Amber D400 Review: A Moody, Cinematic Film from Reto

Written by Monica Krystel Rose

Red, there’s something about this color that makes things a bit more sexy. Photographers often achieve this by using gels over flash or changing the light itself to red. I know I’ve done my fair share of red bulbs!

Would you believe me if I told you there is one film that can give you just that just by shooting it at night? Let me introduce you to a new 35mm film by Reto Project, Amber D400.

Find Amber D400 35mm film on Amazon.

Video Review of Amber D400

Here’s my full video review of Amber D400, and you can also scroll below for an overview and image examples:

What Makes Amber D400 Unique?

Amber D400 is a re-formatted movie stock film that, when used in different lighting conditions, will give distinct color variations.

Reto Project mentions that this is a daylight film, and it becomes a cool blue tone when shot in daylight. Most of the images I’ve seen were taken during daylight, so I took this film out for a spin at night in Montreal, Canada.

I wanted to see what tunes it would produce at night, and it didn’t disappoint. 

This film doesn’t have the anti-halation layer, which allows us to develop this film with C41 chemistry rather than the usual ECN-2 used for motion picture films. And because of this, the images, I think, are more red when shooting with ambient lighting. 

Shooting Amber D400 at Night in a Point & Shoot

Here are the images I took at night in Montreal, Canada with the Amber D400 using my Fuji Cardia Mini point and shoot camera (find on eBay). It’s my go-to travel film camera, and it had all the bells and whistles I needed in a camera.

I knew I could use it at night because of the flash, and it also has a timer, just in case I want to prop it down for steadier shots. Spoiler alert, I didn’t do that and a lot of my shots were blurry, but I think it added to the mood of the shots.

Amber D400 on a Sunny Day

Here are some shots I took in very sunny San Diego. I love the reddish halo it gave on super sunny shots, and I would have loved to use this on portraits in natural light.

Thank you so much, Monica! You can find more of Monica’s work on her website, Instagram, and YouTube channel.

Leave your questions about Amber D400 below in the comments, and you can pick up some for yourself on Amazon.

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