CineStill BwXX .
If you’ve ever wondered how you can make your black and white still photography look like Schindler’s List, Raging Bull, Memento or Manhattan then wonder no more — all you need is CineStill’s BwXX. It’s the same Eastman Double-X 5222 emulsion used in dozens of features, respooled by CineStill into 35mm and 120 rolls so it can be processed in ordinary darkroom chemicals. And if you’ve never thought about shooting film that looks like the movies that’s fine too — because this film can do a lot.
BwXX is a film with character. It's punchier than most black and white stocks, with more contrast and more visible grain than you might expect at ISO 250. That grit is part of why it's been a go-to for film directors for decades, and it lends itself well to street photography, architecture and landscapes. For portraiture it's an acquired taste — the prominent grain and high contrast won't suit every subject — but when it works, it works. It's a flexible film that pushes and pulls well and has good latitude. The manufacturer rates it at EI 250 in daylight and EI 200 in tungsten light, but in practice you can rate it at either without any issue.
This is a film every photographer should try at least once. There’s every chance you'll reach for it again.
- + Street photography where you want grit and contrast
- + Documentary work — the cinema heritage is in the DNA
- + Architecture and landscapes with strong tonal contrast
- − When you want fine grain and smooth tones — choose Ilford Delta 100 or T-Max 100
- − Portraiture where you need flattering skin tones — choose HP5 Plus or Tri-X
- − When you want maximum latitude — choose HP5 Plus
more from their film.
CineStill BwXX is repackaged Eastman Double-X 5222 — the same panchromatic emulsion used in major motion pictures since 1959. In 35mm, the film's RMS 14 grain structure is visible and characterful: it sits at the very bottom of the medium-grain range, finer than you might expect for a ~ISO 250 cinema stock, with the conventional cubic-crystal texture that distinguishes this emulsion from modern tabular-grain films. The manufacturer rates it at EI 250 in daylight (EI 200 in tungsten light), and the film delivers rich blacks and a broad tonal range. Latitude is moderate — the overexposure side is more forgiving than the underexposure side. Expose for your shadows when in doubt, and the emulsion will handle a couple of stops of overexposure without complaint. Reciprocity is excellent: no correction needed anywhere from 1/10,000 of a second to 1 second.
Push processing to EI 800 is well supported, and EI 1600 (+3 stops) is achievable with a significant contrast increase. The film's high-contrast character at box speed — crisp, deep blacks with rich midtones — becomes progressively more severe when pushed, so push is better reserved for when you need it rather than as a creative routine. Most common B&W developers work well; no specialist chemistry is needed.
In 35mm, CineStill BwXX comes factory-spooled in DX-coded cassettes, so no bulk-loading equipment is required. Store unexposed film at 13°C or below, and allow the roll to return to room temperature before opening. Process promptly after exposure.
In 120, the same emulsion's grain becomes effectively invisible — what reads as characterful and crunchy in 35mm appears essentially grain-free across the larger negative. Latitude, push behaviour, and contrast are identical across formats. The 120 format particularly suits subjects with strong tonal content and textured surfaces.