We Bought Black and White Film on Temu So You Don’t Have To

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While browsing online shopping, I have often come across unusual and unheard-of 35mm film stocks. My curiosity won out because black and white photography is artistic alchemy, and the film plays a big role in how the final images turn out. So, was this Temu film any good?

I get a huge part of the joy of shooting analog film from trying out all the different brands and speeds of emulsions, and Chinese-branded films seemed both mysterious and experimental. I went ahead and bought a selection of films to try out so that you don’t have to, although you might want to after reading this.

The Setup

To be completely honest, this isn’t the first time I’ve used Chinese films. I’ve had some dalliances with Lucky brand film, with varying degrees of success, but I would never before have dared to try something that had no apparent branding.

Before we go deeper, it’s important to get some housekeeping out of the way. I shot six different emulsions out of three separate Nikon film bodies and made sure to only use the Nikkor 85mm f/2 AIS lens. I wanted the lens to be consistent across the board, but keep in mind that the Nikkor is not a modern lens. It is, however, indicative of the glass I typically shoot film with myself.

A row of assorted film canisters is lined up on a wooden table, with bookshelves, a keyboard, and other objects blurred in the background.

I sent the film to a local developing house to get processed and scanned, and I chose to limit the amount of editing I did to the images to show as authentic a representation as possible. This means I left dust and scratches alone, and largely left contrast and exposure unchanged. However, one of the first issues that you will face when trying out a no-name film is the lack of any decent developing data to ensure proper exposure and dynamic range. The lab did a great job, but a couple of rolls did come out a little underdeveloped. There will be some trial and error to really fine-tune your results if you go ahead on your own.

I specifically tried to choose films with no Remjet anti-halation coatings because these require proper rinsing of the carbon coatings before developing. Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure one of the emulsions I purchased did have an intact Remjet coating. In a previous test with two of the films on my list, there were some major light leaks and insane levels of dust and hair present within the film as it came out of the box. Sadly, expect to have some failures and ruined rolls when shooting some of these reloaded films. If you are looking for consistency, most Chinese films will leave you disappointed.

One of the main reasons you might want to explore this forbidden world of mysterious films is due to a frugal attempt to save money. As it turns out, after shipping costs and hidden fees, most of this film was the same price or only marginally more affordable than the well-known brands in North America. If I bought triple packs of bulk film, I could save some money, but that was not nearly enough to justify the risks. You should only buy these films because you want to seek out unique emulsions with a look not easily found at home.

Poolar 400

The first film on the list was branded as Poolar 400 BW 18 exposure film and cost about $12.50. What showed up at my door was indeed 400 ISO film, but it did not say Poolar on it, and I only got 17 exposures on this roll.

Fortunately, the film developed well, and the images ended up being a pleasant surprise. This 400-speed film had strong contrast with quite a rich tonal range, and decent sharpness overall.

Three film canisters and one exposed 35mm film roll labeled with "HAYAMOU," "ISO400 79XP.," and "400 17 FE" sit on a wooden surface with a dark mat in the background.

A black-and-white photo shows an older man with light hair sitting alone in a mostly empty row of wooden pews, facing forward in a large, dimly lit room that appears to be a church or auditorium.

A young girl with braided hair and wearing a patterned dress smiles softly at the camera. She has a bandage on her upper arm and wears a dangling earring. The photo is in black and white.

A person with a backpack sits alone on a concrete barrier in a deserted alley, eating or drinking, with parked cars and puddles visible in the background. The scene is in black and white.

A young girl with braided hair and a denim jacket stands facing a large painted mural of a man's face in a somber expression. The image is in black and white.

A black and white test image displays various objects arranged symmetrically on a grid, including Canadian bills, leaves, feathers, cameras, thread, a color chart, and geometric shapes.

I found the shots to have a coarse but sharp-looking grain structure, although the results could have been higher in resolution, and I noticed some annoying dust along the bottom half of the roll. Who knows what film I ended up receiving, but the results were enjoyable and represented some of the silver linings to be found when experimenting with dubious film emulsions.

