Film Factory
Film Factory is the production side of The Optics Lab. We source emulsions with distinctive photographic character — motion picture stocks, discontinued specialty materials, factory-sealed cold-storage finds, and currently manufactured films that were never intended for still cameras — and produce them as original 35mm product lines.
Each product is named, tested across multiple developers, and documented with a full technical datasheet before it goes to market. Some stocks are finite — sourced from a specific sealed roll or a discontinued emulsion that will not be replenished. Others are based on films still in production, with a consistent supply chain. In either case, the sourcing history, development recommendations, and provenance are part of what we sell.
Our Production Process
Sourcing
Not every emulsion is worth producing. We look for films with genuine photographic distinction — a spectral response, a grain structure, a tonal character that does something no current retail stock can replicate. Sources range from sealed factory tins that have been cold-stored for decades to motion picture intermediates that Kodak still coats in Rochester but has never offered in a 135 cassette.
Testing & Development
Before a stock goes to market, it goes through controlled testing — exposure bracketing across a range of conditions, multiple developers, density evaluation. We establish working speeds, recommended development times, and any handling considerations specific to the emulsion. The datasheets we publish are the direct output of this work.
Sample Photography
We work with photographers to produce real-world sample images before release. This is field testing — shooting the film in conditions the lab cannot replicate — not marketing photography. The sample photos on each product page and in the stories are the result of that collaboration.
Production
Each roll is hand-loaded from documented bulk stock. Every product line traces back to a specific source, a specific emulsion, a specific origin. Some stocks are finite — when they run out, they are gone. Others are based on emulsions still in production, with a consistent supply chain. Cold-stored and shipped from San Francisco. The documentation trail — datasheets, stories, provenance — is part of the product.
35mm Film
Slow, fine-grained panchromatic B&W negative based on Svema KN-2 — a Soviet cinema emulsion designed for outdoor location shooting. ISO 8. Resolving power: 100 lines/mm. Sourced directly from Kyiv during Ukraine's ongoing war and shipped to San Francisco. Bulk loaded in Los Angeles. Develop in total darkness.
Process: B&W
Origin:
Stock: 9 rolls
Ultra-slow, blue-sensitive B&W duplicating positive based on Eastman 2366 — a motion picture emulsion with virtually invisible grain, extremely high resolution, and steep native contrast. ISO 6. Blue-only spectral sensitivity produces striking, graphic tonal rendering unlike any panchromatic film.
Process: B&W
Origin:
Stock: 10+ rolls
High-contrast panchromatic B&W from Fujifilm's discontinued 4771 — a Hollywood motion picture emulsion for travelling mattes and title cards. ISO 25: meter at box speed, open +1 stop. Virtually invisible grain. Develop in total darkness.
Process: B&W
Origin:
Stock: 10+ rolls
Each Film Factory product is named after a river near where the emulsion was manufactured — connecting the film to the place it comes from.
Dnipro Pan — the Dnipro River, Ukraine
Genesee Blue — the Genesee River, Rochester, NY
Sakawa Pan — the Sakawa River, Ashigara, Japan
Want curated picks delivered to you? Check out Film Picks. Looking for sourced rarities? Browse Film Fridge.