How to Develop Kodak Vision 3 Cinefilm with ECN2

Shane (@heroesforsale) demonstrates how he develops Kodak Vision 3 35mm Motion Picture Film at home and shows some of his favourite pictures taken with Kodak Vision 3 500T and 250D from New York & London.
ECN2 Dev Guide
-
Pre-Bath Rinse 10s
Shake Tank with Warm Water Vigorously for 30s
Empty Tank and Rinse with Warm Water until Clear
Dev for 3m 15s in 41 degree Celsius ECN2 Developer (invert every 30s)
Stop for 30s in ECN2 Stop
Wash in Warm Water for 30s
Bleach for 3m in 28 degree Celsius ECN2 Bleach (invert every 30s)
Wash in Warm Water for 30s
Fix for 2m in ECN2 38 degree Celsius Fixer (invert every 30s)
Wash for 3m in Warm Water
Remove remjet using a wet microfibre cloth
Soak Film in ECN2 Wash/Rinse/Stabiliser
Remove excess water using a squeegee or fingers and hang to dry
Bellini Foto
www.bellinifoto.it
QWD Labs
www.qwdlab.com

[@Raevenswood]

Pro tip for the warm water bath. Get a Sous Vide cooking machine and use that to warm your bath and keep your bottles in there until they come up to temp. Then once you are in the development process you dip the tank back in the water between agitation cycles to keep it at 41 degrees. Also I strongly recommend using gloves for this process.

[@sednasix6608]

IMO this is the best color film stock that exists. No wonder it's a cine stock. Just look at the colors in those photos. Magical.

[@ankuracharya4556]

Kinda painful to see the open tap throughout the video.

[@danieladiraharjo6398]

Such a wasteful source

[@B3D5X]

Extremely painful!

[@kbmats]

It's nice to watch more personalized developing process like this one on the film community since I feel everyone just tries to follow instructions like a robot when in reality it's more about the experience you have about the film itself to get the results that you want on the lab. Idk if you print your negatives but I think enlargements on lab (like by hand prints) would be something cool to watch on the future.

[@frame-lines]

It's not a c41 process which means it can't be traditionally printed as far as I know. I've had prints made from high res scans which look great though.

[@bilonggrisimmeri]

You can definitely make enlargements from these negatives, using an enlarger, paper and chemicals. Sadly, few people can be bothered to do this and it is difficult to get both exposure and colour balance right. Inkjet printers make everything easy, but the prints look nasty compared to real photographic colour prints.

[@smoothsounds801]

Damn! Those frames are so much more sharp and less grain than the standard C41 hack. Thanks for posting!

[@frame-lines]

C41 processes cinefilm in a much faster and more aggressive way which can lead to more grain. My biggest problem with it is colour shift. Then again, I've never really experimented in depth with c41 processing this film so it could be worth another go?

[@CertainExposures]

Framelines I’ve done the comparison and I didn’t like processing my vision stocks in C-41. I’ve seen people get acceptable results but in my tests ECN-2 looked better. I wouldn’t bother personally.

[@georgemayhew9002]

Great video, loved the shot of the guy reading the paper, would love to see that on paper. Definitely need to give Vision 3 a go

[@frame-lines]

I’d recommend it - even just buying the film somewhere if you don’t want to bulk roll or commit to buying 100ft of it

[@georgemayhew9002]

@@frame-lines That's what I was thinking, get a few rolls to try it out first see how it feels, you tried the Kodak DoubleX film stock?

[@johnthorburn1913]

Another great video, Shane. Thoroughly enjoyed learning from this.

[@RewDowns]

Thanks for this, can't wait for the scanning video!

[@philipl6510]

Great video, I've been looking forward to trying this out but wasn't quite sure how to.. Thanks a lot!

[@frame-lines]

Hope this helps and if you have any q’s about it let us know

[@bilonggrisimmeri]

@Framelines Sorry to correct you, but the remjet is actually on the back of the film, not the emulsion side. Reading Kodak's notes, deviating from their process will give worse results, though Photoshop would correct them. Kodak do know what they are talking about, and would not advise C-41 processing your Vision3 film. I'm a retired professional photographer, using Kodak since 1967.

[@Skukri]

Great video Shane! Definitely want to go over to developing color films too and not just black and white. Looking forward to the scanning process!

