Question about different film characteristics

Shootsyou

Shootsyou

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Ivor
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Okay, I'm new, so my ignorance will probably see me now & again asking a question that may to some seem dumb. Please afford me the benefit of the doubt until I ask the same question twice, then I'll gladly hold the mantel of Forum Chump!

Right then, different films with their differing grain, characteristics, finishes etc etc, are a minefield of confusion for me. It would be great to have some info on what films have what best qualities. I've Googled this looking for some answers but only found more confusion.

Is there any chart that conveniently offer this information??
Something that lists each film, grain (fine, or whatever), richest blacks, general traits of that particular film?? A comparison table or whatever you'd call it.

You fella's will know this stuff in your heads, but to a newbie here, its a science all on its own.
 
There's no chart but you could research them individually by name, how you shoot, how you process and what you process with decides what you get on your film.
If you just want consistency and processed by others, shoot c41 b/w film, like Ilford XP2.
 
I shoot fp4, delta 100 fuji acros 100 for smooth fine grain, and Delta 400 for speed, but I mostly shoot MF so grain isn't quite the issue it is on 35mm.
These are all pretty contrasty films, generally the slower the film....processed in suitable chemicals have the least grain.

Most peeps here can tell you how one particular film will behave if you can be more specific about the circumstances it will be shot and the way it is to be processed.
I could sit here all night detailing the nuances of every film, but the page would be 18 feet long and there'd be a hundred replies before I'd finished it next Wednesday.....lol

You have to just get on and shoot some, and preferably process it yourself :)
 
Shootsyou said:
Right then, different films with their differing grain, characteristics, finishes etc etc, are a minefield of confusion for me. It would be great to have some info on what films have what best qualities. I've Googled this looking for some answers but only found more confusion.

Is there any chart that conveniently offer this information??
Something that lists each film, grain (fine, or whatever), richest blacks, general traits of that particular film?? A comparison table or whatever you'd call it.
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There was a small comparison chart of the different Kodak films that I saw years ago that I think compared their emulsions based on grain, speed, etc.

I just can't seem to find it, and obviously it doesn't include all the other emulsions sold by Fuji, Ilford and so on unfortunately.

What I will say is that although you can get some differing opinions on Google, there tends to be general trends. Most people would consider the Kentmere films quite grainy, Velvia unsuitable for certain subjects...

Shootsyou said:
You fella's will know this stuff in your heads, but to a newbie here, its a science all on its own.
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That's a really good point; when I first started shooting B&W, I had absolutely no idea either. I just slowly collated it over time, exposure (pun slightly intended) to different film as I shot and developed it, and from reading and seeing other people's images. It can be heavily influenced by exposure, developer and developing technique though, and film can end up looking incredibly different in different hands.

I appreciate that thought might be slightly daunting, but it can also be a great way to decide yourself on which film you like (and which to avoid). I quickly settled on T-Max 400 as my preferred B&W film, as I found the Ilford ISO 400 emulsions to be a bit lifeless and boring. There are people who have the complete opposite experience!
 
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Huge & sometimes frustrating learning curve heading my way then!
 
I've just picked up a load of 120 Tri-X 400, and some Ilford FP4. Guess I'll start with those. One guy I spoke to said he found FP4 to be a very fine grain film & nice for soft skin tones on women. Tri is according to him, more grainy & a great film for a more gritty look.
But Sounds like that's down to his use & chosen processing?!

I'm gonna try some Tri-X in the Rolleiflex in Chester city centre tomorrow. Still finding my way round the Rollei too so could be quite a circus!
 
Most people refer to Tri-X but actually modern day Tri-X is quite different from classic photojournalist 1960s Tri-X. It's a lot less gritty and much cleaner, and especially in medium format, has relatively tight grain.

Don't see it as frustrating at all - its just part of seeing what you like, and trying out different types of film. Even though I may have disliked a certain film, I've often still liked photos from that trial roll, and enjoyed shooting that roll.
 
