Is CineStiil’s new 400D a replacement for Fujifilm’s legendary Natura 1600 film? Many followers of Fujifilm’s high-speed color negatives will find this an absurd proposition, but bear with me.
Over the last year, I have photographed the remaining stock of the Natura 1600 as well as my new CineStill 400D inventory. I shot the 400D at ISO 1600 and asked my lab to push it up 2 stops. I love going for a walk at sunset and early evening to take handheld shots with point and shoot, that’s why I like to shoot fast movies.
Based on my results, there is no competitor – 400D Better. Keep reading my review of the 2-stop CineStill 400D push and find out why.
Natura: Fujifilm’s Legendary High Speed Color Film
So what is this Natura movie and why do low-light shooters love it so much? Fujifilm’s Natura 1600 – also known as Superia 1600 in North America – is Fujifilm’s high-speed color negative film.
It was produced from 1998 to 2017 and since it’s gone, there’s nothing really like it. Natura is known for its natural skin tones, beautiful colors, is a little softer than other color negatives, and is relatively fine grain for 1600 speed films.
Natura is also a bit more picky than other color negatives when it comes to exposure. Low light and you’ll get a lot of grain in the shadows, and unlike other color negatives, there’s little performance gain when overexposing your photos. Natura is the perfect film for low-light photography: indoor scenes, weddings, parties, concerts, sunsets and handheld night shots.
Natura features Fujifilm’s fourth grade of cyan for improved color reproduction under fluorescent lights. It also features Nano-structured Σ (Sigma) Particle Technology – the crystals are 60% thinner but more uniform in size to achieve sharp and smooth image quality.
The remaining shares of the film regularly change hands for up to $50 USD a roll.
Meet CineStill 400D
400D is CineStill’s new color negative. It was announced at the end of March with pre-orders opening on CineStill’s website almost immediately. I wanted to buy some in both 35mm and 120, but when I noticed the medium format film delivery date was late, I chose two bricks of early bird 35mm. I’m so glad the movie arrives in Australia in May.
I have to admit that when I bought the film, I didn’t even think about the possibility of pushing it. It wasn’t until I saw the 35mm box that I realized that CineStill is in fact begging you to push their film – there are markings on the 35mm box to indicate stops 1, 2 or 3 to your lab. A quick look at the 400D FAQ shows that it has a wide dynamic range – the D stands for dynamic, not daylight.
First 400D Result
I have published videos showing My first 400D roll shot at box speed in my Fujifilm Klasse S point and shoot and my second at ISO 1600 in my Fujifilm Natura Black f/1.9. Legends at Ikigai Film Laboratory pushed the second scroll 2 stops and did a great job with all scans.
While I loved the images from the first spin at box speed, I was blown away by the images being pushed up 2 stops. I posted some of these pictures on Twitter and my friends Bill Thoo of Sydney, who is known for his nighttime shots, put it this way: “I missed a replacement for the Natura 1600 and Matt may have just found it for me.”
Why push the film color Negative?
Now you may be wondering why would you rate a movie at 400 at ISO 1600 and it gets pushed up 2 stops? The quick answer is that I like to shoot at sunset. I can continue shooting in low light when handheld without a tripod with faster film – or when the camera thinks it has faster film by setting the film speed to 1600. Unfortunately, you film speed cannot be set on multiple point-and-shoots, so in that case you must use the ISO 1600 DX code sticker on the box instead.
After my first roll success, I went out and spun 2 more rolls at ISO 1600 to see if I could recreate the magic. Again, the photos blew me away with their gorgeous colors and relative lack of grain.
5 reasons to choose CineStill 400D over Fujifilm’s Natura
1) Availability
Since decommissioning in 2017, the reserves of Natura and Super 1600 are slowly depleting. Sadly, there are fewer and fewer high-speed color negatives on the market. While supply of the 400D has been tight while CineStill fills orders, it is expected that it will be available in stock by the end of 2022.
2) Cost
Since Natura stopped production, prices have continuously increased due to the increasingly dwindling supply. Rolls regularly sells on eBay for more than $50USD, making it one of the most expensive discontinued film stocks, probably second only to Kodak’s color infrared film and Fujifilm’s package film.
Assuming CineStill has the 400D in stock, there’s really no cost competition with the film costing around $15 USD a roll (plus taxes and shipping). Paying that much for a roll of color negative film was unthinkable a few years ago, but with global supply chain problems, this has become the new normal for filmmakers.
3) Freshness
400D is a fresh movie, Natura is an old movie. High speed color film does not age well so there is no competition here.
4) Color
While the Natura is known for its colors, I was blown away by the 400D’s rich, vibrant colors pushed up 2 stops. The 400D shot at ISO 1600 looks great – much richer and more vibrant than the Natura. The only thing I wasn’t convinced about was the 400D’s ability to match Natura’s natural skin tone.
5) Seeds
The 400D has a wide dynamic range – although it’s not a native ISO 1600 movie, it looks great pushed up 2 stops. The images I’ve created look incredible – there’s significantly less grain than in my Natura shots.
How to shoot CineStill 400D at ISO 1600
1. Get your hands on some CineStill 400D. Visit their website or check stock at your local movie retailer.
2. For medium format cameras or 35mm cameras with manual film speed selectors, set the film speed to ISO1600.
3. For photos taken with a camera that only recognizes the DX code, you will have to raise it to ISO 1600.
4. Shoot your movie.
5. Tell your lab that you need the film to be pushed 2 stops.
Is 400D the New Natura?
It looks like another 1600-speed color negative will hit the market soon, but in the meantime, you can get great results from pushing the 400D. CineStill has revived my evening and early evening shoots with their new color negative. I only have a few reels left on my first order, so, like many shooters, I’ll be looking for new installments of the series soon.
I also plan to spin a few more reels at box speed – if you want to see some more powerful visuals check out Lucy Lumen’s review of 400D . box speed. I also shot a 400D roll at ISO 3200 – the results were interesting and not quite what I expected. Make sure you sign up Matt Loves Cameras YouTube Channel when I’m about to make a video about that reel.
