film recommendations

voodoo_child · Sep 21, 2006

Lame question I know, but I just finished my first roll and looking at bhphotovideo.com and adorama.com there are literally hundreds to choose from.
Any brands to look out for?

After reading up ISO Ive summarized:
low ISO: longer exposure , less grain
high ISO: short exposure, grainy

I plan on practicing shooting sunsets this week, what ISO suits this best (I was told me anything between 200 - 800 should be fine)

Torus34 · Sep 21, 2006

If you are doing the sunsets from a tripod [recommended], the important consideration will be sharp, grainless images. Use a cable release. The tripod will hold the camera steady for any exposure time, so a 'fast' film is not required. ISO 100 [color negative] or ISO 50 [slide or b&w] is the way to go.

Rob · Sep 22, 2006

100 ISO is what I use for such things - sunsets are quite bright, but use a tripod anyway!

Rob

niccig · Sep 22, 2006

I like Ilford. Also, if you plan to shoot a lot of film, it can be more cost-effective to bulk load. Basically you get a 100ft roll of film and use a bulk loading device (I think they're about $25) and a changing bag to load the film into reusable cassettes. Bulk film is usually around half the cost of the equivalent amount of film in indivdual rolls. But wait until you find a film you like before buying a ton of it!

fightheheathens · Sep 22, 2006

good films as rated by Me.

Color:
Fugi Velvia 50 or 100 slide film. (absoutly stunning colors and almost grainless)
Fugi Reala 100 ISO print film. (Also pretty hot)
UFGA 100 Color print film.

I have not found color films over 100 ISO that i like.

Black and White:
Ilford PanF + 50 ISO (i love this film, and i use it for almost all of my black and white.)
Ilford HP5 400 ISO (ok, but not my fav...)
Ilford Delta pro 3200 ISO film. This film can produce some sweet grainy moody images

Kodak T-max 100 . (I like this film when developed with the T-max developer.
Kodak Tmax 400. see above.

airgunr · Sep 22, 2006

Slower the speed the sharper the image will be. Use a tripod.

I also like the Fuji Velvia ISO 50 and 100 slide films.
I have also used the Kodak Elitechrome 100GX

Kodak Portra 160NC is also a good choice for print film

Haven't shot much B&W.

Don Simon · Sep 22, 2006

Velvia or Reala 100 is a good call. For a general purpose film, personally I prefer negative film for the exposure latitude and the convenience of not having to mess around with ND filters. Fuji Reala or plain Superia is great stuff for everyday shooting; Superia 200 is generally very cheap indeed. I use Superia 400 quite a bit and have never considered grain a problem, but then I don't like my photos 100% grain-free; that's just a personal thing.

nymtber · Sep 22, 2006

the only print film my camera sees anymore is Fuji Superia Reala 100. GREAT pictures, very very very fine grain, and fairly inexpensive.

im thinking of getting some velvia 100 slide film though, we just got a slide projector and i won a lot of 46 40-slide trays on ebay! so ill be shooting slides soon

selmerdave · Sep 23, 2006

ZaphodB said:
I prefer negative film for the convenience of not having to mess around with ND filters.

I'm not sure I follow?

One vote for Kodachrome for unadultered colors, mind you processing is a bit of a hassle..

Dave

Don Simon · Sep 23, 2006

What I meant was that with print film, I've always found it much easier to get the right exposure. With slide film (and digital) often I'm either losing significant amounts of shadow detail or blowing out the highlights. Hence often needing to use ND filters (which I don't like doing) for slide film, but not for print.