Film Is Not A Dirty Word

Unless it is a film on the front of your lens. The newly-hatched photographic chick who has just discovered grand-Dad's old SLR or TLR in the closet ( and had it serviced at the Camera Electronic Repair Department ) can turn to their left from the Service Counter - turn right around - and see the film fridge. Now's the time to start thinking about what goes through the camera. There has always been a variety of film available for analogue cameras. Monochrome negative emulsions, colour negative emulsions, colour transparency emulsion. For a time there were monochrome transparency emulsions sold. All sorts of mnames from all sorts of factories; Kodak, Ilford, Orwo, Agfa, Fujifilm, Sakura, Perutz, Adox,etc, etc. Many are just history now, and some names have been brand-traded to different factories, but that film fridge is still full. The choices may not be as wide today, but you can still shoot all year on good stocks in most divisions. And you can shoot on a 35mm camera or a medium-format camera just like the old days. You can't shoot on a 126 camera or a 110 camera, but really - that's not too much of a loss... Your choice of film is governed by your need for colour rendition or sensitivity, just as it is when you use your digital camera, but with one difference - you can change your mind with the digital and dial up something else while out shooting. When shooting film, you decide when you open the film fridge door and you stick with that. Choose wisely, Grasshopper... You may also entering into a partnership with a professional photographic laboratory - and there are a number of good ones here in Perth - for what happens to the film after you shoot pictures onto it. If it is colour film, you definitely need them. The labs maintain the machines and chemistry to develop negative or transparency film and can then provide you with digital scans of it enter into your computer system. For the digitally-experienced this is by far the best way to get started into analogue photography. Older people can read that last sentence and crack a wry smile... Now, here's where you get a secret, chicks; one that the makers of the cameras and of the film never tell you up front. The ISO or ASA or DIN numbers that define the sensitivity of the film are just numbers. The film manufacturers rate the emulsions as high as their testing labs can go...but frequently that number is a little too high to produce the best results. You can set your camera or your hand-held meter to a slightly different number and be happier: a. If you are shooting black and white or colour negative film, set the ISO or ASA number for the one you've selected about 1/3 less. If the film box says 180 ISO, set the meter to 125 ISO. You'll get a slightly darker negative that will contain more shadow information for the later scanner or enlarger work. b. If you're shooting colour transparency film, set the speed just a tiny bit higher. For a 200 ISO film, set it to 250. You'll get more detail in your highlights. Don't search the film fridge for the 12,500 ISO film that will match the high-ISO setting on your digital camera. You will be constantly disappointed.