April 7, 2024

NYC 2024 ©Kenneth Keeler
**Film Stock:** Kodak Double X 5222 **Developer:** D96

As a cinematographer, I'm always testing film stocks, and cameras, getting weird, and trying new techniques. That's one of the big reasons I was so intrigued with bulk-loading motion picture film stocks. I wanted a way to not only shoot some of the best film stocks available but also a way to test these stocks without having to rent a large motion picture camera and spend money on 400 feet of film. With bulk-loaded motion picture film, I can get more hyper-specific with my testing and experiments. I can shoot 36 frames and see results in less than 24hrs when I develop at home. My mentor always told me to take risks, underexpose 3 stops, overexpose 3 stops, get weird, and push yourself and your tools to their limits! So that's where I get my testing addiction from, constantly seeing what can be done on film and pushing it until the image falls apart and I learn its limitations.

Out of all the films I shoot, I have never shot on Double X black and white motion picture film stock, and if you know me I love black and white film! So I set out the parameters for my test. I wanted to keep it simple.

1. Shoot two rolls of Double-X

2. Develop one roll in D-96 , the 2nd roll in D-76, and compare the results

The biggest aspect I wanted to test was how Double X reacted to two different developers. So with that in mind, I set out to shoot some film! I could have done a controlled test and shot the same images on both rolls and then compared the results from each developer but that would be boring. So I shot each roll in wildly different environments like I normally do. I was lucky enough that I had an upcoming music video shoot in Jamaica, the perfect place to shoot one of the rolls! Then once I got home I took my second roll into my stomping grounds, the streets of New York City.

The idea for this test was inspired by a few things. One, shoot on Double X and let us see what the stock looks like developed in D96, the suggested developer for Double X motion picture stock, and also see the stock developed in D76, the staple of black and white developer for still photography film stocks!

the film stock

A little back story on the film stock. Kodak's Double-X 5222 is a Black and White motion picture negative film stock used by Hollywood cinematographers since its inception in 1959! Double-X boasts an extensive list of films captured on this exceptional stock. Schindler's List, Oppenheimer, Kill Bill Vol. 1, Casino Royale, Raging Bull, Psycho, and the list goes on. There's a reason this film stock has stood the test of time, it's great! Really great! Double X has beautiful tonality and contrast, fine grain structure, impressive latitude, and handles push processing well! You can push it to 1600 ISO with no problem and get fantastic results.

Double-x has two box speeds 250 ISO for Daylight 200 ISO for Tungsten.

Although I shot one roll in daylight and the second roll in mixed lighting (daylight fluorescent & tungsten)

I chose to rate both rolls at 250 ISO. Ok enough babbling let's look at some photos!!

If you want to shoot on dbl-X head to our store & grab a few rolls!

Click Here to get your rolls of DBL-X

d96

I wanted to try D-96 with Double-X because D96 is the designated developer for black and white motion picture stocks. Its versatility extends to modern T-grain films as well as traditional stocks, making it an awesome choice for various B&W film stocks. Processing times vary depending on the film stock but for Double-X rated at 250 iso it was about 7 minutes.

Double-x in d-96 developer

This first roll I shot in New York City was developed in D-96, the designated developer for this film stock and many other black and white motion picture stocks. The first thing I noticed with the images (Below) from this roll was the beautiful tonality. The tones across the grayscale are very smooth and the overall contrast is fantastic. I love the halation in the highlights and the rich blacks that are not too crunchy but just right! The second thing I noticed was the grain. The grain structure is tight, yet more prominent, but still pleasing to the eye! Its there. it’s not too jarring but adds a wonderful texture to the images that feels very cinematic! I love film grain which is one of the reasons I choose to shoot on film! The third thing I noticed was the latitude! New York has a lot of natural contrast. Bright lights, dark tunnels in the subways, as well as bright sun and deep shadows from the buildings on the streets. It’s impressive how much latitude this stock has. It has a bunch of highlight detail and shadow detail even in very contrasty lighting environments like image number 4 below of the person walking under the scaffolding and the bright sunny street to the right side of the frame.

d76

D-76 is a fine-grain, general-purpose, black-and-white film developer developed by Eastman Kodak Company in the 1920s. It quickly gained popularity among photographers due to its excellent performance and versatility. D-76 became a staple for many photographers and darkroom enthusiasts due to its reliability and consistent results. It was, and still is, widely used for developing a variety of black-and-white film stocks.
Despite the introduction of newer developers over the years, D-76 has retained its popularity over the decades since its birth. It is still used by many photographers and film enthusiasts around the world. Its ease of use, consistent results, and relatively low cost have contributed to its enduring legacy.

Double-x in d-76 developer

I took my second roll of double-x with me on a music video shoot in Jamaica! I felt shooting this roll in this environment would showcase how it handles extreme contrast situations and well, it’s just an awesome country so why not fire off a roll? I rated this roll at 250 ISO the same as the roll I shot in New York. Since I was shooting each roll in wildly different lighting environments and this wasn’t a controlled test I felt it only made sense to at least rate both rolls the same. This roll was developed in D-76 and the results were fantastic! At first glance, the roll overall had a lot of contrast, some of this is due to the lighting environment Jamaica offered. The tonality is still beautiful and has a soft roll-off between tones from the brightest white to the darkest dark. The one thing that stood out to me the most on this roll was the grain. The grain overall with these images was softer and blended into the image more. It’s there, it’s noticeable but it’s smooth. The grain structure is not sharp, it just adds texture and life to the images! Lastly, the overall latitude here is pretty incredible. This is mostly due to the film stock itself and not the developer. Look at the 3rd image below. I’m shooting inside a van on a sunny day. we still have information outside the windows and we still have beautiful tonality on the mid-tones and shadows of the people riding in the van!

Conclusion D96 vs d76

Overall this was a tough battle. First off Double-X is an incredible film stock, with fine grain that has beautiful tonality and the latitude to handle any situation. Dare I say Double-X is my favorite Black and White stock? Either developer is a great combo with Double-X. But to get down to the nitty-gritty between the two. D-76 brought slightly more contrast and great latitude, but the biggest thing I noticed was that the grain seemed to be softer and blended more into the image compared to D96.

D-96 still gives you wonderful contrast but the stand out here is the tonality, highlight roll-off, and a subtle yet pleasing boost in grain and grain sharpness. In my opinion, there is no wrong answer as to which developer to use here. For me I found myself gravitating toward D96 as the winner based on my taste. However, both developers are workhorses that are affordable and have a long shelf life after being mixed. In the end, the differences each developer offered with this film stock are subtle and more importantly a subjective choice based on your style and taste!

So grab a roll of Double-X and if you develop at home get yourself some D96 or D76, or get both! And get otr there and shoot your hearts out!

If you want to shoot some DBL-X stop by our store & grab a few rolls!

Click Here to get your rolls of DBL-X

Because we all love looking at pictures, below you can find galleries of all my selected images from both rolls developed in D96 & D76. Click the image to view them full screen to compare the results for yourself!