Shootsyou said:
Huge & sometimes frustrating learning curve heading my way then!
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Try and see it a different way: it's loads of fun trying new films and not knowing exactly what you're going to get. The best advice I can offer is to make notes of what you shoot, how it's processed etc. Keep it up until you settle on something you really like and that works for you. The opposite approach is to stick to one classic film, such as Tri-X and shoot it until you have mastered it. However, that's not as much fun...and could take 20 years!
 
If you have five different photographers on an
Internet forum you will read at least six different opinions.

try searching on flickr for each film type so you can get an initial impression and then try one or two that you like the look of.
 
and different developers will change the look of the same film ,,,( rodinal + fast film + overdevelope = loadsa grain )
 
As a newcomer to film this is something I'm also dealing with at the moment.

I started off by reading on the interweb and looking on Flickr etc, and decided to buy half a dozen rolls of FP4+. After that I branched out a bit and tried HP5+, followed by PanF. I've just bought some Tri-X, but I haven't shot it yet

For colour I opted for Ektar 100 to begin with as I saw some great woodland photos taken on it, and then after maybe 10 rolls I tried some Portra 400 which is currently my favourite. In the last 2 weeks I've tried shooting some Fuji Provia slide film which I've loved.

To be honest, trying out the different films and learning their differences is one of the most enjoyable parts for me. Once I've shot 5-10 rolls of a certain film I might move on and try another one, and you get all the excitement of starting fresh again! :D think of it as sampling all the different beers in a pub rather than a chart of data to learn :D
 
I found a site a while ago where someone shot a roll of just about every film they could find and posted the results. It was really interesting. I cannot remember how I found it and I didn't book mark it. I'd imagine it was linked from some lomo site or other. It was based in Asia somewhere but they had shot the usual Vista etc.

Easiest way to compare is to search on flickr for groups for each film stock you are interested in.
 
Make note of the developer on Flickr while you're there though.
 
Personally, I don't think film choice makes much of a difference until you have tight control over the other variables in your photography (e..g, exposure, composition, development, printing, scanning, etc.).

The look of the photo is 90+ percent what you choose to do with the photograph, especially with negative film. I'd just pick between B&W and colour and then choose a film speed that suits your purposes.
 
skysh4rk said:
Personally, I don't think film choice makes much of a difference until you have tight control over the other variables in your photography (e..g, exposure, composition, development, printing, scanning, etc.).

The look of the photo is 90+ percent what you choose to do with the photograph, especially with negative film. I'd just pick between B&W and colour and then choose a film speed that suits your purposes.
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^^^THIS^^^

Tbh i've experienced so many différences in results when using the same film that now i dont concern myself too much with which brand to shoot.

As mentioned above there are so many other variables that affect the final image.



Part of the fun is the uncertainty of how the image will look based on thé film émulsion characteristics
 
Fired two rolls of Tri-X through the Rolleiflex today.
Had a great time out & about in Chester city center with a medium format camera, even if I did eventually start to get bored of people wanting to talk about the 'quaint old camera the man has'!! To my absolute amazement, I had far more conversations with women than men about the camera. It was similar to having a cute puppy with you... If you're single, an ugly bug, or just fancy an ego trip, grab an old TLR & head into town on a Saturday. I'm tellin ya, you'll get home feeling taller than when you left!

As you can probably tell, I really enjoyed my first trip out on medium format film. And thanks for the links to the reviews folks.
 
I've had *exactly* the same experience with my Yashica-Mat. Everything from a "nice camera" in passing to a 10 minute discussion about the Ragged Trousered Philanthropist via Robert Frank.
 
Shootsyou said:
Fired two rolls of Tri-X through the Rolleiflex today.
Had a great time out & about in Chester city center with a medium format camera, even if I did eventually start to get bored of people wanting to talk about the 'quaint old camera the man has'!! To my absolute amazement, I had far more conversations with women than men about the camera. It was similar to having a cute puppy with you... If you're single, an ugly bug, or just fancy an ego trip, grab an old TLR & head into town on a Saturday. I'm tellin ya, you'll get home feeling taller than when you left!

