The Eastman Kodak Company has added a new daylight stock to their VISION3 film family. The KODAK VISION3 50D Color Negative Film 5203/7203 integrates the company’s advanced VISION3 film imaging technology into a fine-grained, daylight-balanced film, giving filmmakers more options and flexibility for shooting on location.
“This addition to the VISION3 Film portfolio is designed to give extraordinary creative latitude to cinematographers working in daylight conditions,” said Kim Snyder, president, entertainment imaging, and vice president, Eastman Kodak Company. “This new stock – the finest-grained negative on the market – offers a combination of unmatched resolution, reliability, and proven archival capabilities.”
KODAK VISION3 50D Color Negative Film 5203/7203 is a low-speed film optimized for capturing images in natural or simulated daylight conditions. The new stock incorporates VISION3 film technology advancements, like Dye Layering Technology and sub-micron imaging sensors. These technologies deliver extended highlight latitude – as much as two stops of additional overexposure – as well as better signal-to-noise performance, especially in over- and under-exposure. It also offers improved color consistency over the entire exposure range. These features provide cinematographers with the ability to shoot challenging high-contrast exteriors, and follow the action into bright highlight scenes without loss of image discrimination.
Cinematographer Blake Evans (The Middle) tested the film. “I wanted to stress test the contrast capabilities of new Kodak 50D stock, so we shot a few scenes in a high-contrast exterior situation that included bright whites and shadows,” he explained. “I exposed normally, and followed the actors’ faces as they moved from the sun into the shadows. The negative was processed normally, and when I saw the footage as DVD dailies, I found the grain a tiny bit tighter in the dark toe of the shadows. That says a lot, considering the (KODAK VISION2 50D Color Negative Film) 5201 emulsion was already a super fine grain. This new 5203 stock dug deep into the shadows and maintained neutral colors, especially in the skin tones. There was also no biasing of the whites in the bright highlights.”
The ability of VISION3 stocks to render finer grain images in underexposed areas produces cleaner film-to-digital transfers. The emulsions also process light more efficiently and record greater detail in the highlights. Cinematographers and their colorists can then extract more image information during digital postproduction without introducing artifacts.
Additionally, the new VISION3 50D possesses all the necessary qualities that allow a color negative film to perform well in film recorders, including extremely fine grain, high resolution, excellent latent image keeping and reciprocity characteristics, as well as a low level of unwarranted crosstalk between the color channels.
“We understand that digital cameras are improving, but the industry holds film as the benchmark by which they are all judged,” said Snyder. “This new emulsion is another example of Kodak’s dedication to filmmaking technology and ongoing innovation.”
