Photographic Film

While contemporary photography is dominated by everything digital, that does not mean that analog photography has completely lost its relevance. In fact, many photographers who’ve grown tired of the instantaneous nature of digital photography are using film cameras to realize their creative vision.

Expand Your Artistic Vision with Film Photography

The past few years have seen the revival of iconic films from legacy brands like Polaroid and Fujifilm. Film cameras are also more affordable than many of their digital counterparts and are readily available at online and physical stores. This, in turn, has piqued the interest of members of the photography community who wish to expand their creative repertoire.

Advantages Of Film Photography

Some of film photography’s limitations are no longer treated as shortcomings but are now viewed as advantages. For instance, while shooting with a digital camera and an expansive memory card allows photographers to snap away liberally, users only get about 24 to 36 frames with a film camera. Some photographers like this because it forces them to be more meticulous and study every shoot carefully before pressing the shutter.

The resulting images are also often startlingly different from those produced by digital cameras. The different chemicals used in film influence how it renders light and color, with some films known for producing sharp images that are difficult to differentiate from digital images. Others produce more subdued colors or contrasted images, which may be the aesthetic the photographer is going for.

Experiment with Color Film & Black and White Film Photography

Apart from the chemicals found in photographic film, the developing process can also alter the intensity of exposure and colors. Some of the most popular developing processes include E-6 for color film slides and C-41 for color negatives. In order to produce the cross-processing effect (commonly employed in Lomography), some photographers will develop C-41 films with E-6 chemicals and vice versa. This results in images with high saturation and contrast, as well as unpredictable features, like light leaks, overexposure, and vignettes.

What Is The Difference Between 35mm Film And Large Format Film?

Photographic film comes in many different sizes and ratios. 35mm refers to the physical size of the film strips themselves. While 35mm film rolls can come in many lengths, the width of the film is always 35mm. Large-format film reflects a larger physical size like 4x5, 5x7, or 8x10 inches.

35mm film traditionally comes rolled up in a film cartridge that you can easily load into a 35mm camera, and large-format film usually comes as individual sheets or plates. Photographers load these sheets into film holders, which then go into the large-format camera. Large-format film is loaded and exposed one shot at a time.

What's The Difference Between 35mm And Medium Format Film?

Medium-format film is slightly larger than 35mm film, but it’s also smaller than large-format film. You may see medium-format film referred to as 120 film. This film type actually includes a few different physical dimensions: 6x4.5, 6x6, and 6x7 centimeter frames are all different types of 120 medium-format film.

Like 35mm film, 120 film also comes rolled in cartridges, but the film rolls usually have fewer exposures per roll. You may not find quite as many varieties of 120 film as you do 35mm because 35mm is simply the most common size. As a result, film manufacturers offer more styles and ISOs for this film type.

What Is 35mm Best Used For?

You can use 35mm film for just about any photographic subject or situation. The important thing to remember when using 35mm film is that the film’s light sensitivity is reflected  in its ISO. You will need to adjust your shutter speed and aperture to suit your available light and film speed.

Because film 35mm negatives are physically smaller than medium or large-format negatives, you may not see as much detail in each exposure. If you’re looking for a highly detailed enlargement of a landscape or portrait, large-format negatives are often the best option.

How To Develop 35mm Film

Developing 35mm film is a very specific but fairly simple process as long as you have all the supplies. You’ll need a film developing tank, a light-proof bag, water, developer, stop bath, and fixer. Photographers who don’t enjoy dealing with chemicals sometimes take their film to a photo lab and then scan the negatives for digital processing.

Developing color film is much more complex than developing black-and-white film. You’ll need specialized gear and extra chemical steps. You can read more about the step-by-step processes for film developing in our article on How To Develop Film.

Shop for Premium Photographic Film at Adorama

Eager to expand your creative vision with film photography? Adorama stocks a wide variety of black and white film, color film, instant film, specialty film, and film accessories. We carry film from some of the most reputable brands, including Polaroid Originals, Arista, and Foma. We also carry instant film for Fujifilm Instax and Polaroid cameras, and specialty films like infrared film and black and white reversal film. Filter your specifications on the left-hand side of this page to narrow down your choices.