I first bought this film to try Cinestill out as a brand. I was really curious about the company because of the concept of using movie stock film to create still photographs. I wanted to try Cinestill 800T in the first place and I bought a roll of that, but I don’t have any filter and I never had a good occasion to use a tungsten-based film. I decided to try out the 50D, balanced for daylight and relatively slow.

I used my Zenza Bronica ETRSi and Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 lens, an excellent camera that I sold to switch over the 6×6. The Cinestill 50D was actually the last roll I shot with that camera. I metered every shot with a manual light meter, a Gossen Lunasix 3 that, I later discovered, was not calibrated (a couple of stops away) but the film did however a really good job holding the details in place.

As you can see shadows and highlights are both good and smooth, the grain is amazingly fine and almost invisible, details came out really nice. I developed the film at home and scanned with an Epson V600, that is not a high-quality scanner. I couldn’t be more satisfied with the results.

I am very happy about the stock and I wish Cinestill will do a medium speed film calibrated for daylight, it would be amazing. I will definitely shot the 50D again, and I will try the 800T as soon as possible to feel that one on my new 6×6 camera, a Bronica EC-TL.

I suggest trying the Cinestill 50D on a good sunny day in order to appreciate every colour in its palette, the results may surprise you. I shot in medium format, but I guess the fine grain is amazing also in 35mil. Absolutely to give a shot.

~ Giacomo Lanzi

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5 responses to “5 Frames… With Cinestill 50D (EI 50 / 120 format / Zenza Bronica ETRSi)”

  1. Arild Edvard Båsmo Avatar
    Arild Edvard Båsmo

    Cinestill is an interesting film for sure and it does yield fine results when shot without the remjet layer and developed in C41. However, it seems the true potential of that film is only shown when developed in ECN-2. This gives a flat negative (I suppose, in a way a bit like if you develop BW in a compensating developer, or like a camera RAW file) that is meant to be colour graded after shooting. I’ve only taken baby steps in this, but I might come back when I have done more testing.

  2. At the moment my 5 Frames With… would have the sub-heading, “I thought they were going to be better than that.”

  3. I haven’t tried cinestill yet, but now I’ve seen these colours I really want to

  4. Cinestill is my “go to” film for color, and like you I wish they would find an emulsion in the 200-400 ASA range from existing cinema stock. Great shots with your Bronica, and I wish you all the best with 6×6. I currently shoot 6×7 with a Mamiya RB, but I’m looking forward to a return to 6×6 with an Agfa Isoltette II I ordered off of Ebay, as my entry to medium format was in 6×6 with a Yashicamat 124G while in college.

 

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