Sometimes an old film is more than photographic material: it is a surviving fragment of cinema history. FilmLab Kodak Vision 16–32 is made from original Kodak VISION 250D Color Negative Film 5246, a professional 35 mm stock from the first VISION generation.

This is not VISION3 in vintage packaging and not a modern emulsion styled to look like the 1990s. It is original Kodak VISION 250D 5246, with the source material marked as expired in 2001.

Before VISION3 came the original VISION

Kodak launched the VISION family in the 1990s after EASTMAN EXR. VISION 320T and 500T appeared in 1996, followed in 1997 by VISION 250D 5246/7246: 5246 was the 35 mm version and 7246 the 16 mm version.

The generations should not be confused. VISION2 arrived in 2002 and VISION3 in 2007. Kodak discontinued VISION 250D 5246 in 2005, making it a vanished original emulsion from a distinct period of Kodak history.

What fresh Kodak VISION 250D 5246 was like

5246 was a medium-speed colour negative designed for daylight and mixed light. Its factory exposure index was EI 250 at 5500 K, with ECN-2 as the standard process.

Kodak H-1-5246 describes very low measured granularity, sharpness, rich black shadows, clean highlights and natural flesh-to-neutral reproduction. The stock uses an acetate safety base with rem-jet backing.

A film stock used in major motion pictures

Kodak VISION 250D 5246 was a working professional stock, not an obscure technical material. Cinematographers selected it for daylight sequences and demanding natural-light conditions in major productions.

A Simple Plan — 1998

Cinematographer Alar Kivilo selected 5246 for every daylight scene in Sam Raimi’s film. He needed enough speed to make the most of short winter days while preserving the stark, graphic quality of snowy exteriors.

The characters of A Simple Plan beside the bag of money found in the snow
A Simple Plan (1998). Every daylight scene in the film was shot on Kodak VISION 250D 5246.

Frida — 2002

Rodrigo Prieto used 5246 for daylight exteriors. He noted that it could be shot without an 85 filter, retained good contrast and allowed work to continue as natural light levels fell.

Salma Hayek in The Two Fridas sequence from Frida
Frida (2002), the Two Fridas sequence. Kodak 5246 was used for the film’s daylight exteriors.

21 Grams — 2003

Prieto changed stocks with the characters’ emotional trajectories. VISION 250D 5246 was used for Paul’s story after his transplant and for most of his scenes with Cristina.

Sean Penn as Paul Rivers in 21 Grams
21 Grams (2003). Rodrigo Prieto used Kodak VISION 250D 5246 for Paul’s post-transplant storyline.

Batman Begins — 2005

Wally Pfister selected 5246 for the daylight portion of Batman Begins, about 15% of the film, and rated it normally at EI 250. The main night stock was different, so 5246 should be associated specifically with the daylight work.

Christian Bale and Katie Holmes in a daylight scene from Batman Begins
Batman Begins (2005). Kodak 5246 was used for the daylight portion of the picture, about 15% of the film.

FilmLab Kodak Vision 16–32

I hand-load original Kodak VISION 250D 5246 into standard Type 135 cassettes with 36 exposures, making it usable in an ordinary 35 mm still camera.

Fresh 5246 carried a factory rating of EI 250. This batch expired in 2001, so I recommend starting at EI 16–32. Its age is not a hidden flaw but an essential part of the material’s character.

What this film actually looks like

The frames below were shot on this very batch — original Kodak VISION 250D 5246 dated to 2001, respooled into Type 135. Several scenes include a ColorChecker target: it is a better judge of colour than memory.

A shelf of film boxes with a ColorChecker target
A row of packaging makes a convenient colour test. The 5246 palette is pastel: even Kodak yellow and Fujifilm green come out restrained, never advertising-bright.
Nikon film cameras and a ColorChecker target under household light
The same target under tungsten. 5246 is balanced for 5500 K daylight, so indoor bulbs push the frame warm red-orange — obvious at once without a conversion filter.
A ColorChecker target on the bonnet of a black car in direct sun
Direct sun on black paintwork — the reason cinematographers reached for this stock. The highlight on the bonnet does not blow out to a white patch, and the shadows on dark metal keep their shape.
A ColorChecker target in dry grass under low evening sun
The whole scene is warm, yet the target's neutral patches barely shift: the cast comes from the light, not the emulsion.
Reeds against water reflecting a lilac sky
The signature of this batch: water and sky drift lilac, greens turn muted grey. That is how colour negative ages — the layers lose sensitivity unevenly and neutrals pick up a cast.
Apartment blocks against a pink and lilac dusk sky
Dusk over the city. The sky resolves as a smooth pink-to-lilac gradient, with no banding and no blown patches — the low contrast of a cine emulsion works in its favour here.
Dry grass heads in backlit evening sun
Backlight stays warm without tipping into orange, and the grain holds fine and tight: the very low granularity quoted in Kodak's H-1-5246 datasheet has survived the years.
Rows of garages with coloured doors, seen from above
Man-made colour is the honest test. Blue, yellow and red doors read clearly but stay muted: 5246 never makes colour shout, which is exactly the restraint it was chosen for on daylight scenes.
A developing tank, timer and flask under dim room light
Dim indoor light is the edge of what a batch rated around EI 16–32 can do. Shadows thicken and grain becomes visible, but the image does not fall apart.

How to expose this batch

  • shoot in bright daylight;
  • bracket the first cassette at EI 16, 25 and 32;
  • do not use the first cassette for irreplaceable photographs;
  • tell the lab that the film has rem-jet backing;
  • judge the result from a good scan, not only by looking at the negative.

Age may cause base fog, colour-balance shifts, lower contrast, stronger grain and variation between cassettes. EI 16–32 is a recommendation for this vintage batch, not the factory speed of 5246.

Why ECN-2 processing matters

5246 is a motion-picture negative with rem-jet backing. Kodak recommends controlled ECN-2 processing for its colour negative motion-picture films. Ordinary C-41 is not the standard process and should only be used as a pre-arranged experiment.

Who FilmLab Kodak Vision 16–32 is for

This film is for photographers interested in rare emulsions, the physical history of materials and controlled experimentation. If every roll must match the consistency of fresh modern still film, choose a different stock.

FilmLab Kodak Vision 16–32 offers the chance to make a photograph on original Kodak VISION 250D 5246, an emulsion that is no longer manufactured.

Buy Kodak VISION 250D 5246

View FilmLab Kodak Vision 16–32 — Kodak VISION 250D 5246, 135/36

Frequently asked questions

Is this VISION3 250D?

No. This is first-generation Kodak VISION, code 5246. Modern VISION3 250D uses code 5207.

Why EI 16–32 if the film was rated EI 250?

EI 250 is the factory rating of fresh stock. This material expired in 2001, so this batch needs substantially more exposure.

How should 5246 be processed?

The standard process is ECN-2 with correct rem-jet removal. Always tell the lab what film you are sending.

Sources