Choosing The Best Film I

There are two film speeds commonly used: 100-speed (ISO 100/21°), for work where image quality matters and the lighting and circumstances allow its use; and 400-speed (ISO 400/27°), where light levels are low or short shutter times are required but not too much loss in quality can be accepted. Film "speed" refers to its sensitivity to light; the more sensitive it is, the faster it is said to be.

For the finest quality work, choose 25- or 50-speed films, as-these offer good image sharpness, fine grain, low fog, smooth tonal gradation, and high colour saturation. For work in minimal light conditions, 1000-speed films can give acceptable results, provided contrast is controlled during development. Many of the quality problems associated with high-speed films are, in fact, due to the use of inferior lenses at full aperture.

Black and white
There are modern black and white films, such as 11 ford s Delta series or Kodak's T-Max series, as well as legendary films, such as Kodak's Tri-X and Ilford's HP5. The older films give a rich, textured image quality that many photographers favour, while modern emulsions use relatively thinner, more even emulsion coatings to achieve better sharpness and smoother tonal rendering.

Another type of black and white film, such as Ilford`s XP-2, is known as "ilchromogenic". This is processed in the standard C-41 chemistry used for colour negative film. However, while the image is formed of dark-coloured dyes, the final image does not reproduce colour. With these films, over-exposure tends to produce smaller, not larger, grain (although sharpness drops just as it does in standard black and white films). Scanning chromo-genic films can often produce better results more easily than conventional black and white.


Steve J. Wilson is living in the United States and is a freelance writer since 2006, in digital photography related topics. If you are interested in some useful Digital Photography Classes, than you are in the right place.

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