Note: I wrote about inverting film negatives manually in this post, analog.cafe/r/how-to-inver…, and offer a negative inversion product based on the above techniques here: film Q (analog.cafe/app/film-q)
CineStill introduces CS Negative+ Convert Tools with SpectraCOLOR™ — an Adobe Lr/Ps plugin for inverting film scans.
The technology behind CS Negative+ is “informed by the characteristic spectral sensitometric curves of traditional RA-4 darkroom prints and motion picture cinema projection prints.” Best of all, the plugins are free:
“The result is more accurate colors, better contrast, and a closer match to the original negative — all while reducing the need for complex color correction in post-processing.”
These Adobe plugins are the next iteration of CineStill’s film inversion product, which they had available on Instagram via Meta’s Spark AR platform (Meta has since discontinued the platform).
In their blog post, cinestillfilm.com/blogs/ne…, CineStill recommends using CS-LITE, a backlight for digital camera setup, calibrated for scanning film.
I got to try the plugins just before publishing this with Sony a7iii scans of my Mamiya RZ67 film. The workflow involves first selecting one of the “START” (CS Negative+ Convert) presets and then one or several of the “PROCESS” (CS Negative+ Tools) presets, and adjusting the settings to change variables like density, tint, etc.
I love PetaPixel’s take on this Fujifilm development.
I hope that they are right, and “It would be very bizarre to bring that [pages about formerly discontinued Fujifilm stocks] back online if the film is not truly back in production.”
My suggestion that this event was a bug does not exclude the possibility of a premature deployment. If that’s the case, we may be seeing three highly-regarded, discontinued Fujifilm stocks back on sale!
Unfortunately, the above listing has the expiry date blocked off, which says 2021-02 on the Canadian Walmart page for an identical-looking box, suggesting this is just old stock: walmart.ca/en/ip/Fujifilm-…
Other interesting leads were from folks comparing film datasheet IDs and contents. Alas, most concluded that those “new” documents are identical to the stuff Fujifilm published for the discontinued films we all miss very much: Superia X-Tra, C200, and Pro 400H.
Lastly, a response from Fujifilm Canada, “We have advised our brand manager and they will be taking care of the website,” seems to indicate that they will be taking those pages down.
A few small updates to navigation in Analog.Cafe v3.29.95:
- The “Settings” button on the bottom left is more consistent, so that it’s easier to sign in for returning visitors.
- The most prominent button on the top nav is now “Apps” (previously it was “News”). The news can still be easily reached from the homepage.
- I’ve changed how the “Apps” and “Tutorial” buttons look there. This is a cosmetic update, apologies to anyone who’s used to the old icons!
- Most apps now have three dots, ︙ , next to the title. Clicking those will bring up a menu with more info about the app, a way to refresh the screen, and a way to share the app.
If you have any suggestions or concerns, please let me know!
Fujifilm updates its film product listings, leading to some hope and confusion.
Reddit users found two updated pages on the Fujifilm website listing the discontinued Fuji Pro 400H and Fuji Superia X-Tra films. Several users confirmed seeing the update in their language versions of the page, except Japan.
Fujifilm Canada even gave an email response, but it still felt confusing as it stated, “Superia X-Tra 400 and 200 speed film are available for purchase. Unfortunately, Pro 400H has been discontinued.”
Fujifilm does not brand their new colour ISO 200 and 400 films as Superia X-Tra; instead, they are marked as Fujifilm 200 and Fujifilm 400. It’s possible that the employee who responded meant that the current film line-up is staying as-is, with no revival in progress, and simply made a mistake in the namings.
Indeed, many in the discussion suggest it’s a bug in Fujifilm’s CMS, which I feel is most likely.
In the past, Fujifilm reps teased a possible revival of the Pro 400H film, which has not (yet?) materialized.
Adox HR 50 costs around 7 euro here in Poland so almost the half of what Leica asks for it. I hope they will continue to sell it under the old brand at the same price. It’s ultra sharp and low grain film.
Great article! I was so intrigued by the Ilfocolor Cine Tone I went to their website and saw that they have “Ilfochrome Color Reversal” in 24 and 36 exposures. Were you aware of that? Probably Ektachrome E100 but still worth knowing about.
“Vintage,” featuring Moses Sumney, was shot on “yet-to-be-released” Kodak film.
This beautiful piece of cinematography, music, and performance was shot over a year ago on a “yet-to-be-released and never-before-used motion picture stock, which is similar to a beloved professional still photography film,” as the award-winning cinematographer Marcel Rev confirmed on his Instagram page.
Thanks for the great article. I’m planning to stay at Krabi for the summer, do you know of any film labs there? Otherwise i was planning to send the film to bangkok to develop but i take it from your review that i don’t want to send B&W film to Sweet Film Bar?
Looks like I may be visiting a Leica store for the first time this summer!
The new black-and-white ISO 50 Leica MONOPAN will be available starting August 21st. Once on sale, it should cost £10/€12/$10/$14? CAD per roll.
Many sources, including websites like DPReview, agree with you, @ellabomga: this may be white-labelled Adox HR-50. Both Leica’s and Adox films are made in Germany, both are ISO 50, and both are super panchromatic (meaning, the film can be shot with an infrared filter to get a special effect). Leica’s website has a few examples that show glowing foliage: leica-camera.com/en-int/ph….
Despite costing more than the presumable HR-50, Leica’s new film may have better availability than the Adox’ offering that B&H lists as discontinued (I don’t think any brick-and-mortar stores in Canada sell it). So, if it’s the same film, Adox may be getting a few more sales; in fact, I’m sure that the HR-50 is getting more attention now than in a long while.
Of course, Leica’s film will have LEICA spelled on the borders, which may mean something.
Another thing about this film is that it would be **Leica’s first 35mm film product,** which I find very interesting: the company waited 100 years to offer 35mm film even though they pioneered the 135 film format for the industry!
Sounds plausible! Although one can’t tell for sure until either the brand reveals the source or there are good one-to-one comparisons between those films.
I can’t be the only person who expected a little more when teased like that, Harman!
But I am happy for the folks who love to shoot redscale film. It’s a very cool effect, and it can be tricky to make at home from medium format film.
The neat thing about redscaling is that you can turn any colour film “inside-out,” including the unusual emulsions like Lomochrome Turquoise and Kodak Aerochrome: analog.cafe/r/the-redscale….
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