[@francescobaiera9267]

Hi Shane, thanks for the video. It’s great that there is now a dedicated ecn2 home processing tutorial, so the community can build knowledge on this great film. I have been shooting Vision3 and I wanted to try the ECN2 process at home but I was put off by the different temperatures on the sheet of the Bellini chemicals. I see you do the bleach at 38c instead of 27 as per Bellini sheet. This evens the process to approx 38c after the initial 41c for the developer, which makes it much easier. And you’re getting great results! How did you come up with this?

[@barneyarthur4615]

super informative and some incredible results.

[@frame-lines]

Cheers Barney- happy to dev a roll for you if you want to try it out

[@barneyarthur4615]

Framelines might just have to take you up on that when I pick up a 35mm system again thank you !

[@ropersix]

Great video. I actually have a QWD kit that I haven't mixed up and used yet (I've just used the C41 kits). But seeing you do it, and your great results, has me motivated to put in the extra effort. It really is a beautiful film stock when developed properly.

[@frame-lines]

I’d love to see how those QWD kits compare to the Bellini ones. I’ve only ever used Bellini

[@ropersix]

@@frame-lines I'll try to share some with you if things work out. I just loaded some 250D today, so we'll see...

[@Sc3ptor]

Thank you so much for the in depth guide!! I've been so reluctant to use this film because of the development process but you've convinced me!! May I ask, which voigtlander lens did you have paired with that leica? It's a beautiful set up!

[@frame-lines]

That's the Voigtlander 35 f1.4 MC - beautiful lens :)

[@Rachel-ux9zk]

I quite like using chemicals from The Film Photography Project, which can be used on C-41 and ECN2 film. It's super easy and quite forgiving (speaking as a beginner who knew nothing before attempting to develop colour film...). Also, the price is unbeatable! :)

[@mcb187]

I might be in the minority, but in my research before committing to Cine film, I found some comparisons between C-41 and ECN-2, and I like C-41 better. It is almost the same film as C-41, so why spend extra money for a prowess that I’m not super familiar with, and who’s results I don’t like as much? Yes, Vision3 is supposed to use ECN-2, but from what I can tell, it is just as good, if not better, when you use C-41. Also, Vision3 is almost exactly the same as Portra, so I can get a great film for less than half the price per roll if I buy from a place like B&H, or for just over half the price per roll if I get a 100’ roll from UltraFine.

[@psycomantis95]

Great video Shane. I've been developing 500t with C41 for a while with some mixed results but overall I don't notice too much of a colour shift or at least not so much that I can't deal with it. Love this film though and you have some amazing pics with it.

[@anujindal6155]

Hey Shane, this was great. I was just wondering, since you mention reusing all your chems: about how many times do you typically reuse them before needing to replace?

[@rty1955]

I never reuse or contaminate virgin chemicals. I just dump them. Its not worth it. I also use floating lids on my chemicals as the chemicals can oxidize if not used quickly.

[@silva-anderida7695]

Really interesting.Cheers!

[@Ben-vg1lw]

Another great video, well done. It’s a beautiful film stock. Just imagine if you shot a blank roll after all that lol 😫

[@DerKaiser8]

Very informative! Thanks for this.

[@frame-lines]

we're hoping to do a few more film guide type videos :)

[@joanmichel]

appreciate this whole tutorial

[@frame-lines]

Thanks Joan :)

[@joanmichel]

Framelines 😀

[@101byblik3]

Great video, I enjoyed watching it)) Can you make video how you edit your photos I really like the colors🔥

[@Westwardeast]

Curious if you have ever done any Double 8 film. I have a half shot roll and would love to see whats on it as well as shoot a couple of rolls I have found.

[@fyzd3r]

Great Video! Really make me want to buy some! That said, is there any video on scanning 500T that's been published yet?

[@Stop4MotionMakr]

How many rolls can one kit process? The reason why I'm interested in Kodak vision is because I can get it at bulk but that's only worth it if the chemistry is economical enough too.

[@randallstewart175]

Very nice demo of the color development process, except at 8:00 he say that after the wash to wipe down the emulsion side of the film to remove residual remjet material (if any remains). That is an error. First, the remject is on the back of the film, not the emulsion side, so you wipe down the back side. Second, you do not wipe the wet emulsion if you can avoid it, ever! If there were bits of remject on the emulsion, you are likely to embed it into the emulsion. If you have water beading on the emulsion, add half strength Photoflo to the final wash bash. If you have white deposit marks drying on the film, use distilled water to mix the bath.

