Film Thread Options

[graphospasmic]

Okay this is just a basic outline of some favorite films of mine and other perceptioners. Feel free to add on any films that I missed that you want to talk about.

Color Print Films:

Fuji Reala - Cool and sharp. It's a very fine grain 100 speed film, very all purpose, and it has some of the best colors you'll get with any print film.

Kodak Portra - This series of films comes in a few different emulsions, all availible in 160 or 400 speed (and I believe 800 speed in some cases as well). First is the Natural Color, great for when you don't want very high saturation, and an accurate portrayal of the colors in the picture. The Vivid Color films have a little richer, more saturated colors, this one is very warm. And the Ultra Color films have very high color saturation, great for nature photography.

Fuji Superia 200 - If you can't afford professional films then I'd suggest just picking up 5 packs of this stuff, probably for under $15. It's 200 speed, so it's good for most outdoor situations, and it's got great color saturation. I've known photographers to prefer this over Kodak Ultra Color films, and for such a cheap price it's a great deal. Just stay away from the higher speed Superia films (400, 800, 1600) because most of these just come out too grainy and junky looking.

Color Transparency Films:

Astia - Very natural colors, probably the slide film suited best for portraits because there is not very high saturation. Nice for controlled lighting situations, such as a studio.

Provia - My personal favorite, Provia is very all around and useful in many situations. It has nice saturation for landscapes, but is still acceptable for a decent portrait. If you are going to be shooting a variety of subjects (whether it is a portrait or not) Provia has probably got you covered. EXTREMELY fine grain, but looks incredible when pushed a stop or two.

Velvia - Velvia is a favorite among landscape photographers and other nature photographers because of it's high saturation and vibrant colors. I would advise against portraits with Velvia because it blows out skin tones (turns them red and icky).

Kodachrome - The only thing stopping me from shooting more Kodachrome is the fact that there are only a few places in the entire world that will develop this special K-14 process film, and Kodak sends all of their's to Switzerland. Kodachrome offers natural and true to life colors, and is very accurate in detail. If you can still get it, try some Kodachrome 25 for landscapes. The ISO 64 and ISO 200 Kodachrome emulsions are also both excellent for just about any situation, providing a good range of cool and warm tones.

Black and White:

Tri-X - This is the staple of black and white photography. Tri-X is a consistently grainy black and white film, giving it a "classic look." Very wide latitude, so exposures that are a tad under/over will still be acceptable. If there ever was a beginner film, this was it.

T-Max - This film tends to be a little sharper and less grainy than Tri-X, so if you're not into the whole "old-school" look, you might try this film out. It comes in 100 and 400 speed emulsions.

Fuji Neopan - The 100 speed Acros film is an incredibly sharp, fine-grain film, great for getting in every little detail. The 400 speed emulsion is much like Tri-X, because of the noticible, yet consitent grain. There is also a 1600 speed emulsion, but that's getting pretty far up there, and this film is just so grainy that you lose a whole lot of detail in the image.

Ilford Pan F - This is awesome shit, the absolute sharpest, finest grain black and white film (with the exception of Panatomic-X). ISO 50. Great for use in the studio and other controlled light situations. Also, this is a good film for black and white landscapes because of the crisp detail and fine grain. As with most films, best results are with a tripod, and you'll be better off with one cause an ISO 50 film is gonna need a fairly long exposure if not in bright light.

Ilford Delta 3200 - Great contrast, grain is still somewhat acceptable for 3200 speed film. Pulling to 1600 gives some cool effects, however the grain is much worse than Neopan 1600.

Films I Dislike (And I think others will agree)

Agfa Ultra 100 - I shoot a lot of this but the only reason is because I bought a ton after getting back one roll of good looking pictures. Now I have probably a dozen rolls lying around. Just make sure not to waste your money on this film. It may be 100 speed, but the grain is the same, if not worse, than most 400 to 800 speed print films. It's got incredible saturation, the colors are very rich and deep, which can be a plus for some situations, but skin tones tend to be blown out. And there is hardly any detail at all in this one, just all grain.

Fuji Superia X-tra 400 - Ugh don't get me started on this one either. I guess I'll never be completely happy with 35mm 400 speed color negatives (I guess kodak gold is ok. . .) but the colors and grain on this film are jsut not cuttin it. Keep away, stick with the Kodak 400 speeds, you'll be better off.