Chinese photographic brand Light Lens Lab has released the latest results from its fledgling film project – which they now reveal is an ISO 125 black-and-white film.
The company has also revealed more details about further products, saying they intend to make a peel-apart instant film and revive the dye-incorporating K-14 film developing process, which was used for Kodak’s iconic Kodachrome slide films.
The latest post, which was published on Saturday (31 May) is the fourth since the Chinese brand – best known for their lenses for Leica cameras – made the surprise announcement of a film project back in January.
It also included several behind-the-scenes images of the emulsion, as well as some images of the film’s structure and results taken with the prototype film, some of which you can see below:
Light Lens lab said: “This version features a finer grain structure and improved film speed of ASA 125, along with the integration of an anti-halation layer. We’re planning for a full release in 2025 across the following formats:
- 135
- 120
- Sheet Film
“This emulsion reflects the heart of our film project: to create film materials without historical baggage, third-party patent entanglements, or manufacturer dependency. It is built from the ground up – powered by creativity and user feedback. Our prototype assembly line is set to begin operation in June 2025, with V3 emulsion production following shortly thereafter.”
In a section on the film’s characteristics, Light Lens Lab said the new film would have the widest colour-sensitivity range of any “civilian” black-and-white film and would include a red sensitising dye derived from an “old European film manufacturer”.
The update also said that the team were still testing an anti-halation agent which would be applied to all of their black-and-white films.
According to Light Lens Lab, tests on a motion picture version of the film is already underway, and that the film would be available in a variety of formats including 70mm.
The company also said that its black-and-white film project would also be working on a 400-ISO film with a “traditional grain structure” and said they intend to produce it later in 2025.
But perhaps the most notable updates in the post concern the company’s plans for a peel-apart film instant film and the revival of the K-14 process, which ended in 2010 after the discontinuation of Kodachrome films the year before.
“Lastly, with our future development plan, we are currently developing and researching instant peel-apart film, with plans on producing and making available black and white peel-apart film by 2025 in various format. We aim to have an update on our packaging and test shot for the next development/research progress installment.
“We are also researching, developing and producing colour reversal films that consist of a dye-incorporating development process, commonly known as K-14, for 135 and 120 formats in 2026.”
I'm a New Zealander who has been living in London since the mid-1990s, shooting film seriously since the year 2000. Kosmo Foto was launched in 2012 and has since become a film brand, with the release of my first films Kosmo Foto Mono 35mm (2017) and Kosmo Foto Mono 120 (2019).
I’m doing everything I can to promote film photography in the 21st Century, and help it survive and thrive. If you want to write something for Kosmo Foto, please drop me a line at foto.dowling@gmail.com.
Be interesting to see if they’re introducing peel-apart 4×5 Polaroid for the insert backs or for packfilm.
Either way, I’d give one of each a try, just for getting the use out of the backs that have been lying here unused for a couple of decades now.