Kodak Eastman 5222 Double-X

Kodak Eastman 5222 Double-X

Analog Film Review

My favourite Black and White film

Kodak Eastman 5222 Double-X

Motion Picture Black and White Film?

Most of you must have already been using motion picture colour negative film such as CineStill 50D, CineStill 800T…etc. Kodak Eastman 5222 Double-X is Kodak’s legendary 35mm black and white cine film available for use in 35mm camera. Films such as Schindler’s List (1993), Memento (2000) and Casino Royale (2006) have used Double-X to evoke strong emotions like only black-and-white can do.

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Name: Kodak Eastman 5222 Double-X

ISO: 200 (Tungsten), 250 (Daylight)

Film type: Black and white

Character: Medium contrast with medium grain structure

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Great Tonality, Wide Greyscale and Sharpness 

Double-X has the subtleties in tone scale with a scratch-resistant backing layer. It also has a great depth of field without increased illumination. With its stunning tones and dynamic range, any developer in the market could have it developed nicely and resulted in good sharpness. Comparing the Eastman Double-X with Kodak Tri-X, the later one gives you a relatively harder sharpness. If you like softer tone and use with vintage Leica glass, then Double-X for sure is something that you are looking for.

berlin-germany-2014-trip-travel-first-backpack-leica-m2-summicron-35mm-f2-v1-8elements-street-snap-kodak-double-x-5222-eastman-400-iso-2
Berlin, Germany 2014
Black and white, BW, B&W, film, analog, snap, snapshot, night tone, smooth, self develop, HC-110, ilford HP5, HP5, iso400, pushed 2 stops, 1600, iso 1600, 黑白, 黑白攝影, 菲林黑白, 新手, beginner guide, ilford DDX, Kodak, Eastman, 5222, motion picture, cinefilm, cine, double-x, doublex, XX, double x, what black and white film to shoot with, other brand, try film, test film
kodak-tri-x-trix-400-vs-versus-compare-eastman-5222-250-doublex-double-x-film-black-and-white-negative-bw-135-performance-tone-difference-texture-grain-structure-details-summicron-28mm-f2-asph-shadow-light
Kodak Tri-X 400 (Summicron 28/2 asph) with D76

Superb Dynamic Range and Fine Grain

It has very long density range and with medium contrast for movie making. When you use the film in high contrast environments, highlights and shadows are kept in great details. I have developed some of them in Kodak HC-110 (B) before and resulted in low contrast. Some online forum suggested that using Kodak D76 developer is the perfect match! Eastman Double-X is mainly for movie making and the grain is much finer than Kodak Tri-X and I think the grain intensity is between Ilford HP5 and Delta 400.

Film-photography-why-shoot-film-leica-germany-berlin-kodak-double-x-summicron-35mm-f2-8elements-v1-shoot-film
Black and white, BW, B&W, film, analog, snap, snapshot, night tone, smooth, self develop, HC-110, ilford HP5, HP5, iso400, pushed 2 stops, 1600, iso 1600, 黑白, 黑白攝影, 菲林黑白, 新手, beginner guide, ilford DDX, Kodak, Eastman, 5222, motion picture, cinefilm, cine, double-x, doublex, XX, double x, what black and white film to shoot with, other brand, try film, test film

Comparing Double-X with other Black and White Films

Film-comparison-table-films-black-and-white-photography-ilford-hp5-plus-delta-400-tri-x-kodak-professional-eastman-5222-double-x-contrast-highlight-details-shadow-grain-character-recommendation
berlin-germany-2014-trip-travel-first-backpack-leica-m2-summicron-35mm-f2-v1-8elements-street-snap-kodak-double-x-5222-eastman-400-iso-11
Berlin, Germany 2014
berlin-germany-2014-trip-travel-first-backpack-leica-m2-summicron-35mm-f2-v1-8elements-street-snap-kodak-double-x-5222-eastman-400-iso-10-concentration-camp
Berlin, Germany 2014

Kodak Double-X ISO Speed Flexibility

Double-X is flexible to be pushed up to ISO800 and usually, I rate it at ISO 400 for street snaps in daylight. At ISO 400, aperture step down, compose and shoot! It gives you autonomy to use a different ISO speed in different circumstances and it eases the pain to consider which film to bring for your own trip.

berlin-germany-2014-trip-travel-first-backpack-leica-m2-summicron-35mm-f2-v1-8elements-street-snap-kodak-double-x-5222-eastman-400-iso-5
Berlin, Germany 2014
berlin-germany-2014-trip-travel-first-backpack-leica-m2-summicron-35mm-f2-v1-8elements-street-snap-kodak-double-x-5222-eastman-400-iso-7
Berlin, Germany 2014
Black and white, BW, B&W, film, analog, snap, snapshot, night tone, smooth, self develop, HC-110, ilford HP5, HP5, iso400, pushed 2 stops, 1600, iso 1600, 黑白, 黑白攝影, 菲林黑白, 新手, beginner guide, ilford DDX, Kodak, Eastman, 5222, motion picture, cinefilm, cine, double-x, doublex, XX, double x, what black and white film to shoot with, other brand, try film, test film

What Lenses Did I use

Voigtlander 35mm f1.2 v2 asph

Leica Summicron 35mm f2 v1

Leica Summicron 50mm f2 v1 collapsible

Leica Summilux 50mm f1.4 v2

Leica Noctilux 50mm f1 e58 v1

Kodak Tri-X 400 vs Kodak Double-X 250

You may refer to my Kodak Tri-X 400 vs Kodak Double-X 250 post for more comparison shots and understand more about their characters and differences.

Need Film Photography Assistance?

If you have any questions related to film photography or you would like to understand more about it, feel free to email me or simply comment below.

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3 Comments

  1. Hi. I love this film and almost never find myself looking for something else, but still, I never managed to get such clean looking images from it. These photographs are downright amazing in all aspects. Toanlity, Contrast, Grain(where is it hidden?) and even resolution.

    Fantastic work. Please provide details about development and scanning techniques.

    Reply

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