Cinestill

Cinestill BWXX 250

ISO 250 N&B pronounced intermediate

~15–18 €

A B&W cinema film (Double-X, Kodak base), repackaged by CineStill for standard development. Bold, pronounced grain, high contrast — the classic look of 1940s-1960s American cinema (Citizen Kane, Raging Bull). Ideal for expressive portraits and dramatic urban photography.

Atouts

+ Classic Hollywood cinema aesthetic

+ Rich, expressive grain

+ High contrast, very flattering in portraits

+ Versatile indoors and outdoors

Limites

− High price for an ISO 250 film

− Strong grain not well suited to large, fine prints

− Less latitude than HP5 or T-Max

CineStill BWXX is based on Kodak Double-X 5222 — Hollywood's most iconic B&W cinema emulsion. Double-X has appeared in hundreds of landmark films: Raging Bull (Scorsese, 1980), Manhattan (Allen, 1979), The Dark Knight (Nolan, 2008), and El Camino (Gilligan, 2019). CineStill removed the remjet from the original Double-X, making standard B&W development possible without a prebath — unlike Kodak's industrial 5222 stock, which requires an ECN-2 prebath. The name 'BWXX' is a direct nod to the Eastman Kodak 5222 Double-X code.

Caractéristiques techniques

Grain

pronounced

Contraste

high

Popularité

cult classic

Format 120

Non disponible

Nombre de poses

36 poses

Base du film

Polyester

Sensibilité spectrale

Panchromatic

Conservation

refrigeration recommended

Péremption typique

2–5 years depending on storage

Développement maison

yes — easy (D-76, Rodinal, etc.)

Niveau recommandé

intermediate

Process	N&B standard (remjet retiré — pas de prebath nécessaire)
Révélateurs	D-76 (1:1), HC-110 (dil. B), Rodinal (1:50), Microphen, DD-X — même traitement qu'un film N&B classique
Temps / température	20°C — D-76 stock : 8min · D-76 1:1 : 11min · HC-110 dil.B : 7min · Rodinal 1:50 : 13min (agitation douce)
Usage recommandé	portrait, street, cinema
Revendeurs France	Labo-Argentique.com · Nation Photo · Analog Wonderland · Panajou