As you can probably tell, I really enjoyed my first trip out on medium format film. And thanks for the links to the reviews folks.
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Experiences such as this are exactly why I recommend TLRs over every other type of camera for street shooting.
 
Shootsyou said:
Fired two rolls of Tri-X through the Rolleiflex today.
Had a great time out & about in Chester city center with a medium format camera, even if I did eventually start to get bored of people wanting to talk about the 'quaint old camera the man has'!! To my absolute amazement, I had far more conversations with women than men about the camera. It was similar to having a cute puppy with you... If you're single, an ugly bug, or just fancy an ego trip, grab an old TLR & head into town on a Saturday. I'm tellin ya, you'll get home feeling taller than when you left!

As you can probably tell, I really enjoyed my first trip out on medium format film. And thanks for the links to the reviews folks.
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Great innit....

If you're around the Chester area we'll have to get you out on an F&C meet. Lots of chat, camera fondling... and usually beer.

Andy
 
TLR shooting is one of the most enjoyable in film photography! I've received some great stories courtesy of people curious about seeing a TLR out and about.
 
Andysnap said:
Great innit....

If you're around the Chester area we'll have to get you out on an F&C meet. Lots of chat, camera fondling... and usually beer.

Andy
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F&C meet? Fondling...? and usually beer?
Sounds inappropriate & sinister!!!



I'll be there!!!
 
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Andysnap said:
Great innit....

If you're around the Chester area we'll have to get you out on an F&C meet. Lots of beer.

Andy
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is that better ?
 
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well i know that you're whiter than white asha ,but its that mr snap trying to lead shootsyou astray
 
Nothing sinister in a bit of camera fondling.... We've all done even you Mr Clean and pure Asha... oh yes and you too Man of Kent.
 
Black and white Films

Slow films below 100 ISO...very fine grain... Higher contrast lower latitude....Sharper

Medium films between 125 ISO and 400 iso ... Grain fine (dependant on development).... excellent tonal range and wide latitude. Normal sharpness.

High speed films over 400 ISO.. Grainy... tend to softer tones... less sharpness.

To some extent all these characteristics can be modified by the choice and dilution of the developer.

Chromogenic films are the exception as they are processed in colour chemicals and have no actual grain but a have a dye image.
I don't care for them myself as they are less controllable in processing.

Colour films tend to follow the above characteristics as to grain, contrast and sharpness. But there are no longer any truly slow colour films.
 
You will be following all the great photographers of the 50's to 70's in using Tri X in your Rolleiflex.

If you develop in D76 diluted 1 to 1 you will get the same tones fine grain and sharpness they did.
Developed diluted 1 to 3 with limited agitation you will get even greater sharpness and shadow detail.
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
High speed films over 400 ISO.. Grainy... tend to softer tones... less sharpness.

Colour films tend to follow the above characteristics as to grain, contrast and sharpness. But there are no longer any truly slow colour films.
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With all due respect, both of these statements, even as a general statement, just aren't really true. Delta 400, Neopan 400, Tri-X 400, T-Max 400 are all fine grain, superbly sharp emulsions, even when pushed one stop. And colour? Portra 400 basically redefined colour negative film, but even before then we've had fast, great colour film for a while now - Provia 400X is another example that comes to mind.
 
Andysnap said:
Nothing sinister in a bit of camera fondling.... We've all done even you Mr Clean and pure Asha... oh yes and you too Man of Kent.
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If Marks & Spencer made film, there'd be more girls in F&C and less burpy man cuddlin.

or....Debenhams....yeah, Debenhams 100 developed in Channelsol no5..
 
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joxby said:
If Marks & Spencer made film, there'd be more girls in F&C and less burpy man cuddlin.

or....Debenhams....yeah, Debenhams 100 developed in Channelsol no5..
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:D:D:D
 
Andysnap said:
Nothing sinister in a bit of camera fondling.... We've all done even you Mr Clean and pure Asha... oh yes and you too Man of Kent.
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I am at this moment strokin', fondlin' playin': with Ruby eek: ............






Reflex Quarter Plate :D
 
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