As you may or may not know, Kodak sells a huge amount of film to cinema studios. This footage is branded Vision 3, which is different from all other Kodak emulsions we put in still cameras. The main difference, until now, has been the remjet layer — a black carbon deposit on the back of the film that has to be washed off before development (or risk ruining the chemicals and the film itself).
This month, Kodak announced that they’ve reformulated their motion picture films to no longer require remjet, meaning they can be developed like any other colour-negative (in either C-41 or ECN-2).
Together, we unpack this technology, what it means for film photography and photography in general. Daren and Dmitri also touch on related subjects, like grain simulations, what it takes to stand out in the crowd photography space, and why we love the analogue process.
We also chat about our own efforts to replicate CineStill 800T at home.
“We’re always going to have sick people, why can’t we also have sick film?”
— Dmitri, on why Fujifilm should start investing in film again, a product that’s been sidelined by the company in favour of the more profitable medical research.
Daren runs a YouTube channel, @LearnFilmPhotography, and the learnfilm.photography blog. We live in the same city and did a lot of collabs in the past. You can find some of them here: analog.cafe/@daren.zomerma….
Updated: Fujifilm Neopan Acros (I & II) Film Review.
Fujifilm Neopan Acros is the only film that the company has brought back from discontinuation in recent decades. Based on what we know, it’s still manufactured in Japan and packaged in the UK (presumably by Harman/Ilford).
Acros II, which is the current name for the film, extends its sensitivity range to panchromatic (from the original orthopanchromatic) but retains its remarkable reciprocity characteristics and consistency across developers. The new version also renders a bit more contrast, but overall, today’s Acros is nearly identical to the product we’ve been using since the year 2000.
I wrote about this film three years ago. Today was the time to update that review (I completely rewrote it, added new samples, and corrected all the mistakes of the previous post).
That’s true, they’re all different! Kodak’s latest remjet is particularly tough to remove (I compared it to Fujifilm Eterna, which is much easier to rub off).
About 1989, I got a roll of Kodak cine film, I don’t remember which type. I was developing C-41 at home and had read an article in Modern Photography magazine on developing cine film at home. It recommended just rubbing off the remjet layer with a finger after fixing (or after the stabilizer, it’s been more than 35 years). The obvious: remjet is short for removal [water] jet, so the layer is meant to be mechanically removed by a strong water jet…or a finger will do. I tried it and it worked. If you use a light through the film while rubbing, you can see any leftovers. The layer is just tinted gelatine, so no problems. On today’s cine films? It’s a matter of testing.
A small update to improve the free reader experience on Analog.Cafe v3.29.112+.
July has been a busy month; despite my intentions to update the apps, I spent most of the time writing, developing, and photographing. However, there’s one small feature I’d like to mention here quickly, which I think will help a few blog readers.
A reader expressed their frustration earlier this month about the persistent “View this image in HD” labels overlayed above all feature article panels.
I founded and grew this website on the premise that it can function without invasive advertising messages. Having reviewed the signed-out user experience with the reader’s perspective in mind, I’ve decided to add an option to hide those labels for 30 days for all visitors, including folks who are not signed in at all.
To hide the message, click on the “View this image in HD” label and select “Hide for Now” in the pop-up.
I can’t promise to make all requested changes on this website, but I am listening and I appreciate the effort it takes to share your opinion with me. ❤️
Lomography launches Joseph Petzval Focus-coupled Bokeh Control Art Lens Series.
The new 55mm f/1.7, 80.5mm f/1.9, and 35mm f/2 lenses offer creative swirly bokeh control using Joseph Petzval’s original 1840 portrait lens formulas, recalculated and redesigned for modern cameras with full-frame and crop sensors.
The 27mm and 135mm lenses will shortly join the lineup.
“Each lens features stopless aperture and focus control rings, plus a distinct chrome bokeh ring for intuitive control. This launch also marks the first time the Petzval 80.5 mm focal length is available for full-frame mirrorless cameras.”
These new lenses are designed for still photographers and videographers: “With a 180° focus throw, follow-focus compatibility (MOD 0.8), unified gear positions, and focus-coupled bokeh control, this series is equally at home in a photo or video setup.”
The lenses, along with technical info, can be found at the Lomography store today:
Everything you say about the Super-B’s beauty and quality is spot-on. But the lubricant for its unusual double-leaf shutter had a tendency to stiffen with age. Mine did, and I tried an equally unusual way to clean the gummed mechanisms WITHIN the camera. The shutter still works 1.5 years later, and the method is described in this 35mmc article-- 35mmc.com/24/01/2024/shoot… -- along with a discovery about the camera’s ability to take super-macros without using Zeiss-Ikon’s expensive macro lens. I hope the article (and its two following installments) prove helpful and interesting!
Analogue AF-1, a point-and-shoot camera in development by Analogue Amsterdam, has just sent an update on their progress.
The brand shares the details of a ready lens prototype, autofocus testing setup, LCD menu with animations (there’s a short clip that demonstrates that), and mechanical updates (battery and lens cover) in their Instagram post (you’ll have to click the next button a few times to get through all of it): instagram.com/p/DMUnXmYCB7P
Analogue Amsterdam promises to share “first images” in August (I’m assuming this is first images taken with the lens and the photos/videos of the prototype itself, which has never been seen by anyone but the select few).
The production stage is to begin in October and deliveries by the end of the year.
Excellent, I’m looking forward to reading about it then!
I’ve recently bought a half-frame camera for everyday shooting and it will likely take me some time to go through 70 exposures. I was thinking about which film to use that would work well for overcast weather — I think Portra 400 or Cinestill 400 would be best, but also a bit on the expensive side for everyday kind of shooting (though the doubled number of photos mitigates that somewhat I guess), and homemade Cinestill has the already mentioned drawback. I guess I’ll just go for Kodak Gold then! haha.
Anyway, thanks for your reply and keep up the good job with the blog!
Funny you ask, I’m working on an article about this exact thing! CineStill absolutely does more to Vision 3 film than just remove the remjet. I found a host of issues trying to make one at home that aren’t a problem on the branded rolls.
Hey, I have a question about remjet-removed Kodak Vision films. I’ve been buying some local “homemade Cinestill” films lately, but the seller warned me not to keep them in the camera for too long, especially in high temperatures and especially when it comes to 250D — he said the film base changes its colour to deep red when exposed to heat which results in strong colour shifts. I’m wondering if you’ve come across anything like that. I’ll likely have to try it out myself, but maybe this is the reason why Cinestill 400D has apparently had some tweaks applied to it in addition to just removing the remjet — maybe they did something to it to prevent the film base discolouration.
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