CineStill 800T vs Kodak Vision3 500T

Updated October 14, 2026 · 8 figures compared

CineStill 800T is reportedly Kodak Vision3 500T (5219) with its anti-halation backing removed so that it can be processed in C-41: CineStill says it started from Kodak Vision 3 stock without naming the film, and a reviewer reported the 5219 code on the edge of early rolls A2 A3 A14. Kodak rates 500T at EI 500 under tungsten light in ECN-2; CineStill rates 800T at EI 800 in C-41 B1 A1. The visible difference is halation: red halos around bright lights on 800T, none on 500T with its protection intact A7 B9.

A GA — 012 Cinema

CineStill800T

In production

Film sheet Preset GA — 012 / P

B GA — 030 Cinema

KodakVision3 500T

In production

Film sheet Preset GA — 030 / P

Compare other films

From the CineStill 800T sheet, on Kodak Vision3 500T: “The emulsion 800T is reportedly made from, with its anti-halation protection: no red halos, EI 500, ECN-2”
From the Kodak Vision3 500T sheet, on CineStill 800T: “Made from this emulsion without its anti-halation protection: C-41 processing at EI 800, with red halos around lights”

Side by side

5 of 8 rows differ · 1 not published

Jump to the renderings

CineStill 800T and Kodak Vision3 500T, documented figures side by side
Identity
	A CineStill 800T	B Kodak Vision3 500T
Brand Differs	CineStill	Kodak
Manufacturer Differs	CineStill	Eastman Kodak
Type Same	Both Cinema
Process Differs	C-41	ECN-2
CineStill 800T is developed in C-41; Kodak Vision3 500T is developed in ECN-2.
ISO Differs	800	500
CineStill 800T is rated ⅔ stop faster than Kodak Vision3 500T (ISO 800 against 500). Motion picture films are rated with an exposure index for the light they are balanced for.
Formats Differs	135, 120	65 mm, 35 mm, 16 mm, Super 8
No format in common is listed.
Status Same	Both In productionchecked September 29, 2026 [A1]: source 1 of CineStill 800T [B3]: source 3 of Kodak Vision3 500T
Also known as	None	Silbersalz35 500T (respool, 2019, confirmed); Reflx Lab 800 (formerly Reflx Lab 800T) (respool, reported); Candido 800 (respool, reported) [B14]: source 14 of Kodak Vision3 500T [B15]: source 15 of Kodak Vision3 500T [B16]: source 16 of Kodak Vision3 500T
Character
Grain Not published	No figure published; reviews range from 'the finest-grained ISO 800 film' to 'a lot more grain than I was expecting'	Kodak: 'exceptionally low'; reviews disagree
Contrast	Medium, per reviews; no curve published by CineStill	Low: a camera negative made for scanning and grading (slope about 0.5)
Latitude	EI 200 to 1000 without push; push to EI 3200 (CineStill)	At least 2½ stops of shadow detail below a 3 % black and 3½ stops of highlights above a white card (Kodak)
Resolving power	Not published	Not given; MTF curves published [B1]: source 1 of Kodak Vision3 500T
Reciprocity	Not published	No correction from 1/1000 s to 1 s; about 10 s: +1 stop and CC10R [B2]: source 2 of Kodak Vision3 500T
Look	Tungsten-balanced: natural under warm lamps, blue to teal in daylight, red halos around bright lights	Natural color under 3200 K light; blue to teal without a filter in daylight
Best for	Night, tungsten and neon light: 'difficult low light tungsten situations' (CineStill)	Limited light and tungsten-lit scenes (Kodak)
Datasheet and preset
Datasheet	H-1-5219, edition 2026-03 (original emulsion) (PDF)	H-1-5219, edition 2026-03 (PDF)
CineStill 800T is based on Kodak Vision3 500T.
Spectral curve	Published	Published
Preset	GA — 012 / P · darktable and Photomator	GA — 030 / P · darktable and Photomator
Both have a preset.

Source numbers carry the film: A3 is source 3 of CineStill 800T, B3 is source 3 of Kodak Vision3 500T. Not published: none of the sources on file gives this figure.

Same scene, two presets

SceneBeach cabinBeech forest

Beach cabin under storm clouds, with the preset inspired by CineStill 800T (GA — 012 / P) applied (simulation). — **A · GA — 012 / P** · CineStill 800T

Beach cabin under storm clouds, with the preset inspired by Kodak Vision3 500T (GA — 030 / P) applied (simulation). — **B · GA — 030 / P** · Kodak Vision3 500T

The same beach cabin under storm clouds, base development without a preset. — **Reference** · base development, no preset

Same RAW file, two presets · rendered in darktable 5.6 · simulations on a digital RAW, not film scansPhoto: seume on discuss.pixls.us, CC0 1.0 · Photo credits

Both images start from the same RAW file, with the same base development: darktable’s default exposure and sigmoid. Each side then has one The Grain Archive preset applied. They show our interpretation of each film, not scans of real negatives. Real film also depends on exposure, processing and scanning.

What changes

Process. Kodak specifies ECN-2 for 500T B1. CineStill designs 800T for C-41, and says ECN-2 gives it flatter, lower-gamma negatives A2.
Speed. CineStill says it chose EI 800 from the characteristic curves and beta tests of its C-41 version A2; Analog.cafe writes that ECN-2 needs about ⅔ stop more exposure for similar results A5.
Halation. Without rem-jet, light reflected behind the emulsion reaches the red-sensitive layer and draws red to orange halos A2 A7. Since 2025, Kodak has been replacing rem-jet on Vision3 with an anti-halation undercoat that controls halation “even more successfully than remjet” B4: newer 500T loses the backing but keeps the protection, so it does not glow like 800T A17.
Contrast in development. Tahusa preferred 500T in ECN-2 to CineStill 800T in C-41, with “better contrast”, less grain and better tonality B9; CineStill says ECN-2 gives its own film flatter, lower-gamma negatives A2.

Which one for what

500T is a motion picture film, sold in 65 mm, 35 mm, 16 mm and Super 8; still photographers get it through respools B2 B14. 800T comes in 35 mm cassettes and 120, ready for any C-41 lab A1 A16 A2.
In daylight, Kodak rates 500T at EI 320 with a Wratten 85 filter B1; CineStill suggests an 85 filter and/or EI 400 to 500 for 800T A1.
800T is the one for the red glow around lights A7; 500T, processed in ECN-2, gives a tungsten negative without it B9 B1.

Real film, side by side

On phillipreeve.net, BastianK compared a frame of Silbersalz35 500T, a Vision3 500T respool sold with ECN-2 processing B14, with a frame of 800T, both shot with a Leica M6 and the same lens, and rated as each maker recommends, ISO 250 and 800 E1. BastianK warns that light leaks on the first 800T frames “ruins this comparison a bit” E1. What BastianK saw: “higher contrast on the Cinestill 800T, but higher dynamic range, tonal range, no halos and way more pleasing colors on the Silbersalz 500T” E1.