A new Light Lens Lab film series is being researched, developed and produced in China. The popular lens manufacturer is planning a series of new photographic films starting with a T-Grain black and white emulsion. Hit the jump for more info on this exciting project!
Light Lens Lab Film Project Announcement
Light Lens Lab announced they are researching, developing and planning the future production of photographic and cinematic films in China. The company has completed testing on their first emulsions using their own proprietary machine and emulsion process so the company will be self sufficient from the start.
The first film being discussed is a black and white T-Grain emulsion (like Kodak TMAX). The first production run didn’t include the anti halation layer to the images are super soft mushy. The company acknowledges that this first run was proof of concept only and all future film stock will include the anti halation layer.
To be fair, this image looks like crap. So they’ve clearly got a long way to go. But Light Lens Lab acknowledges that this is an early test without any kind of anti-halation layer. So there’s little doubt that the next revision will be a step in the right direction.
But in spite of that, any news of a new film being developed that doesn’t rely on Kodak or Harman for production is good news for the film photography community. I’m excited to see where this new Light Lens Lab film goes!
Several Light Lens Lab Film Formats Planned
The company has listed the goals for the Light Lens Lab film project that includes the following development processes:
- Black and White film with T-Grain Structure, with speeds ranging from 100 to 1600
- C-41
- E-6
- Instant Peel-Apart Film
- ECN-2 for cinematography
- And more in the future
This is a huge list for any company starting film production from scratch. But in the film world any news is good news and it’s going to be amazing to see where this finally ends up!
The Film Photography Community Is Skeptical
Any new film development is going to get the film photography community excited. But the new Light Lens Lab film is notable because it’s a proprietary format being developed in house. They’re not repackaging or respooling another company’s film stock. The process and manufacture has been built from the ground up.
Light Lens Lab as a company has built a solid reputation in the photography wold by making lenses that are inspired by / recreations of iconic vintage Leica lenses. While it’s easy to overlook a company like this it’s important to note that they’ve been reverse engineering and manufacturing products for years.
But jumping from lens manufacturing to film is a huge jump. And announcing development of such a wide variety of films means a lot of film photographers are skeptical at best. Nicolas Llasera from Nico’s Photography Show wonders if this project is just too big for a company like Light Lens Lab. He suggests they might be working with another company like Lucky Film in China to produce the new film stocks.
But this is all conjecture.
The Last Word
Any new film development is good news for the film photography community. We’ve been under the oppressive thumb of rising prices since the advent of digital photography and no relief is in sight. Another new manufacturer would tip the balance of supply in demand in our favor!
On the one hand I get what Nico is saying in his video. Trying to create an entire line of film is a lofty goal especially when the result from the first emulsion (while promising) is far from perfect. But if Light Lens Lab can pull this off? This will change the film photography market as we know it.
A new line film built from the ground up is not just competition for existing producers. It’s also a powerful signal that film photographers are an important market segment that’s eager to spend their money on quality products that meet their needs. Price is one thing… But we want more diversity in our film choices!
But however you look at this announcement, you have to think it’s going to be years before anything concrete hits the market. Even with the manufacturing and development power China behind them there’s just so many details to be sorted out.
We’ll all be watching this story to see where it goes!
What’s your take on this new film announcement from Light Lens Lab? Do you think the company can pull it off? Or are skeptical of anything made in China that’s not an iPhone? Post your ideas in the comments below and keep the conversation going!