Getting started in photography and wondering which film to choose? Read this guide.
Hi I’m Hossein musician and photographer, here in this post I want to share with you all that you need to know before you buy any kind of film and start your first experience, let’s get into it!
BUYING / BORROWING YOUR FIRST FILM CAMERA
There are still several manufacturers making film cameras today, however, a great way to get started is to take a look at the thriving second-hand market. It is very possible to pick up an excellent used film camera for a bargain price. As with any piece of second-hand equipment, we would advise you to check its condition before purchasing.
You should also check with family and friends to see if they have an old camera they can lend you. You would be surprised how many people still have one somewhere in their house! For those familiar with digital photography, unsurprisingly film cameras work in much the same way with the main difference being you can’t instantly view your images on the back of the camera. To see how a film Single Lens Reflex (SLR)
This is my camera MINOLTA HI-MATIC S2, my father punches this camera about 30 years ago in japan and it still works great.
There are so many different companies that make film like MINOLTA, ILFORD, and KODAK in this post I want to talk about one the well-known companies ILFORDPHOTO which makes black and white films.
If you are looking try to film photography for the first time and are wounding where to start, then you have come to the right place.
One thing you should know before we start is there is no wrong choice when it comes to buy any film they are all fantastic and your choice boil down to personal preferences and technical aspects of this matter like ISO and grain structure.
The one thing you should know to get the best results possible:
film speed: film speed or ISO is the measure of the film`s sensitivity to light. The lover the ISO number the slower the film i.e. ISO 50 is slower film than ISO 400. The amount of available light (either natural or created) will determine which speed you should be using. If light is limited, then a fast speed is best to keep things sharp. If there is plentiful light you can use a slower speed. As a general rule the slower speed films have a finer grain structure (when used at their recommended ISO).
Getting to know different types of ILFORD films:
DELTA PROFESSIONAL VS PLUS RANGE COMPARISON
The majority of our films break down into 2 distinct lines: The PLUS films (FP4 PLUS, HP5 PLUS and PAN F PLUS,) and the DELTA PROFESSIONAL films (DELTA 100, DELTA 400 and DELTA 3200).
DELTA PROFESSIONAL films use the latest film emulsion technology which give them the advantage of a lower grain to speed ratio. This means that you get less grain at the equivalent speed when compared to PLUS films presenting a marginally cleaner, sharper look.
However, PLUS films, which use an established emulsion technology, have more exposure latitude than DELTA films. This makes them better for push and pull processing. They are also less sensitive to over processing making them ideal for people learning about film photography.
There is no right or wrong choice when choosing between DELTA PROFESSIONAL and PLUS films. Both are professional quality ranges and the fundamental differences are down to the available speeds, exposure latitude and the look of the grain structure.
For a good starting point try HP5 PLUS (or FP4 PLUS if in a studio or bright light environment) and, as you get more confident with exposures, then try the Delta films to see if you prefer the look.
SPECIALTY FILMS
ILFORD PHOTO also produce specialty films outside of the PLUS and DELTA PROFESSIONAL ranges. These have unique characteristics that differentiate them from the others.
SFX 200 - this medium speed film has extended red sensitivity so when coupled with a [deep red filter] can produce infra-red style images. This is a popular creative style with black & white landscape photographers as the skies become a deep black and green vegetation a snow-like white.
XP2 SUPER – This fast speed film shares many characteristics with the DELTA 400 and HP5 PLUS films. The key difference is that this film offers the convenience of C41 colour processing which increases your processing options. You can drop it into almost any local lab, supermarket or chemist that offers film processing while your standard black & white films need to go to a specialist lab.
Another feature unique to XP2 SUPER is the ability to shoot different speeds between ISO 50 and 800 on the same roll and still process as standard. (If you push or pull other films you have to keep the ISO settings consistent and process it against that ISO).
KENTMERE FILMS
The Kentmere brand, which includes the Kentmere 100 and 400 black & white films, is owned and manufactured by HARMAN technology. These films sit alongside and benefit from the same rigorous production and quality control processes as all ILFORD PHOTO films.
Kentmere films are a great starting point for students or anyone learning film photography, before stepping up to ILFORD films.
These are my first experience with the ILFORD HP5 PLUS 35MM:
Hope you find this guide useful if you want to see more of this posts please follow me @hosseindreamer this are my other photography related posts just in case that you want to see more :
https://steemit.com/art/@hosseindreamer/welcome-to-my-adventure-to-becoming-a-photographer
https://steemit.com/photography/@hosseindreamer/centereyes-are-the-doorway-to-the-heart-center
https://steemit.com/art/@hosseindreamer/my-first-experience-of-urban-analog-photography
https://steemit.com/art/@hosseindreamer/analog-vs-digital-which-one-wins
https://steemit.com/art/@hosseindreamer/pro-shots-cheap-camera-gear-does-not-matter
https://steemit.com/art/@hosseindreamer/nothing-is-sexier-to-me-than-a-strong-independent-women
https://steemit.com/art/@hosseindreamer/my-new-analog-and-digital-portraits-check-it-out
https://steemit.com/art/@hosseindreamer/outdoor-portraits-shoots-with-canon-eos-r
The Hi-Matic S2 isn't an SLR.
that is right, it is not an SLR camera and that makes focusing so hard.
cool
thanks bro
Great insight!
thanks!