I’m always happy when a new film stock is announced. Whether it’s a new emulsion or a rebadge of something old doesn’t matter, as long as people take interest and film continues to be purchased. I will admit that not too many film stocks interest me personally. There are only five or six stocks that I use at all and only a few that I purchase regularly, one of them being Eastman Double-X 5222 motion picture film. I buy the stuff by the 400′ roll and it has become my favorite B&W film for 35mm. This is why the announcement by CineStill, Double-X in 120, caused me to immediately visit their website and buy 10 rolls of the new film. At $12 per roll, it is by no means inexpensive, but I want to give it a real test and that means more than one or two rolls.
Like most kids with a new toy, I couldn’t wait to try out my medium format Double-X. I loaded up my Rolleiflex and took the dog for a walk. The day was sunny and clear, so I went looking for contrast. I wanted deep shadows and bright highlights to see how closely the film responded to my usual routine with 5222.
Here are some of the images from my first roll of CineStill BwXX.
I rated the film at EI200 and did not use any filter on my Rolleiflex. The onboard meter is surprisingly accurate which makes using the camera even more of a joy. The film was developed using HC-110 at 1+49 dilution for 7:30 mins at 68°. After scanning, I imported the files into Lightroom. Because I am who I am, I cleaned up the dust spots and straightened one or two of them before exporting to jpg.
While I wouldn’t consider this a review of the film, having exposed only this one roll, I will say that I’m pleased with the results. The negatives have a nice, fine grain. There is loads of detail in the shadows and they don’t seem to block up easily. The extreme highlights fall off quickly, like the 5222, and there is slight but noticeable halation. All of this adds up to a malleable negative with that little bit of a classic look.
