film speeds

omeletteman

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I just purchased my very first film camera (SLR) off ebay a few days ago, and I have a quick question that I'm sure some of you know the answer to. I'm wondering if it makes a difference what "speed" of film I put into my camera, 100, 200, 400, 800, etc... I know that I can adjust the actual shutter speed when taking a picture, but I don't know if the speed of the film itself will make any difference. Is it better to use a certain speed of film over any others? Thanks for your help :)
 
The ISO determines how sensative the film is to light. The higher the number the more sensetive. Therefore a higher ISO will allow you to use a faster shutter speed or smaller aperature given the same amount of light. The trade off for the speed is grain or noise in the case of digital.

It's generally thought that you want to shoot the lowest ISO that you can get away with so that the images are as grain free as can be. That being said rules are made to be broken and many people make use of high grain as part of the artistic feel of the image.

You can find out as much or as little as you would like on ISO in any beginners guide to photography as well as a search on the net or probably on this forum.
 

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