Cinestill 400D

Cinestill 400D

Cinestill 400D is a medium speed daylight balanced color negative film suitable for a wide variety of lighting conditions.

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While it hasn't been confirmed, 400D is likely a respool of Kodak's Vision 3 250D, used in tons of Hollywood productions, including Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master, and notably in Best Cinematography Oscar-winner The Brutalist.

400D often draws comparison to Kodak's immensly popular Portra 400. In that regard, 400D isn't so much a Portra-killer as it is a Portra cousin. Both films utilize Kodak's ESTAR technology and exhibit accurate skin tone reproduction. They also share an extremely wide exposure latitude and huge flexibility when it comes to post-processing and digital editing.

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Cinestill 400D :: Color

Cinestill 400D :: Color

$15

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However, these films are fundamentally different in the way that they render color and texture. Cinestill 400D often feels warmer and imbues skin tones with a kind of glow that Portra seems to lack. While Portra is designed for a flatter, more "natural" look, 400D tends to saturate scenes and gives colors a more heightened and poppy look. 400D also has a big edge over Portra in its superior sharpness.


When shooting, 400D is extremely versatile and can hack it in most daylight/ available light situations. It particularly loves window-lit interiors, and golden dusk light. The film's motion picture genes shine through in the way that it injects breathy drama into each photograph.


To conclude, Cinestill 400D is a highly usable color film that meets a photographer's everyday needs while also maintaining some of that wild card energy.

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