Hayamou 100 ISO BW

I wanted to try out this roughly $12.50 Hayamou film because I saw many available color films from this brand as well. The film canister was a proper-looking sealed metal canister, and the branding sticker looked professional enough. It was labeled as 100 ISO and 36 exposures. Turns out, this film was one of the hidden gems of the bunch, with very sharp detail and fine grain structure. I also found the contrast to be quite punchy, and it developed well.

Black and white photo of a brick apartment building with balconies casting shadows. Two cars are parked in front, and two people walk together on the sidewalk, crossing in front of the vehicles.

Black and white photo of a young girl with shoulder-length hair and freckles, resting her chin on her hand, looking at the camera with a gentle smile. Blurred background with natural light.

Black and white photo of a building facade with a large mural of a person’s smiling face, distorted by the angles of the window panes, emphasizing expressive eyes and a wide grin.

A person holding bags walks through a shadowy, sunlit tunnel with geometric shadows cast on the ground and walls.

A person in a dark jacket stands under a beam of light, looking down at a film camera. Graffiti and handwritten notes are visible on the wall beside them. The scene appears to be indoors and in black and white.

A flat lay of various objects on a white surface, including Canadian bills, maple leaves, a feather, a game board, a color chart, toy cameras, string, and geometric patterns arranged symmetrically.

This is a very clean and sharp film, which reminded me of Agfa APX 100, and I would happily try it out again.

Rene 400 BW

I’ll be honest: I bought this 36-exposure, $11.75 film because it came in a sexy metal tin. Turns out, this film most likely had a Remjet coating, which didn’t get rinsed off first, or at least that is my current hypothesis. Whatever the issue, the film looks like it has measles, with black splotches left all over the shots.

A young girl with short dark hair smiles softly at the camera. The image is in black and white with a grainy texture, and the background is blurred.

Black and white photo of wooden pallets stacked on top of each other, casting shadows on the ground. The image captures the texture of the wood and rough surface of the pavement below.

A grayscale image of a patterned board game with geometric shapes, squares, arrows, and various illustrations including cameras, a leaf, currency notes, and feathers arranged around the central board.

Sadly, it is hard to evaluate the film stock with this issue, but hopefully you can glean something from the samples. Still, this is a perfect example of some of the problems that can arise when buying film from websites that give you very little information.

Lucky SHD 100

This was the first film that saved me money. I had to buy a three-pack, but the cost came out to $6 a roll with 36 exposures on each roll. I’ve used SHD before, and I liked it, but there can sometimes be production issues. A roll that I sent to Jaron Schneider to test was absolutely filthy with dust and long hairs running through the entire roll. Mine turned out okay, however, and I was pleased with the tight grain.

Close-up black and white photo of a fluffy dandelion seed head with delicate, feathery seeds radiating outward against a blurred dark background.

Black and white photo of modern high-rise apartment buildings with numerous balconies, closely packed together, casting geometric shadows on each other in an urban setting.

A young girl with light skin and straight hair smiles softly at the camera, resting her head on her hand. She is wearing a bracelet, and the background is blurred with natural light.

Black and white photo of a mural depicting a village scene with people, animals, and traditional buildings, partially obscured by the silhouettes of parked cars in the foreground.

A person rides a bicycle past parked cars on a city street, alongside a brick building with multiple small balconies casting long shadows in the sunlight.

A person walks down an alley next to a building featuring a large mural of a smiling face. Trees, cars, and a brick building are visible in the background. The image is in black and white.

A black and white image of a tabletop with various objects arranged around a central game board, including Canadian bills, cameras, leaves, string, a feather, a color chart, and a Leica logo. Arrows and geometric shapes frame the layout.

I did notice some splotches on the first few shots out of the roll, but this could have been a lab issue. The contrast is pretty middle-of-the-road, which is flexible and good at handling strong lighting scenarios. It reminded me of Ilford FP4 in many ways.

