choices choices (film)

[Rahb]

I was at the store getting some odds and ends.....like film today. When looking for film, I discovered that there are tons of choices, and it's been so long since I've know about them. So...here's what I got.

Kodak Elite Chrome 400 Slide Film (1 roll)
Kodak Bright sun and flash 200 film (7 rolls) sales guy kept pushing this since it was a "bargain for 7 rolls.

I figured sin'ce I'm just playing around now, 7 rolls of cheap film will get me aquanted with my camera features again. Then, I can get some beter film that better fits the shooting I will be doing. SO on to my question of the day.

What film (speed/brand/type) do you suggest for different types of pictures. will 200 film be a good general film, or should I go with 400/800 (i hear these tend to be more grainy.

[Ads]

[terri]

The answer is: it depends. There is a good film for every occasion, so you will want to figure out how much you'll be shooting at a particular place to guide you along.

If you're shooting in a low light situation you'll want a faster film, so 400 can be a great choice. It's very versatile. I don't mind a grainy B&W image (personal taste) so I keep 400 speed B&W film around, just because.

When shooting slide film, I usually shoot 100 ISO.

Shoot it, inspect it, figure out what you like and don't like - then go try something else. Price can be important, especially while learning - but eventually you won't mind paying another buck or two per roll to get the look you're after.

[Lensmeister]

If you are only after general shot 100/200 is good.

Personally I prefer the Fuji range and the colours are more saturated. The reds always seem more vibrant.

But I once shot a roll of 25 ISO/ASA on a waterfall in the bright light. They came out excellent.

Another time I loaded a b/w 3200 ISO/ASA into the camera and shot some potrits and they worked well.

In summary .. experiment! It's fun ....

[tito_gh]

provia 100
velvia 50
tmax 100
trix 400
nps 160

i usally push the velvia 1 stop and sometimes provia

[Alpha]

Color landscape shots: velvia
Color portraits: provia or astia
B&W portraits: PanF, Delta 100, or Delta 400 if the light is low
B&W landscapes: PanF, Acros 100, or Delta 100

A lot of people swear by the Ilford HP line but I hate grain.

[Rahb]

what brand is the Delta 100? I jsut found out that slide film has to be shipped out for developing from my local wolf. Takes 7 days for images to get returned, but the plus side is that it is done professionally.

[Alpha]

The Delta line is made by Ilford. I prefer it to the Ilford HP series. It has less grain and a good amount of warmth to it. I think it's a really well-rounded b&w film.

[Rob]

I'm not a fan of that 200 film, I would tend towards 100 for normal outdoorsy daylight stuff and 400 for indoor.

Rob

[Rob]

<snip> double post sorry!

[selmerdave]

There are two schools of thought about 200 film, best of both worlds (100 and 400) and worst of both worlds (100 and 400). While current fashion seems to be the latter, there are some well-known photographers that believe in the former. Unfortunately, there are basically no pro 200 films available, outside of Kodachrome KL 200, Kodak E200 and Agfa Optima 200 (which I believe is discontinued). The bottom line is there are far bigger factors in photography than whether someone is using 100 or 200 film.

Dave