Topic: Preference for one film or different films?

[LEAFotography]

I was interested by what Christopher said in the Kodak thread about sticking with one film, and Art's comment about Portra and my own approach of using lots of different films. 

It's probably been asked in a thread here somewhere before, but couldn't find what I was looking for in a brief search here, so wanted to know, out of curiosity, what approach others take with using one type of film or many? I know it will probably depend on many factors (e.g. Christopher's wish for consistency) including the purpose of your photography.

In my case, I photograph for pleasure only and am a relative newcomer to serious film use.  I'm still trying (the many) different kinds of film I've found for sale, brand new (in date) and expired films (just out of date and long out of date) using them in different conditions on the basis of what I think may suit or what might work.  At present using film for me is like a festival of mixed pallets, negative, reversal, and monochrome.  I've not found one individual film that says 'this is THE one I want to use exclusively', and in some ways I hope I never will.  I'm aware that I'm likely to run out of new film options 'to try' at some point, but I'm counting on the fact that the more I get into developing (...and then printing) the range of options will increase once more.  I adore this stuff, but can't be counted on for loyalty or affiliation to any one manufacturer or emulsion.

I'd be really interested from others here that have a few moments to say what they do.

[jojonas~]

I used to only shoot what I could find expired and cheap but I'm seeing less of that and I'm shooting more nowadays. so now I'm mostly looking for deals on a bunch of rolls. still, I tend to buy fresh when I'm going somewhere special -atleast for colour.

I do like the idea with just using one or a few films to really get to know it. but I like to experiment too much
I might get used to the film in my latest order I put down though, 90 meters of polypan f will last me more than just the summer I think I normally run through a 30,5 meter roll of bw per year besides loose rolls.

[LT]

I started off using all and sundry, colour and mono, slide and neg, IR and pan, and so on.  Over time, I narrowed it down to velvia, delta 100, HP5+ and FP4+.  I then dropped the Velvia, and any thought of colour, and stuck with the monofilms.  Then the massive hike in silver prices and utilities rocketed around 2007-8 and has continued since - driving film prices up up up. And I moved into large format, which isnt easy on a budget. So now, for economic reasons as much as anything else, I use the following:

120 - FP4+ and HP5+
5x4 - Adox CHS 100 and HP5+

and that is it.

Paper is a different matter - I use loads of different types.

[Late Developer]

I like variety and spontaneity in my life so, in the past, I've used all sorts of film. As I've been using film since the early 1970s, I've found a few favourites - but I've never deliberately limited myself to any in particular (aside from when I shot weddings as a part-time income supplement).

However, now I'm a bit older and have a couple of ambitions to achieve, I feel I need to concentrate my shooting to a few films - primarily to ensure I get consistent results and get the best out of the films.

I've been particularly impressed with Ilford XP2 Super and I've got about 20 rolls of 120 in the fridge. However, I'm currently using up my last few rolls of 120 Tri-X. For colour, I love Kodak Portra 400 as it has a very natural / neutral palette and, like XP2, dries pretty flat (a major advantage as I scan my negs using an Epson V750 flat-bed).

If I want to go a bit off-piste, I'm partial to a bit of Velvia 100 but, as it's a transparency film, you only get one shot at exposure and it can be very contrasty - so I only shoot that film a few times a year and usually on cloudy-bright days.

There's nothing wrong in trying a bit of everything but, at least for now, I'm deliberately limiting my options.

[Rafael Morales]

I tend to shoot any film that is available at a reasonable price.  (Cheap)   

[Suzi Livingstone]

Since the demise of Neopan 400 for 120 I tend to pretty much stick to Ilford, HP5 and I'm liki0ng Delta 100 too. I will use Tri-X 400 if I can find some cheaper than HP5.

[mcduff]

When I was a kid many years ago I shot only fp4+ and hp5+ but now I am all over the place. Back then there were a lot more films in production but it was hard to know about and access them. Ironically, now there are less films available yet it is easier to get them.

