Needs patience and a lot of time experimenting (variable base). Can be satisfying if you search for certain cinematic looks. Contrast and grain may tempt you to pull it but in some cases details lost in shadows might not be a major disadvantage; push for atmosphere. i don't think it can be pulled past 200; an interesting film though; as far as I know The Lighthouse, Raging Bull , Schindler's List (!), Stranger Than Paradise if you are old enough to remember it; but also Kafka (1991) and one of the violent scenes from Casino Royale (2006) were all shot on this film.
I am still in two minds about this film. It might be we all need to venture into spaces we would otherwise not be willing to visit or explore. perhaps best shot fresh, suited for capturing atmosphere; Indoors it will work well at 200 (with tungsten) and outside all the way to ISO 1600 if push processed with increased contrast and brightness if that's what you search for. Too expensive for regular use.

Good results although I wouldn't rate it as good as Tmax 100 or Acros.

I like! My first roll was taken on a dull, flat day. The shots are contrasty, punchy and with a nice grain; and not over-sharp. I now wonder how it will handle bright sunshine (assuming we get some more). I processed the roll in CT3.

This is a very versatile film. In my experience it beautifully rich blacks and excellent shadow detail and the fact it’s incredibly forgiving means you can get more HP5 + like tones or you can settle for the creamy, rich tones it gives off naturally or push it and get a little bit more grain without underexposing and losing clarity.

Great film stock but the only problem is the same as Kodak’s B&W films; they’re too expensive to justify buying over Ilford films.

This film stock has huge range of tones, but seems to be a little extreme on how it behaves. This gives an amazing character to the images and for portraits it is amazing. Seems to handle skin tones very nicely, keeping them bright in the resulting image but with plenty of texture. Lots of good portrait examples in these reviews. Green seems to be very bright in the images - see my examples. The leaf shows bright with the dragonfly, but I dont remember the background being that dark in real life. Maybe not a good one for beginners, but certainly the film stock to learn once you are ready.

This film really shines when pushed 2 stops to 800. I shoot this film exclusively at 800 ISO and mainly at night. It's a joy and beats TRI-X ,etc for this purpose, in my opinion

Great film, beautiful grain… developed mine in Rodinal although I’d love to try it in Perceptol or a Kodak equivalent.

I am trying out a variety of b/w films, having always used Ilford HP5 before. This was very different and quite took me by surprise. Very strong contrast giving dramatic results for portraits, but rather losing the detail I am used to with HP5 especially in landscape shots. I am excited by its possibilities, but not yet sure whether it really suits me - it's certainly taken me out of my comfort zone- which is a good thing!

This is the first time I used the CineStill's BWXX film in 120 format (well, in any format); I got some really nice results back on my Mamiya 645.
Shot at 200 ISO in different lighting conditions, the film is good for anything.
Would I reach out for it again? Maybe not immediately, as I'm steering more towards Washi style, where the emulsion itself gives you more character. But will definitely revisit at some point and maybe play some pushing/pulling games with it.

This film is simply class. It has so many qualities. It’s sharp, it holds highlights well, shadows are deep with inky blacks but always with plenty of tonal detail. There are plenty of films which offer rich contrast but not so many that don’t sacrifice shadow detail. I’ll be honest, I’ve only shot one roll so far, and the negative looks a bit thin, so either I underexposed or underdeveloped. Despite all this, most of the (DSLR) scans look beautiful. The only downsides are; the film is not the flattest, and it’s not that cheap. I can get fairly similar results from FP4 for nearly half the price. As with all the Cinestill films, I’d happily use them all the time but I can only afford it as an occasional treat.

It's been a year since I last shot a roll of Cinestill XX in medium format and I had to give it a try in my Godman Zone Z1. I am not disappointed! The tonality and exposure latitude of XX is the stuff of legend and it shows why Hollywoods finest choose it over more high tech digital equipment. I know it's at a premium price point, but you have to treat yourself occasionally.

The black and silver packaging looks very chic and the silver emulsion within isn't too shabby either. There were some strong contrasts of light and shade in my local woods on a sunny July day, but the XX handled them very well indeed. It was developed in the recommended D-96 (Anchell & Troop's darkroom Cookbook, published by Focal Press, contains a formula you can brew yourself), but I'm sure it would be a really good match with Pyro or 2 bath formulae. I was really impressed by the 35mm version, but the 120 version just blew me away, thanks to the larger frame size. If only it was available in 5x4...but in the meantime, meter carefully and do your own tests to really get the best out of this film. Although not cheap,it's a belter.

I’m a huge fan of deep contrast when it comes to black and white films, and so that’s one of the main reasons this film has officially become a new favourite of mine. I shot it at 800 ISO which is the highest my Ricohmatic TLR would allow, and it was developed by the lovely WonderLAB team, the results were better than I had hoped and are absolutely gorgeous. I plan to buy more for sure!

A wonderful emulsion finally available in 120 format.
I notice a lot of reviews point out issues with the film - i had zero issues with mine. Which is even more amazing as i shot it through my Holga!
No metering, just the standard Holga controls - is it sunny or is it cloudy...!
Sample shots taken on a sunny day in the UK. Developed in HC110 for the ISO 200 times.
Wonderful tones, no crushed blacks or blown highlights.

Very cool film giving slightly different results than I'm used to with other BW stock. Definitely worth the price, because it delivers somehow special touch to each shot. Although 200iso could be rather tricky, it doesn't disappoint at all.