stories involving countless decisions, and the repercussions of those actions aren’t always clear. This is why it’s so important to stand back for a moment and do the due diligence to get as many facts about an event as possible. This is what makes good reporting.
Dmitri
Dmitri edited on Apr 27, ‘24