A friend of mine recently bought some Vision3 35mm short ends from a film crew, thinking it was regular Vision3 film. But when he respooled the film into 135 cassettes, he immediately noticed something different: the film’s color looked distinctly unlike normal Vision3, and there was no remjet backing.
At first, he suspected he’d been scammed. But after developing one roll, he found the film processed perfectly—just without remjet. Then he noticed the emulsion number began with a 7, whereas the normal Vision3 500T produced in 2025 starts with a 4. That’s when he realized this was the remjet-free motion picture film that had been buzzing around the film community in recent months.
Kodak has introduced new technology aimed at simplifying the film development process and likely reducing costs. Traditionally, remjet coating serves to prevent halation, but Kodak’s new film uses a technology called AHU (Anti-halation Undercoat) to combat halation without remjet. For now, this film is offered only to the movie industry as a pilot project, meaning it’s not yet available for direct purchase by the general public.
An added benefit of AHU is its anti-static properties, which make the film more dust-resistant. Practically, this results in noticeably cleaner digital scans with fewer dust artifacts and improved image fidelity—especially valuable for those working with high-resolution transfers.
Since this new AHU film lacks remjet, it can be processed in standard C-41 chemistry, greatly simplifying development for labs and hobbyist photographers. Moreover, because C-41 chemicals are quite potent, they effectively “push” the ISO sensitivity. This means the new AHU 500T film, rated at ISO 500T, can be shot at ISO 640 or even ISO 800 when processed in C-41.
Here are some results from Anson Tang in Hong Kong, shot at ISO 640 and developed using C-41.
We also shot this film in the day, and scan it by both Fujifilm SP3000 and Noritsu HS1800.
The new AHU film holds up to the original 500T in terms of image quality and grain structure. It offers a wide dynamic range and fine grain—similar to Kodak Portra—but with tungsten balance.
Kodak’s new Vision3 500T with AHU reflects the company’s commitment to innovation and addressing filmmakers’ needs. For those of us who cherish the tactile, detailed process of film photography, this new film is both a technical marvel and a creative gem. We hope Kodak will expand availability and relax sales restrictions so the entire film community can enjoy this exciting new film.