35mm Film: A Tutorial

The biggest difference between an SLR and DSLR is film. All SLR cameras use film of some type, the most typical being 35mm. This tutorial will go over the differences in film speed, brands, and uses.

Film Speed

Film speed is a numerical scale labeled as ASA (American Standard Association) and ISO (International Standards Organization). Both of these scales are the same and it does not make much difference which way you label it. However, since all film purchased in the United States will be labeled with ASA, this is the label I will use here.

The different film speeds refer to the difference in how sensitive the film is to light. The lower the number, the more light the film needs to properly expose. Below is a list of the different film speeds available and their difference in light sensitivity.

• 50ASA
• 100ASA = +1 stops
• 400ASA = +2 stops
• 800ASA = +3 stops
• 1600ASA = +4 stops

What this all means is that if you can get proper exposure using 50ASA film at f/8 and 1/60 exposure, then using 100ASA film you would use an f/11 or 1/125 exposure. The difference between each film speed listed above is just one stop.

You can also look at the list this way:

• 50ASA = slowest
• 100ASA = slower
• 400ASA = slow
• 800ASA = fast
• 1600ASA = faster

A 50ASA film takes much longer to properly expose than an 800ASA. The lower the ASA number, the more light that is required. Why is more light required? When you get right down to the technical details of film, it is composed of grains. These grains react to light and "expose" themselves to create a negative image, from which a color or B&W print can be made. Well, lowers ASA films have much smaller, tighter grain that require more light to "expose" them. So, 50ASA film would take approximately 4 times longer to expose than 1600ASA film using the same lighting and aperture setting.

A smaller ASA value also means you get better enlargements. When printing a negative at a 4"x6" or even 5"x7" you won't see much grain difference. But if you want an 8"x10" or larger, up to a poster print, you will start to notice a graininess to the picture. Remember old 120 film prints from the 1960's that were blown up to 36"x36"? Remember how grainy and washed-out they looked? That is a result of the grains of the film stock.

The smaller ASA values give you the greatest quality and detail when getting enlargements made. I myself only shoot on 100ASA or 400ASA film. I have never used anything higher than 400ASA and don't see any reason why I ever would.

Film Brands

There are many different brands of film out there, of course Kodak and Fuji being the most popular. But are they the best? I'll list some brands here, of which I have only used 3, and some details about which is better for which situations. Here is a list, which is discussed in more detail below:

• Agfa
• Efke
• Foma
• Forte
• Fujifilm
• Ilford
• Kentmere
• Kodak
• Lomography
• Rollei

Before I get into this, a good suggestion would be to never buy film from Walmart or Target. I don't say this to make a political statement about the stores themselves, but rather about the film. Walmart and Target only sell 24-exposure rolls of film. If you find a local mom-and-pop store you will probably find 36-exposure film for a few cents more. And, in my experience, if you buy about 8-10 rolls at a time they'll even give you a discount. I'd like to see Walmart do that.

Kodak is by far the most popular and recognizable film on the market. It is sold just about everywhere, still, even though the demand for 35mm film is only a fraction of what it used to be ten years ago.

Ektrachrome is the best film Kodak makes. However, I have never used it. In fact, I don't use Kodak film at all. Despite the popularity and innovation of Kodak, I feel they are now just cashing in on a brand name without worry for quality.

I prefer Fuji film. It's all I use, all I would recommend. Fuji makes a great 100ASA film, Reala, which you can usually find at photography supply stores for about $4 for a 36 exposure. I also buy Fuji Superia 400ASA film. Those are the only two film types I buy much of, considering that those are the best film speeds for enlargements. The 400ASA can capture good lower-light situations, and the 100ASA will give the best quality for making poster prints.

What I Don't Know

I thought I would add a short section about what I don't know about film. I have heard of the following topics, but I have not gotten to them yet. So, at least in reading this you will be aware they exist.

There is a debate about print versus slide film. Any film that is processed C-41 is print film, which is your typical film found almost anywhere. Slide film, however, is a bit more difficult to find and a lot more difficult to process. Even my local film developers don't do slide film. For that, I have to mail it off.

You can get very technical with film and start discussing reciprocity and saturation. There is also a lot of science behind low-light or night photography. This is useful to know if you plan to do light trails or photographs of the moon.