While it is fun to shoot a wide range of stock, I should try to 'settle down' (says the goof who just bought some silly lomochrome to play with).

[astrobeck]

My current favorites are:

Kodak Ektar in 120   
Fuji Acros in 120   (this is my favorite-favorite for 120)

Ilford Fp4  in 4 x 5 pinhole
Harman Direct Positive paper in 4 x 5 pinhole (my current favorite-favorite in this format)

about to make the leap to 5 x 7 and already have a few boxes of Harman Direct Positive paper for it.

 

[Nigel]

I really want to try different films as testified by all the different films I've bought and are now clogging up my fridge. The trouble is I seem to have so little time to shoot, on every occasion I find myself not wanting to 'waste' the time I have experimenting. So I go for the Tri-X, every single time. Tri-x that's it.

[Paul Mitchell]

120 rolls of PanF & Delta 100 as my pinhole food

120 rolls of Velvia 50, Ektar and Acros for the Bronica

120 rolls of HP5 and XP2 for the Agfa Super Isolette

and last but not least Velvia 50, Acros and Portra to feed the 5x4

[Pete_R]

99.5% - XP2
.2% - Velvia 100
.2% - Fuji NS160
.1% - other stuff like the SFX I just ordered for playing with.

All in 120.

I used to use Ektar quite a bit in 35mm and have a couple of rolls left but I do very little 35mm these days.

[sapata]

It had always been Fuji Across for B&W and Fuji Reala for colour but at the moment whatever is cheap and available, especially for my toy cameras.

[Francois]

I too am in the "go for what's cheap" bandwagon, especially in 35mm color.
I have a freezer full of Kodak gold and house brand Fuji in various speeds.

On 120, I just use what I can get my hands on.

[LEAFotography]

Thanks you all!

I'm really interested in your replies. 

[Sandeha Lynch]

Hmm, Neopan 400 in 120 is the greatest loss, together with the price rise in Ilford DDX.  So back to Tri-x in TMax dev that works quite nicely.  Otherwise it's Acros, and if that's not available then anything else.

[Windy]

I'll use anything that's cheap such as Fomapan, PolypanF and Rollei Retro and like Francois cheap Kodak/Fuji from the supermarket for colour 35mm.

For special occasions I have a tendancy to use T Max and Portra when shooting 120 and HP5/FP4 for 35mm

[Francois]

For special occasions I have a tendancy to use T Max and Portra when shooting 120 and HP5/FP4 for 35mm

I always find it a bit funny in a way. I got a roll of Ektar sitting on my desk like if it was the most precious thing in the world and yet I shoot some cheap expired stuff instead of using it 

[ChristopherCoy]

I wish I could "let go" and shoot whatever was cheapest, but I see that as too much of a gamble.

I photograph to create, and if I leave my creation up to the cheapest film, then there's no guarantee that I'll like the results. I have to have consistency in my negatives so that I know at least partially what to expect when I go to print.If I want more or less contrast, or a certain 'look' then I want to be able to add that in the dark room under my enlarger, I don't want any film doing that beforehand.

With that said, I have used other films in the past like the repackaged Fomapan stuff sold as "Holga", or TMAX, or whatever came with an old camera that I bought - but I don't take those seriously and I don't put any thought behind the composition and exposure. I also use the instant films, but I don't consider them in the same category as my everyday film.

In addition, I don't do color because it requires a whole new set of chemicals, and equipment to process on my own - and sending it to a lab is cost preventative for me. Well its not cost preventative, but at $1.33 per image (or $16.00 per roll including developing) it's just a little too expensive for my taste.

[jojonas~]

I'd like to add that when I buy fresh colour I've almost exlusively gotten either portra 160 or 400.
used to be reala and superia x-tra but I just can't seem to get along with them.
this is basically a reminder to myself to try ektar more I think I'll stick with the portra 400 for when the light is dim. though I've seen some excellent ektar shots taken when it is really dark -opinions??