[@erwanlecornec5393]

Definitly!! What I do is to keep the film on the spool and grab a second one and feed the start of the roll into it. This way I unroll the film from one side and roll it back in the other while I use soft cotton, or even better, pec pads, which are meant for film to gently rub the "non emulsion side" , the base side only. Once it's done and nicely in on the second spool I do the wash in the tank!

[@john_murch]

@@erwanlecornec5393 Brilliant tip, thanks!

[@jasonlovi8745]

Is there a chart with dev times for all the Kodak vision 3 films?

[@quite1enough]

couldn't find scanning (kodak vision 3) video ;c

[@betaplumbing33]

Hi, thank you for your very informative video, this was one of the best among many I saw on youtube, I have a very important question, I am planning to develop my first roll of super 8mm film I bought if from eBay it is KODAK Kodachrome Color Movie Film 1982, I do understand that this film is expired and may not look or turn out to be a very colourful film but I was wondering if I can develop this film by ECN2 just the same way you are demonstrating in this video clip??? I look forward to hear from you and thank you in advance.

[@GONZOFAM7]

How do you get it from the large roll in to the bulk loader? Do you respool to a left over reel core?

[@wateristodreaming]

Would this be the same processes for developing 16 mm film? Exact film stock is Kodak Vision3 7207 16mm Color Negative (100 ft: ASA 250D)?

[@bruxxcam2618]

Can anyone tell me is Vision 3 250d used just in daylight or? I shot cinestill and it went all blue for me on photos shot indoors and in low light (in a bus, in store etc) when developed.. so is 250d just for outside in daylight or can it be used for street photos at night? Thanks alot

[@erwanlecornec5393]

It's like setting your white balance on a digital camera: 500T = 3200°K (tungstene, house light will appear white and sunlight blueish) and 250D= 5600°K (sun should appear white and light houses or any orange light will apear orange, or even "too" orange). You can correct that with filters in front of the camera or in post. Back in the films days of motion picvture the choice was a creative one, the results are slightly different. The all blue shift though seems strange. I think it's a film or development issue, I'm not sure what the available lights were, but if they were white they should appear white (with the carateristic halo of cinestill due to remjet removal) It can definitly be used for outdoor night, however orange lights like sodium light might appear too warm. If you use 500T in addition to having more speed, your orange light will appear more balanced, and white light will definitly come out blue

[@sandyconnell8629]

Thank you for such a good step-by-step to follow along with! Quick question about London's delightful hard water: have you found that using tap water for the wash has ever caused any sediment or residue on your film? Also, beautiful London shots -- makes me want to run out and shoot right now

[@chrislewtas]

I'm still at the Nik and Trick phase for vision 3. I'll give this a few more watches and maybe I'll be ready to bite the bullet and have a go myself. Great video, also is there any other community that gets excited at videos about scanning?

[@frame-lines]

I’ve bought some of it from Nik & Trick. They’re an excellent resource for Motion Picture Film stuff right?

[@chrislewtas]

@@frame-lines They're the only UK stockist I could find that would send it up to Manchester! Also the fact they develop it for you is a game changer (For me!)

[@TheBigNegative-PhotoChannel]

hey shane. pretty good tutorial 👌 I just have some questions. why not just use cinestill 800t? How much does a roll of 500t cost you ?

[@jruizzz17]

Great vid Shane! A couple of questions: do you usually shoot 5219 with the 85b filter when in daylight? Also, have you tried developing in C41? Benefits of ecn?

[@chrislewtas]

I shoot 5219 with an 85a myself and I've always been happy with the results.

[@mariathithuthaonguyen9667]

Hey guys. Just asking. The last step. You said removing excess remjet in extra wash. Is this in water again? I was a bit confused

[@frame-lines]

Wet a cloth with warm water, and then run it the length of the film a few times until there’s no more black residue coming off. Then put the film into the stabiliser for a minute. Then hang to dry.

[@MeoDaiGia]

Hi Negan! If you know what I mean.

[@RJMPictures]

Probably the 4th or 5th channel I've heard with this exact sound track lol...nice photos though

[@Arturo.H.M]

Lo siento, viviendo en Murcia donde el agua es oro, me duele en el alma ese grifo abierto tirando agua por el sumidero 😱☹️

[@connieandstewart]

thanks for sharing! Question - would you recommend a separate tank and reels setup for developing motion picture film with ECN-2 Process to avoid the remjet from contaminating any c-41 processes? I plan to have separate tanks and reels for B&W process, but not sure if this is necessary between ECN-2 and C-41 processes sharing the same tank and reels. Thanks for your response!

