Kodak 5222, also known as Double X, is one of those films that took me some time to warm up to. A couple of years back I gave it a try with mixed feelings. I remember the morning, the camera, the developer, the results, and so on. On one hand, I felt Kodak Double X was unique and on the other hand, I wasn’t sure if that uniqueness was for me or not. I guess we can say that with other films as well. However, there was something about it that kept me wanting to shoot it more. The struggle was real.
Fast forward to now, I have shot about 20 rolls or so. I have tried different cameras, different lighting conditions, different developers, etc Again, this film kept pulling me in. To me, that was a sign. I have long thought about buying it in bulk but have found ways to make trades for some rolls. Why haven’t I bought it in bulk yet? Well, I wasn’t %100 sold. I know I know, you’re probably thinking like what the hell right? I managed to find one roll in my film cabinet today and there is a developer that I have been wanting to pair up with Double X. That developer is Diafine. The unicorn developer, good luck finding some here in the states.
With Diafine, it is recommended to shoot Double X at 640. Which isn’t a problem for most cameras, but for my Olympus XA4 it is. So I decided to just try it at 400. Why did I choose the Olympus XA4? It is simple… because I am working on the focusing part of the camera. Why not take out two birds with one stone? I will make sure to write about this camera in another post down the road. For now, lets focus on the Double X and Diafine. So yea, loaded the camera up and took my 3 year old twins to the park. We didn’t drive, we walked. I figured I would have more photo opportunities and they were there for the taking. However, I had an issue with the film so I could only pull of ten snaps before I was done. Luckily, I managed to take the camera into the dark bag and save the film.
Diafine is a simple developer to use. It is two bath, A and B, and you just go 3 min for A and 3 min for B. Simple. I couldn’t help but think how the negatives would turn out while I was developing the film. Were they too grainy? Were they clean? Were they even sharp? Well, I just got done scanning the Double X negatives (negatives looked great btw) and wow, I am very impressed with the results. The contrast, the grain, the tones… simply beautiful. Everything was there and even better, minimum tweaks in Lightroom. That is a good thing right? I will say this…it looks like Diafine has completely sold me on Double X. It is a lovely film that takes time to figure out, depending on your liking. It took me some time but I am finally there, so now it is time to buy in bulk. I am ready for it. With that said… are YOU a fan of Double X? What do you rate the film at when shooting? What is YOUR go to developer? I would love to hear about your process.
Olympus XA4/Double-X at 400/Diafine 3+3
Olympus XA4/Double-X at 400/Diafine 3+3
Olympus XA4/Double-X at 400/Diafine 3+3
Olympus XA4/Double-X at 400/Diafine 3+3
Olympus XA4/Double-X at 400/Diafine 3+3
Olympus XA4/Double-X at 400/Diafine 3+3