The search for the right film for the analog camera can sometimes be a bit difficult and confusing. The choice is overall, fortunately, still very large, but this also makes the choice of the right film more difficult. The choice of film depends on many parameters, the desired camera, the light, the subject, the desired result, black and white or color, price and and and. In the end, however, the most important thing is the result.
To find the perfect film, the first question you should ask yourself is what you want the result to be. The next question should be about the shooting situation. For example, if you want to take pictures in low light, a film with a high sensitivity would make sense. Of course, the equipment used also plays a very important role here. If you are using an SLR camera with a fast fixed focal length with a large aperture, for example, you don’t necessarily need a photo film with a very high sensitivity.
Each film has its own characteristics. Here are some sample photos of various films. The images shown can only ever give an indication of the result to be expected, as the final result is made up of many factors. The most important factors that can make the final result different, certainly the light when shooting and how the film was processed.
Especially what happens to the film after shooting is often the reason why one’s own result does not resemble others with the same film material. Here, of course, the development plays a role. With color slide and color negative films, the development process follows a standard. Therefore, this does not have a big influence on the result.
This is completely different with black and white films. Here, every parameter during development can have an influence on the final result. Be it the choice of developing fluid, the dilution, the temperature and also the development time.
The other factor for differences in results is digitization. With color slides and black and white negatives, it’s still pretty straightforward. Since one can simply compare the scans with the originals. With color negative films, on the other hand, there is an orange mask. This must be calculated from the scans by the software. Depending on the software, results can therefore differ greatly. This is because the extrapolation is not standardized and therefore it is always a question of interpretation.