[@hzubovi1]

Does this apply to the 120 version of the film. Also could you show how to load the vision 3 onto the daylight film loader

[@TechTechReviews]

Such a good video, currently using C41 to process cine film with the Nikandtrik remjet removal but even after wiping at the end I still get so many spots left. Maybe I need to shake harder! Going to try ECN2 next. How many rolls do you get out of the kit? And what scanner do you use? Your scans look so clean! Scanning video please!!

[@erwanlecornec5393]

I'm pretty sure you can get rid of them if you use the right method right after developping (see my comment answer bellow to Randall Stewart) and even after. Pec pad coupled with their solution PEC 12 does wonders, even on emulsion it's very efficient and safe for the film. Give it a try!

[@gettons1980]

Hi Shane, great video. One question about the lifetime of the ECN2 KIT from Bellini. By looking at the instructions on the official technical data sheet from Bellini's kit I found they recommend not to use it after 2 weeks since the first utilisation. Do you actually stick to that or not?

[@SaroukosG]

Thank you for giving all the infos! I really want to try that film, is there any automatic machine to develop this Film ? like the ones lab usιng for C41 development ?

[@tasost2161]

I have Kodak vision 3 500T expired at 2012 or 2014 keept at dry cool place do you think that will affect the results ?

[@sednasix6608]

Are the sample images you've included from any zine ?

[@OskarFilms]

Great video! If you use Photo-Flo with distilled water at the end of processing do you really need to wipe down the negs with a cloth?

[@frame-lines]

Wiping down the negs with a cloth is to remove any possible remaining remjet. Then I put the negs back into stabiliser & fotoflo - no need to wipe after that. Maybe just shake off excess water

[@skaterat321]

Where did you get the black container from?

[@LostJediJC]

do you use a red filter when shooting 500T?

[@alyaanisriinaa6676]

I want to ask, what kodak vision do you use 27 exp? Or 36exp?

[@paulharding5922]

Hi how much did your ECN 2 kit cost thanks

[@JacobChristiansen1]

Did you have issues with your Bellini kit? There was a problem with the first batch of ECN2 chemicals from bellini photo, that was missing sodium sulfate (making the shelf life extremely short ). Mine turned out blank negatives 1 week after developing my first batch. In order to extend this duration it is necessary to add 2 g/l of Sodium Sulphite.

[@sebastianodelleva]

Uh! Do you add it straight after you mix it and does it affect the image or the processing time in any way? I am going to mix my first batch soon

[@JacobChristiansen1]

@@sebastianodelleva Yeah added it right away. Didn’t affect the image quality. But check with Bellini or the reseller to confirm if it’s been fixed. Bellini confirmed to me that it was indeed a problem (that they weren’t aware of). It was intended for labs who have high turn over, so a short shelf life is not a problem, but for people who develop a couple of rolls here and there, it’s a big problem

[@erwanlecornec5393]

@@JacobChristiansen1 Thanks you answered one of my questions... I have mixed chemicals, that I've used for what should be half of the rolls I'm supposed to be able to do with those, however it's been months... I'll give it a try. However I still have some unmixed chemicals, you were talking about alredy mixed chemicals, right?? I don't know if the unmixed ones (I tried to get as much air out as I could with the bottles and marbles), I'm affraid I've ruined everything! Any input?

[@JacobChristiansen1]

@@erwanlecornec5393 your unmixed Chems should be fine. If you’re in doubt do a test roll (instead of 4 rolls at once) to make sure it’s still good

[@rizqisyahmuldani6827]

In this video use ECN 2 chemical or C41 chemical?

[@rizqisyahmuldani6827]

I mean is chemistry

[@VariTimo]

Dude. Don’t crop 2.39:1 movie footage to 16:9! And what do you use for scanning?

[@Murdog36]

Are you in Ireland?

[@moh3ndawoodi]

Hi! I really into cine films,can I developed this film with c41?

[@frame-lines]

You absolutely can develop this in c41 as long as you remove the remjet layer.

[@acevalerio6130]

@@frame-lines How to remove the remjet layer? im thinking of letting the lab process it in c41

[@SohNatan]

the tap running nonstop and wasting water while you're doing other unrelated things made it almost impossible for me to pay attention to the information ...

[@busonolsun9363]

Please turn off the tap 🤦🏻‍♀️ omg i m gonna have heart attack. Please.