Color negative and color transparency films have distinctive ways of rendering specific colors, and may have a warm (reddish), cool (bluish), or neutral color balance, as well as different color contrast characteristics. Thanks to the resurgence in film’s popularity in recent years, analog shooters have an astonishing number of choices, from major manufacturers like Kodak, Ilford, and Fujifilm, to smaller suppliers like Foma, Rollei, Agfa, Lomography, Kentmere, and Arista.
Obviously, we can’t include comprehensive info and hands-on impressions for the scores of films currently available, but we will cover 10 of our all-time favorite films in the black-and white, color negative, and color transparency categories and provide some suggestions on how they suit various shooting styles. Assessing a film’s “rendition” or “look” is always somewhat subjective, so if you’ve found a film that works for you in any specific application, stick with it. If you’re still looking, here’s some useful info on making your best choices. While this list will be focusing on the 35mm format, all the films discussed are available in, 120, and/or 220mm roll-film sizes as well.
ISO 400 Black-and-White Films
Suitable for an extensive array of applications and shooting styles, the three top ISO 400 black-and-white films mentioned below are versatile enough to be called “universal.” They’re excellent for everything from portraiture to street photography to landscapes. Their relatively high speed makes them great for shooting in low light without flash, and lets you shoot at faster shutter speeds—especially important when shooting handheld. All of them have extended exposure latitudes and can be push-processed and rated at ISO 800, 1600, and beyond, albeit with increased grain at ISO 1600 and above. Normally, when shooting 35mm, their grain does not become objectionable in full-frame enlargements until you approach the 16 x 20-inch size, and even then, it really depends on the subject. Detail rendition is excellent but not quite equal to that of slower black-and-white films.
Kodak Professional Tri-X 400 (400TX)
This iconic ISO 400 black-and-white film has been in production since 1954 and was the film of choice for photojournalists throughout the film era. The current version by Kodak upholds the tradition, delivering relatively fine grain, very good tonal gradation, and high acutance (detail rendition). The classic gritty Tri-X look is still there too, if not quite so brutally as in the Tri-X of the 1960s. While today’s Tri-X is still tolerant of exposure errors and processing deviations, when you nail both these factors it delivers unsurpassed shadow detail, along with that distinctive “film look” so many art photographers admire. I develop mine in Kodak D-76, 1:1.
Ilford HP5 Plus Professional
The basic characteristics of this film—relatively fine grain, very good tonal gradation, and high acutance (detail rendition)—are very like those of Kodak Tri-X, and many photographers (including me) shoot both almost interchangeably. Its tolerance for underexposure and processing deviations may be slightly greater than Tri-X, and its crisp high-contrast rendition makes it a good choice for portraiture, and excellent for street and travel photography. I develop mine in Kodak D-76, 1:1.
Kodak Professional T-Max 400 Film
Kodak claims that this T-grain emulsion film is the world’s finest-grained ISO 400 black-and-white film, and Kodak is probably right. It’s also extremely sharp, rendering distinct edges and very fine detail, and its long-scale tonal gradation enables it to differentiate the subtlest tones. More Tri-X and HP 5 shooters should try this outstanding film because its performance parameters are simply unsurpassed, and it’s excellent for landscapes and architecture. But don’t expect it to have the assertive character of two classics above. You can develop T-Max 400 in D-76, but to get the most out of it, it should be processed in T-Max or T-Max RS developer, an extra-cost option if you send your film out for processing.
Ilford XP2 Super Black and White Negative Film
Another film worth considering is Ilford XP2 Super, a fine-grain chromogenic (C-41 process) ISO 400 black-and-white film, captures a wide brightness range, has a wide exposure latitude, can yield prints of excellent quality, and can be easily processed by almost any local 24-hour lab.
ISO 3200 Black-and-White Films
For shooting sharp available-light pictures in extremely low light, these two ultra-fast films are top choices among photojournalists and street shooters. They’re grainier than films in the ISO 400 class, but they can spell the difference between getting a decent picture and not getting anything useable. Also, while their grain is noticeable, even in 11 x 14 or larger enlargements, it’s not atrocious, and detail rendition is darn good. If you want to use grain for artistic effects, try one of the below pair.
Kodak Professional T-Max P3200
Recently re-introduced by popular demand, Kodak calls T-Max P3200 a “multi-speed film” because it can be exposed at ISO settings from 1000 to 3200, and even pushed to an ISO equivalent of 6400. Since it’s a T-grain emulsion, it’s less grainy than most films in its speed class, which makes it an excellent choice for shooting fast action in low light, dimly lit scenes, subjects that require good depth of field and/or fast shutter speeds, hand-holding long lenses, and nighttime photography. It delivers the best results when it’s developed in T-Max, T-Max RS, or XTOL developers, but also works well in D-76.
Ilford Delta 3200 Professional
Ilford’s classic super-speed black-and-white film yields quality images in difficult low-light shooting conditions, and is often used to capture available-light action and sports images in dimly lit venues. It’s designed to be exposed at ISO 3200, can be used at settings from ISO 400 to 6400, but works best in the ISO 160-6400 range. It yields the best results when it’s developed in Ilfotec DD-X, but also works well in D-76. Delta 3200 Professional is also widely used by art photographers who want to capture a gritty “film look” without sacrificing detail rendition.
Featuring ultra-fine grain and the ability to render extremely fine detail, both these superb films are excellent for making large-diameter enlargements up to 24 x 36 inches from 35mm negatives. They’re top choices for macro and scientific applications and shooting subjects such as coins, stamps, and insects, where accurate rendering of fine details is essential. They’re also great for capturing scenic vistas, cityscapes, and fine architectural details, where they can impart a “large format” look to the prints.
