Starting with a Zeiss Ikon folding medium format camera inherited from my grandmother, a couple of SLRs inherited from my parents, and Canonet rangefinder from eBay, I’ve gotten into film photography as an amusing hobby.
Film
These are just my notes on the films I’ve tried so I know what is worth trying next.
Black and white
- Ilford HP5 400
- I’ve used this in 120 format, where it has minimal grain.
- Kodak Tri-X 400
- In 35mm, a very classic, grainy, high-contrast look.
- Kodak T-Max 400
- In 35mm, a cleaner, less grainy look that I quite like.
Color
- Kodak Ektar 100
- A very clean, neutral, sharp color film. Saturated colors.
- Kodak Ektachrome 100
- I first used this at a vintage car show. Gorgeous color, imperceptible grain – beautiful, if you don’t have too much contrast in your scene.
- Kodak Portra 400
- Slightly pastel with low grain. Somehow makes scenes look calmer, more muted. Makes excellent cat photos.
- Fuji Superia 400
- Quite inexpensive in 35mm. Saturated colors that can sometimes be a bit exaggerated, but does well in ordinary daylight settings.