Darko’s 5289 – A Closer Look at This Mysterious 800T Film

Posted in: Film Stock Profiles | Tags: 5289, 800T, Darko’s Film, Motion Picture Film, Tungsten Film

📸 First Impressions

Lately I’ve been digging into some lesser-known cinema stocks, and one that’s recently landed on my bench is
Darko’s 5289—an 800T tungsten-balanced motion picture film with some serious potential for still photography.

I’ve just finished cutting and respooling a few rolls of it, and while I haven’t pushed it through a camera yet, I’ve got a batch
ready to post on my shop, Etsy, and eBay storefronts. The emulsion itself feels sturdy, fresh, and clearly motion-origin,
probably in the Kodak Vision3 family, though I’ll confirm that once I do a proper test roll.

This release will be sold as a numbered limited series. Once they’re gone, they’re gone — unless I’m lucky enough to dig up another stash,
which is another journey unto itself.

🧪 What I Know So Far

• Stock Name: Darko’s 5289
• Speed: 800 ISO (Tungsten-balanced)
• Color Profile: Unknown, but likely close to Kodak Vision3 500T with a bit more grain or contrast
• Process: Most likely ECN-2 (will confirm with tests—could be C-41 crossable)
• Use Case: Low light, artificial light, neon scenes, or creative color rendering in daylight with an 85 filter

🔄 Next Steps

I’ll be putting a few rolls through my Nikon F3 and Leitz-Minolta CL to see how it handles night street shots, interiors, and controlled lighting setups.
I’m particularly interested to see how it compares to Cinestill 800T—does it bloom the highlights less? More halation? Less? More contrast?

Either way, this is shaping up to be a fun, moody, low-light stock, and if you’re into cinematic tones with a bit of analog unpredictability, this one’s worth watching.

🛒 Shop Info

I’ll be posting the 5289 rolls shortly on:

• my shop
• Etsy Page Link
• eBay Store Link

Each roll will be hand-respooled, tested for light-tightness, and clearly marked. I’ll also update this post with sample shots once I run a few frames through and soup them.

Got experience with this stock? Want to collaborate on a test roll post? Drop a comment or hit me up through the contact form.