Kodak Professional T-Max 100
This fine-grained, sharp ISO 100 black-and-white film renders ultra-fine detail at high magnifications, provides enhanced highlight separation, and is tolerant of moderate over/underexposure errors. Also on the plus side: it can be processed in D-76 or T-Max developers with equally good results, and it’s also excellent for copying black-and-white photos, making black-and-white copies of color slides, and photomicrography.
Ilford Pan F Plus
Ilford’s long-running ISO 50 classic is acclaimed for its extremely fine grain, outstanding resolution, sharpness, and edge contrast. It can capture a vast tonal range and render subtle distinctions in tone and detail when it’s precisely exposed and processed. It can also yield mural-sized enlargements and high-quality prints from its 35mm negatives. Its long-scale tonality yields a softer look than Ilford’s faster films, but that’s part of its charm. Pan F can be developed in Kodak D-76 and a variety of Ilford developers, but you may have to experiment to achieve the perfect combination of exposure and development that delivers its full potential. The results are well worth the effort, and I suggest you start by exposing it at ISO 32.
Ilford FP4 Plus Black and White Negative Film
Another film worth considering is Ilford FP4 Plus, an extremely fine-grain ISO 125 film that has a wide exposure latitude of up to six stops, as well as excellent detail and tonal rendition. It can also be underexposed by up to two stops and processed in a wide variety of developers, including Kodak D-76.
ISO 100-400 Color Films
All three films covered below are chromogenic films, in which the silver halides in the emulsion activate precursors of the chemical dyes that form the final image, and the silver is then removed. This standardized process, known as C-41, is the dominant system offered by virtually every film-processing lab in the country. In general, chromogenic films are fine-grained for their speed group, the color negatives can be used to make color or black-and-white prints of excellent quality, and are easily scanned to create high-quality digital files. The most obvious benefit of using any of the three films below is their ability to capture images in full color, but it’s also noteworthy that they’re much more tolerant of exposure errors (especially overexposure) than comparable color transparency films, and easier to scan to create image files for printout.
Kodak Professional Ektar 100
Kodak claims it’s the world’s finest-grained color negative film and, based on our experience, we have little reason to doubt them. It also offers extremely high edge sharpness, captures exceptionally fine detail, and delivers brilliant colors, thanks to “T-grain optimized emulsions and Kodak’s Advanced Development Accelerators.” It’s a good choice for nature, travel, and outdoor photography in good light, as well as fashion and product photography.
Kodak Professional Portra 160
Widely used by medium-format professional portrait, fashion, and commercial photographers, Portra 160 yields exceptionally smooth, extremely natural skin tones, very fine grain, and excellent detail. In the 35mm size, it can make impressive pro-caliber enlargements. Black-and-white prints made from Portra 160 have a soft, long-tonal-range look that’s ideal for art portraits and some scenic vistas, but this film really shines in the studio, where it yields superb color reproduction under natural or artificial light, thanks to its high-tech formulation that employs “Advanced Cubic and T-grain emulsions, and proprietary DIR couplers.”
ISO 100 Color Transparency Films
There’s nothing quite like a projected slide or color transparency when it comes to representing the full dynamic range of a scene in brilliant color. And these days, it’s easier than ever to translate the essence of that viewing experience into high-quality reflection prints.
Fujichrome Professional Velvia 50 (RVP 50)
This acclaimed color-reversal film is the perennial darling of landscape photographers, delivering exceptionally high color saturation with vivid color reproduction along with ultra-fine grain and crisp rendition of fine detail. Its high overall contrast and rich, dramatic color reproduction make it a great broad-spectrum film for shooting outdoors but it’s a great broad-spectrum film, especially for shooting outdoors but less suited for portraiture, as skin tones can appear ruddy or magenta-rich, especially in hard sun. It’s processed in standard E-6 or CR-56 processes and can be pushed one stop or pulled half a stop, with minimal variations in color balance.
Kodak Ektachrome E100
No event screamed “film is back” quite like the return of Ektachrome in 2018. In retrospect, the five-year gap between its official discontinuation and its reintroduction was more of a valley than a death knell, but after 15 years ceding ground to the digital revolution, analog purists rejoiced. The new stock is not a mere clone of the original, however, delivering a more neutral palette and lower overall saturation. Its fine grain is on par with the best slide films (see below), and its lack of punch yields some of the best skin tones for transparency film – along with some great whites. It’s also the most forgiving of the three here, even if its latitude remains below that of color negative films. Its other superlative is in color accuracy, even with reports of bluishness, with enough saturation to take it beyond color negative without entering the phantasmagoria of Fujifilm.
Fujichrome Provia 100F Professional (RDPIII)
Claimed to have the finest grain of any ISO 100 color reversal film (RMS Granularity Value: 8) along with extremely high sharpness and detail rendition, Provia 100F provides “vivid but faithful” color reproduction that’s not quite as eye-popping as Velvia’s. It captures brilliant primary colors and delicate pastels with commendable accuracy, and has excellent tonal gradation and highlight-to-shadow linearity, imparting a natural look to the images. It can be pushed up to two stops and pulled by half a stop in standard E-6 or CR-56 chemistry, with minimal variations in color balance and gradation. A great all-rounder, it’s popular with a wide variety of pros.
Film Developers
Some of the black & white film developers we mentioned above include T-Max, XTOL, D-76, and Ilfotec DD-X. You might also want to experiment with other developers like Ilfosol-3, Adox Adotech CMS IV — the list goes on. For the most ambitious and adventurous, B&H sells several color film developing products, for both negative and slide films.
While this article is more concerned with “tried-and-true” 35mm films, other manufacturers are producing rolls that carry a more pronounced “vibe” at the expense of detail and color accuracy – and that could very well be the character you’re after. Explore the full range of B&H’s 35mm film options here to find your signature film stock.
