Sunbath 500T

The Sunbath 500T is a color negative film based on the renowned Kodak VISION3 500T. This film, originally developed for cinema film production, is offered by Kodak in large film reels. For the Sunbath 500T, the material is packaged in smaller cartridges, although Kodak itself is not directly involved in sales.

It is sold online by the Sunbath Film-Lab from Paris (France). In 2024, you will pay around 13.50 euros for a roll of the film.

Properties of the film

The VISION3 500T is specially designed for artificial light (tungsten). In contrast to digital cameras, where the white balance can be individually adjusted, analog photography requires appropriate film material for precise colors under artificial light. The Sunbath 500T serves exactly this purpose.

However, the film can also be used in daylight. Without a filter, however, this can lead to color shifts. These effects can be corrected with a correction filter, but this reduces the film’s sensitivity to light.

Development of the Sunbath 500T

The film must be developed using the ECN-2 process because it has a special protective layer (Remjet coating) that must be removed during processing. If it is mistakenly developed using the C-41 process, residues of the coating can render the chemicals unusable.

Some photo labs offer the ECN-2 process. It is advisable to clarify in advance whether the desired lab offers this option. Alternatively, there are versions of the VISION3 500T without Remjet coating that are less complex to develop.

Formats and cameras

The Sunbath 500T is suitable for all 35mm cameras. Brands such as Minolta, Olympus or Nikon offer excellent models, as do Leica or Konica. The only important thing is that the camera supports the 35mm format.

Cameras with adjustable film speed or a manual mode are particularly recommended in order to fully exploit the potential of the film. Around 36 shots can be taken per roll of film, depending on the camera.