I will confess to being a Film Dinosaur even though more than 75% of the images I shoot are digital. Film images have an appealing “vintage look” that can be simulated but not quite duplicated using film emulation apps. One reason is that images shot on film have actual grain—essentially luminance noise due to slight variations in brightness. Many people find grain more attractive and natural looking than digital noise, which typically appears as speckles of color or other artifacts due primarily to variations in chroma. Black-and-white films can convey the gritty reality of urban streets with unmatched authenticity, and can capture portraits that have that indefinable aura of “images for the ages.” And while many color films have disappeared in the wake of the digital revolution, there’s still an impressive array of superb color negative and color transparency films on the market. The best of them are capable of capturing brilliant colors and superb detail with a unique look and color palette that digital images can’t quite match.
Perhaps the best news of all is that all the great films detailed below retain virtually all their distinctive qualities when they’re properly scanned on a high-res scanner and printed on one of the latest high-end inkjet printers. Yes, you still have to have to buy the film and have it developed and scanned before you can even see the results. But as we film enthusiasts know, these inconveniences are a small price to pay for images that stand out and showcase your personal style.
3 Fantastic Black-And-White Films
Kodak Professional Tri-X 400
This iconic black-and-white ISO 400 film has long been the standard among street and documentary photographers, photojournalists, and countless low light shooters. Noted for its wide exposure latitude and tonal gradation, distinctive fine grain pattern, crisp contrast, and excellent edge sharpness and detail rendition, it responds very well to push processing up to ISO 1600 and beyond. Based on Tri-X Pan sheet film first introduced back in the 1940s, it was released in 35mm in 1954, and has undergone numerous tweaks in its long history. It remains the top film of choice among black—and-white enthusiasts who want to capture vintage look images on the film that defined photojournalism in the ‘50’s and ‘60s.
Adorama price: (36-exposure roll of 35mm), also available in 24-exposure, and 120 rolls.
Ilford HP5 Plus
The chief rival of Kodak Tri-X, this long-running ISO 400 black-and-white film is noted for its fine grain, high-edge detail, and excellent overall performance in a wide variety of lighting conditions. Its contrast, while high, is less pronounced than that of Tri-X, which appeals to shooters that prefer a more even tonal scale. It’s easy to scan, and has a base tint that makes it easier to evaluate on a light box. HP5 responds very well to push processing up to ISO 3200, and Ilford claims that its 35mm cassettes are more robust and enable a lower friction film advance than those of their competitors.
Adorama price: (36-exposure roll of 35mm), also available in 120 rolls.
Kodak Professional TMax 400
This ISO 400 continuous tone black-and-white panchromatic film has a unique tablular grain structure said to be more efficient in capturing light, and it also appears less grainy than Tri-X. It provides a combination of extremely fine grain and high resolution, is more forgiving of overexposure errors than conventional black-and-white films, and has enhanced reciprocity at long and short exposure times. It can be exposed at ISO 800 with no exposure adjustment needed and at ISO 1600 with moderate push processing that only marginally increases graininess. TMax 400 is a technically superior film, but it lacks the distinctive grain structure and crisp contrast of Tri-X
Adorama price: (36-exposure roll of 35mm), also available in 120 roll film, and 4×5 sheet film.
3 Superb Color Negative Films
(All are processed in widely available C-41 chemistry and can be beautifully printed in both color and black-and-white).
Kodak Ektar 100
Claimed to be the world’s finest color negative film, it captures images with an extremely fine, smooth grain pattern and saturated vivid colors, making it ideal for nature, travel, and outdoor photography as well as fashion shoots and product shots. It incorporates Kodak’s T-Grain and Advanced Cubic emulsions, and it delivers excellent edge detail, shadow detail, outstanding sharpness, and an extremely wide dynamic range. One downside: Its rendition of Caucasian skin tones tends to be overly pink, but this is easily corrected in post-production scans.
Adorama price: (36-exposure roll of 35mm), also available in 120 rolls, and 4×5 and 8×10 sheet film.
Fujifilm Fujicolor Pro 400H
This advanced ISO 400 color negative film incorporates Fuji’s proprietary 4th color layer to improve reproduction of neutral tones as well as overall color fidelity. It has excellent exposure latitude and yields excellent skin tones, shadow and highlight detail, and sharpness, which is why it’s widely used among wedding and commercial photographers. Combining low grain and a high effective film speed for low-light work, it provides clean, accurate color reproduction even under mixed light sources.
Adorama price: (36-exposure 35mm 5-pack), also available as 120 roll film 5-pack.
Kodak Portra 800
Despite its high speed of ISO 800, which makes it an excellent choice for low-light work, this advanced T-Grain film delivers a combination of excellent color saturation and relatively low contrast, making it easier to achieve consistently accurate skin tones. Grain is remarkably fine for a film of this speed, and it delivers excellent sharpness along with extended exposure latitude. Consistent field and studio performance, a predictable tonal range, and excellent reproduction and sharpness when it’s scanned are among its chief assets.
Adorama price: (36-exposure roll of 35mm), also available as a 120 roll film 5-pack.
One superb color transparency film
Fujifilm Fujichrome Velvia RVP 50
In the waning days of Kodachrome, Fuji’s Velvia 50 was its only serious competitor, and it’s still widely regarded as the best E-6-process film ever made. Offering high color saturation, brilliant color reproduction, extraordinary sharpness, and extremely fine grain, this slow ISO 50 color transparency film is held in the highest esteem by critical users especially those that use it to make poster-size prints and big enlargements. Velvia 50 also has a uniquely beautiful color palette with deep, rich hues, has the ability to render neutral grays, and can capture fine details and excellent shadow detail even when push processed.
Adorama price: (35mm 36-exposure 5-pack), also available as a 120 roll film 5-pack.
