CineStill 400D v/s reflxLab 400 Daylight

CineStill 400D v/s reflxLab 400 Daylight

Halation, Anti-halation, Remjet - what do they mean?

Motion picture films are made in abundance by Kodak, given the high demand for them in the filmmaking industry. Halation is the halos that appear on films where the high contrast areas are present. An orange-reddish halo appears around the film's areas where the transition from a bright area happens. Some of the pictures below (lamps) show those halos. The films are coated with a chemical layer called Remjet, which prevents halation. Another advantage of the anti-halation layer is that, given the high speed with which the film moves through movie equipment, the anti-halation layer provides lubrication. The Remjet layer also provides anti-static and scratch protection. It is a water-soluble layer on the film.

The last thing to remember about the Remjet layer is that films denoted by ECN-2 (as opposed to the most common processing named C41) indicate the presence of Remjet. Due to contamination, such films cannot be jointly processed or processed in the same tank as the C41 films. So, given the global shortage of C41 films post-Covid 19, companies such as CineStill are taking ECN-2 motion picture films and removing the Remjet layer, thereby making them easy to process as C41 films. Reflx Lab - see below - is doing the same.

CineStill 400D v/s reflxLab 400 Daylight
CineStill 400D v/s reflxLab 400 Daylight

In 2022, CineStill launched a highly successful crowdfunding campaign to finance producing a new film, CineStill 400D.

According to the CineStill website, “CineStill 400 Dynamic is fine grain daylight-balanced color negative film that delivers a soft color palette with natural saturation and rich, warm skin tones. The film has a wide dynamic range, with a base sensitivity of ISO 400 but can be rated from 200 to 800, and it can be pushed up to 3200. This makes the film highly versatile and usable indoors or in the studio under virtually any lighting conditions.

400D was specifically designed for still photography to be processed in C-41 chemistry by any photo lab or home. In addition, it also features a process-surviving anti-static lubricant coating, an ideal film for both manual SLRs and automatic winding cameras. This film continues CineStill’s ongoing tradition of cinematic film emulsions made for still photographers, allowing them to maximize their creativity and produce remarkable images that express who they are as artists.”

CineStill’s price for a 35mm 36 exp 400D is $15.99 per roll on their website 03/22/2023.

Then, we have a relatively unknown venture out of Shenzhen, China, Reflx Lab. They launched Reflx Lab 400D, which is the Kodak Vision 5207 (250D) with the remjet removed. They hand roll the film from bulk. They call the film 400 Daylight and sell it for around $11.99 for a 35mm 36 exp roll. 33% less expensive than CineStill 400D. So, what is the catch? The catch is that if you order it from Reflx Lab, it takes about 20 days to receive the film from China. They charge only a $5 flat rate shipping. But wait, there is a faster way to get it…scroll below the pictures to order it in the USA and get it within 3-10 days.

So, I was curious to see the difference between the CineStill 400D and the Reflx Lab 400D films. So, I took two identical cameras - Olympus 35 RC and loaded them with the two films. Below are the results. The one without the name at the bottom is the Reflx Lab 400D.

CineStill 400D v/s reflxLab 400 Daylight
CineStill 400D v/s reflxLab 400 Daylight
CineStill 400D v/s reflxLab 400 Daylight
CineStill 400D v/s reflxLab 400 Daylight
CineStill 400D v/s reflxLab 400 Daylight
CineStill 400D v/s reflxLab 400 Daylight
CineStill 400D v/s reflxLab 400 Daylight
CineStill 400D v/s reflxLab 400 Daylight
CineStill 400D v/s reflxLab 400 Daylight
CineStill 400D v/s reflxLab 400 Daylight

Order Reflx Lab 400D film in the USA

Get your film in 1-5 days, depending on the shipping choice you make

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.