Film Review Blog No. 95 – Kodak Vision3 5219 500T

If you’re thinking, haven’t you already reviewed this film stock? Well, you would be right after a fashion. While CineStill 800T is based on Vision3 500T, it is a version that has been under-exposed by a little under one-stop and had the remjet protective layer stripped away. This is the real deal; released in 2007, Eastman Vision3 5219 500T is a fast tungsten balanced film designed for use under artificial light, specifically those that produce light at the temperature of 3200K. It can also be used in daylight and produces, unfiltered, a blue tinge giving an almost day-for-night look. Of course, you can compensate for this by using an 85B filter. While I did attempt to get one, they are both expensive and hard to find, even for a small 52mm one. In full disclosure, these were processed using the FPP Super Color Negative ECN-2 kit and not subjected to a lab-based ECN-2 process.

Film Specs
Type: Colour Negative Motion Picture Film (ECN-2 Process)
Film Base: Acetate
Film Speed: ASA-500 (Tungsten), ASA-320 (Daylight with 85B Filter), Latitude: +/- 2-Stops
Formats Available: 135 (35mm)

Colour Rendition
I have only shot tungsten-balanced films a couple of times. I didn’t know what to expect, especially with the few frames shot under natural light. But what surprised me was how well, even un-filtered, the film handled natural light. But don’t expect bright, vibrant colours from this film under normal conditions. You will, without adjustment, get a severe blue cast to your images, and even after some adjustment, that will remain. I cannot say how well an 85B filter and over-exposure would correct this colour cast under natural light. But despite being Tungsten balanced light, it handled non-tungsten light sources well. Most of the indoor shots, both in Toronto and around campus, were under cool white lights and resulted in a yellow cast, which proved a bit more challenging to fix. I think when it comes to this film, filtration is critical when shooting under any light other than tungsten or working outside at night.

Image Quality
I have some serious concerns over the image quality of this film. But that could be just me, as the film probably, in some cases, was stored in less-than-ideal conditions at some point in its journey into my F5. Don’t expect fine grain out of this film, and while it does make for excellent edge sharpness, it can muddy the waters. While less pronounced at ASA-500, it certainly is present at ASA-800. This also introduces a large amount of colour noise into the digital scans of the film. There’s nothing soft about the film; it’s crispy at the edges and has good contrast, which is controllable. The one thing I did notice is how under-developed the ASA-800 frames were, now, this could be due to the interior lighting conditions, but it certainly seemed to be wildly different from the ASA-500 roll. I recommend that if you are under-exposing the film, push it in development by a stop to ensure you get cleaner scans.

Scanning
I already am not a fan of scanning colour film; however, using both ECN-2 (Home) chemistry and motion picture films has undoubtedly changed my view, also having some better equipment at my disposal. But still, 500T is a tough nut to crack. The first issue is the thick base, developing at such a high temperature (41°C), then air drying in a relatively cool space ensured that the cupping was insane. My usual go-to, in this case, is to use the Nikon Coolscan V ED, but it struggled with getting the film loaded. It took a bit of work, and I managed to get only a single roll scanned (the ASA-500 roll). And the scanner and software handled the film decently, with the tungsten balance in the film’s favour. So after letting the film sit in a heavy book, I ran the film through my Epson V700 with Silverfast 9 SE under a heavier book. The combination handled the film well, and I didn’t see much trouble with the tungsten balance, but shooting under various artificial light sources created some interesting colour casts. In post-processing, Adobe Photoshop was able to correct the colour cast better than any filter possibly could. While not perfect, there’s enough latitude for manually balancing the colour out. I noticed a large amount of colour noise introduced during the scanning process, more at the ASA-800 level than at the ASA-500. Still, in either case, it was removed by Photoshop without too much difficulty or loss of image quality.

Overall Impression
There’s nothing wrong with 500T, it is a film that is an acquired taste, and it certainly is one I do not have a preference for. I don’t do a lot of photography that requires such a film; most of my work is done in natural light conditions that require pure colours and tonality. I also am drawn more towards pleasing and fine grain structure than the chunky nature that 500T presents. Suppose you love shooting in low light and can easily adjust your colours in post-processing; then 500T is for you. And processing it using either a motion picture lab or a home ECN-2 kit is the way to go. And I do recommend purchasing the film in full Vision3 form and taking care of the remjet layer either through an ECN-2 lab or yourself. I used one tablespoon of baking soda in 1 litre of 41°C water, did five inversions, poured it out then rinsed it three more times. Any leftover remjet is easily wiped with gloves or a gentle microfibre cloth. Plus, 500T offers a fast, economical colour film that is readily available through multiple resellers, or you can even purchase bulk rolls and load them yourself.

Further Reading
Don’t just take my word on Vision3 500T; you can check out the reviews by other excellent camera reviewers!
Inverno Dreaming – Shooting Kodak Vision3 – 500T Review
THUSA – Kodak Vision 3 5219 500T Colour Negative Film
Ivan YOLO – Kodak Vision3 500T 35mm Film Test on Yashica Film Camera
Kash Photo – Week 45: Kodak Vision3 500T Enjoys a Summer Street Party
Dude Oi – Kodak Vision3 Review 500T