Lucky SHD 400

I’d never tried the Lucky 400 SHD before, but I liked it. The cost was again hovering around the $6 per roll mark, and the film comes in nice 36-exposure boxes. I didn’t have any dust or light leaks, but this is one of the emulsions that came out slightly underdeveloped. I only had to correct it slightly, and the results are good.

A man wearing a beanie and sunglasses sits alone on a bench at a transit stop, looking down at his phone, in a black-and-white urban setting.

A young child with shoulder-length hair smiles at the camera while holding a curly-haired dog. The photo is black and white, and the background is softly blurred.

A black and white photo shows a person walking on the sidewalk beside two parked cars in front of a brick building with fire escape shadows and a large, partially visible “STATIONERY” sign at the top.

Two people walk hand in hand through a dark tunnel toward a brighter street outside, with another person visible in the distance. The scene is in black and white, with strong contrast between shadows and light.

A black and white photo of an old building with a faded sign reading "WILLMAN INTERNATIONAL LIMITED." Shadows and light patterns are cast across the brick walls, creating an atmospheric, moody scene.

A black and white image displays various objects on a flat surface, including Canadian currency, maple leaves, a camera illustration, film rolls, a feather, color charts, and measuring scales arranged symmetrically.

The grain is quite crunchy and coarse with good contrast overall. It wasn’t as contrasty as something like Kodak Tri-X, but the grain structure was similar, and I could see this being an excellent overall 400-speed film for those who prefer a more gritty documentary look to their images. With proper developing this film would be fun to shoot, ideal for lithographic work, and is affordable.

Xinbai 400 BW

This film had an alluring blue label and looked reputable in the listing. I paid around $9.50 per roll, and it came in a three-pack with 36 exposures to each roll. One of these rolls was shot by Jaron Schneider, but he had bad luck with this one as well. The roll had major light leaks all throughout, and it wrecked every shot. I did not have any such issues on my rolls, fortunately, and found the film to have a unique character.

Black and white portrait of a young person with short, dark hair, looking slightly upward. The background is blurred, showing water and distant hills or mountains. The person is wearing a plain T-shirt.

A person with long hair and tattoos on their legs stands near a riverside, facing away from the camera. A stone bench sits on the grass in the foreground, and a wooden bridge stretches across the water in the background.

Several small boats float on a calm lake with gentle ripples, backed by misty mountains and a cloudy sky. The scene appears tranquil and is in black and white, giving it a nostalgic feel.

A black and white photo of a young girl with short hair, wearing a flower-shaped earring, looking slightly to the left and smiling softly. The background is blurred with natural light.

Black and white photo of a flat layout featuring currency, game pieces, leaves, feathers, cameras, thread spools, a color chart, and geometric patterns arranged symmetrically on a patterned board.

The grain is chunky and coarse, but the contrast was on the softer side. It was not a particularly high-resolution film, but I really liked it for portraits and softer landscapes.

When You Pick Up Film on Temu, Let the Buyer Beware

I had plenty of fun doing this little experiment, and it gave me an understanding of what to expect when ordering these films online. I’ve learned that saving money really depends on what films you buy and what level of bulk ordering you are comfortable with. Of all the films tested, only the Lucky brand film, and to a lesser extent the Xinbai film, saved me any money.

I will also reiterate that, from a cost savings standpoint, it is not worth it. Dust and light leaks will be a common occurrence, and you can expect to see some emulsion pinholes and limited expiry dates. If you want consistency, you should buy reputable film from local dealers.

However, there is also some fun to be had here, and I found some film emulsions that I really liked. If you are willing to put in some effort and roll the dice on the investment, there is a unique experience waiting for you. Stick to the more professional-looking film stocks, and you might have better success, although this is far from guaranteed. I have also heard rumors that companies like Lucky are retooling to make more modern emulsions, and I am certainly convinced that China can make perfectly high-grade film if they really want to. It might be worth visiting the Asian film market to see for yourself if it inspires your creativity.

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