What type of film?

[katweazl]

Hi guys,

I have only learnt photography on a D70s....started about 2 years ago.

I have a film Canon eos 100 to have a play with.

Can someone recommend me a good quality film to use.

I know a llittle about Velvia and that it is highly rated.

Any help would be great.

Thanks guys

Joel

[xorl]

What kind of things are you planning to photography? Do you have a film preference, slide, negative or black&white? There are many factors that might lead you to choose one film over another.

[katweazl]

Hi Mark....I have no idea what I am going to shoot. I don't often plan my shooting.

And because I have never used film before I don't have a preference one over the other.

Joel

[Greg B]

The issue with film, Joel, is that you need to make some decisions before you buy the film.

The first is colour or BW.

If colour, the choice is between negative film (= prints from the photo shop) or transparency film (= slides). With transparency film, you need a means to view the images (e.g. projector and screen)

Your best bet would probably be to just get a roll of colour negative film and see how that goes. You'll get your 20 prints and will notice several things....

1. You don't have the same degree of post processing flexibility with film that you do with digital, certainly not as easily or cheaply. You can't just desaturate or crop etc (unless of course you scan the neg and digitize your process)

(Film afficionados will get hot under the collar, so let me make the point that I am assuming you do not propose to do the develop and print yourself.)

2. Every shot costs you money (which can be a good thing as it can make you consider your shots more carefully)

3. There is a delay between the shot and the reult, you have to finish the roll and then wait for the prints to come back. Once just a part of life, now we are used to dumping the files onto the computer and looking at them straight away.

Have fun with film. (My favourite times with film were shooting B&W and heading into the darkroom. The smell of photographic chemicals still brings back happy memories)

[gstark]

Joel,

If you're wanting to shoot colour, I'd consider using Fuji, and probably one of their E6 process (transparency) rmulsions. For mono, nothing but AP100 will do.

Have you considered doing your own processing? It's a lot of fun, not difficult to learn, and can greatly extend the fun and pleasure you can derive from photography.

[dooda]

There are some really good 400 films (TMax, Ilford Delta). They're much more handy than 100 speed, and you can't tell the grain difference until massive enlargements. I would go with that so that you don't have a lot of really blurry pictures, and have figured out what you're trying to do photographically.

[Hlop]

Hi Joel,

If you're going to shoot slide I'd recommend Fuji Provia as more neutral in colours than Velvia. Also, slide is most expensive and most exposure sensitive part of film photography.

I would not recommend Yellow Monster Kodak in either colour slide or colour negative film but it's just personal preference.

In B&W area I like Ilford Delta 100. I'm going to test Ilford Delta 3200 (most probably during this weekend) in low light conditions

Gary,

Is AP100 still available? I think it's harder and harder to get it these days after Agfa has collapsed

[gstark]

Mikhail,

We still have some in both 120 and 135.

[Hlop]

Gary,

Just out of curiosity - why do you prefer AP100?

[gstark]

Mikhail,

Over an extended number of years I've found that it gives me results that I fund very pleasant. A good contrast range, very nice greys, easy to work with....

My seciong preference is for Ilford, and I've never enjoyed using Kodak emulsions at all, save K25 and K64, which are an entirely different ballgame altogether.

[Matt. K]

I would stay away from film. You have to buy it.

[dooda]

Kodack TMax ultra 3200 is a different ball game too. I haven't used other 3200 speeds, but TMax gave up some truly bitch'in results.

[vort]

Hey mate,

My personal preference is Agfa Ultra 100 for color. It's highly saturated like Velvia except you can buy 3x rolls of it for the price of 1 roll of Velvia
Unfortunately as you may or may not know Agfa doesn't make the film anymore so unless you can find a photo shop that still has some stock left over then you're out of luck. I've still got a few rolls left, woo.

Other than that, I would recommend Fuji Press 400/800/1600. Very good film, I like the colors it produces.

Provia, superia etc are also very good films.

As for B&W, I shoot Ilford XP2 400 for most situations and use Neopan 1600 for low light.

[Grev]

I recommend Fuji too.

[LostDingo]

I can see lots of personal preferences here and I am not going to make your decision making any easier!!

Try the Velvia 100 or Fuji ASTIA. Use Velvia if you want a great deal of saturation and ASTIA if you want color accuracy.

Both are very fine grain and both are slide film.

Paul

[Hlop]

Both are very fine grain and both are slide film.

... and this means that you must be very accurate with exposure

I've heard Astia is very good for skin tones and was going to try it myself one day. And it is surprisingly cheap comparing it with other slide films

[jerrysk8]

i shoot 120 and for colour i only use provia 100f, velvia, kodak e100s and for b&w i use whatever i can get from my mates that get it free from thier tafe classes.

[LostDingo]

Both are very fine grain and both are slide film.

... and this means that you must be very accurate with exposure

I've heard Astia is very good for skin tones and was going to try it myself one day. And it is surprisingly cheap comparing it with other slide films

accurate exposure is needed with slide film but I find the latitude is fairly tight with digital also

You will like ASTIA as it has a superfine grain and the color is spot one. You cannot get the saturation VELVIA delivers but shadow highlights and variations in highlights is excellent.