Tools for Seeing
The Optics Lab creates original 35mm film from rare and discontinued emulsions — motion picture stocks and specialty materials with distinct histories, sourced globally and produced in California. Each line of film product is unique, from sourcing through to the finished roll.
Dnipro Pan
ISO 8 · Panchromatic B&W · Kyiv, Ukraine
A slow, fine-grained panchromatic black-and-white negative based on Svema KN-2 — a Soviet cinema emulsion originally manufactured for outdoor location cinematography. Organic grain structure, 100 lines/mm resolving power, and full-spectrum tonal rendering rooted in a lineage of Ukrainian optical engineering.
Genesee Blue
ISO 6 · Blue-Sensitive B&W · Rochester, NY
Based on Eastman 2366 — Kodak's fine grain duplicating positive, still manufactured in Rochester. Blue-sensitive only: responsive to violet and blue light, blind to green and red. Blue skies render luminous; foliage goes dark; red objects vanish into shadow. A tonal world no panchromatic film can produce.
Sakawa Pan
ISO 25 · Panchromatic B&W · Japan
Based on Fujifilm 4771 "HC Panchro Polyester" — a high-contrast panchromatic motion picture emulsion from Japan, originally used for Hollywood travelling mattes and title cards. Rated ISO 25: meter at box speed, open +1 stop. Confirmed in HC-110 Dil. B. Resolving power exceeding Kodak Technical Pan, virtually invisible grain. Bulk loaded by Koltin Sullivan in Los Angeles.
Curated Film Products
Rare and expired film stocks, sourced and preserved by us from around the world
Film Fridge
Cold-stored expired, rare, and motion picture stock — hand-picked and ready to shoot. Discontinued emulsions, vintage stock, and specialty film from Kodak, Agfa, Fuji, Ilford, and more.
Browse Film Fridge →Film Picks
Curated sets of rare 35mm film delivered monthly or quarterly — highlighting some of the rarest stock we carry, from Adox KB17 and Kodak Technical Pan to ECN-2 motion picture film.
Subscribe →The Store
Our original film lines, curated rare stock, photographic prints, and photobooks — all in one place. Shipping across the United States. San Francisco locals can pick up in the Inner Sunset.
Explore the StoreLatest Stories
View All →Dnipro Pan Film Review: a cinema film from Kyiv
Our first Film Factory stock — Dnipro Pan — is a slow, fine-grained black-and-white negative based on Svema KN-2 cine emulsion, sourced from Kyiv and shipped to San Francisco during Ukraine's war with Russia. This is the emulsion's history, our test results, and how to shoot it.
Read Story →Konica VX100 Super Film Review: The Last Color Film from Tokyo
The oldest photography company in the world made color negative film for over sixty years — from the first Japanese color emulsion in 1940 to the final Konica Minolta rolls in 2006. VX100 Super was among the last. Notes on the company, the emulsion, and what a cold-stored roll produces when rated at ISO 50.
Read Story →Eastman 2366 Film Review: The Film That Sees Only Blue
Kodak's motion picture duplicating positive — still manufactured in Rochester, never designed for cameras — loaded into 135 cassettes and shot as an ultra-slow, ultra-fine-grained pictorial film. Notes on the bright yellow film strip, what blue-only sensitivity does to the world, and why a film built for Bell & Howell printers makes surprisingly compelling photographs.
Read Story →The Garage Gallery
Coming 2026