[Alan]

I use predominantly 400 speed film in the Holgas
Delta400
Superia400

In the Mamiya I use all sorts but thinning it down...
Across
FP4
Reala 
Ektacolour

[Late Developer]

I'd like to add that when I buy fresh colour I've almost exlusively gotten either portra 160 or 400.
used to be reala and superia x-tra but I just can't seem to get along with them.
this is basically a reminder to myself to try ektar more I think I'll stick with the portra 400 for when the light is dim. though I've seen some excellent ektar shots taken when it is really dark -opinions??

I've only used a couple of rolls of the current version (in 35mm format) but I found it a bit of a pain as far as exposure was concerned - certainly compared to Portra. All the comments I've seen suggest it'sgot great, saturated colours but, probably due to my mistakes, I didn't seem to get the best out of it.

If I want saturated colours, I tend to go for Superia X-Tra 400 but my use of colour film is dwindling.

[jojonas~]

Reala 

why the long face, alan? they're still selling it in 120 5-packs, atleast here. I thought they were just quiting the one pack sales on it?

[Francois]

Well its not cost preventative, but at $1.33 per image (or $16.00 per roll including developing) it's just a little too expensive for my taste.

Processing is that expensive in Houston? 
I can get processing only in 35mm for around 8$ at Walmart. Processing with prints at around 12$ at the drugstore.

For 120, it's a whole other story though. But there is a place in the city that still does 120 processing only for something like 3.95$... the only problem is going there as there isn't any parking in the area.

[Ezzie]

I use predominatly B&W emulsions, and lots of different ones. But only one developer.

[Alan]

Reala 

why the long face, alan? they're still selling it in 120 5-packs, atleast here. I thought they were just quiting the one pack sales on it?

hmmm  there seems to be a lot of conflicting info. is it just the singles and the 35mm
that is/was discontinued?

[ChristopherCoy]

Processing is that expensive in Houston? 
I can get processing only in 35mm for around 8$ at Walmart. Processing with prints at around 12$ at the drugstore.

For 120, it's a whole other story though. But there is a place in the city that still does 120 processing only for something like 3.95$... the only problem is going there as there isn't any parking in the area.

I'm not sending my film to Walmart, or Walgreens, or some other store based lab.

Thedarkroom.com charges $10 a roll with scans, but I haven't searched out a pro lab here in Houston... Although I don't think there is one anymore.

[original_ann]

For B/W, I stick with T-Max 100 because I am getting close to a 'tried and true' developing routine. 
For color, I like the old Fuji 160S, followed by the Portra 160.  But actually I go all over the charts with color.  I've been shooting a lot of Portra 800 for night.  And hey, why not? Unlike B/W, the color film development routine is essentially a 'one size fits all' 

[Francois]

I'm not sending my film to Walmart, or Walgreens, or some other store based lab.

I've got no choice since they're pretty much the only game left in town.

[KevinAllan]

My staple diet is:

Mono - TMax 100
Colour - Portra 160, occasionally 400, eg for handholding a TLR or 35mm.

These choices apply to both 120 and 35mm.

I could do with having a "standard" ISO 400 B&W film but haven't settled on one yet. Trying out XP2 and Tmax 400 at the moment.

But I do have some other stuff, especially if I see some reasonable film cheaply - which isn't the same as buying cheap film.

I'm trying to avoid buying any more films of types which curl badly or scratch easily. Having just done a stock take, I realised I have about 112 films at hand. At my shooting rate that's at least 3 years worth so I should really avoid buying any more for a while.

[Jack Johnson]

I have a spool of Kentmere 100 (35mm) that I'm just dipping into, but normally I shoot Fuji Acros 100 in 120 and 35mm for monochrome (I prefer FP4+, but Acros is darned nice and significantly cheaper here), and the occasional Portra 400 in 120.

I dearly miss Ferrania 200 in 35mm. I'm thinking of rolling the dice on some Chinese Sunny 200, and I would trample some folks for Ferrania 200 in 120.

[Lund]

I use too many different film with too many developers in too many cameras. Meaning I have no idea how I like any of them. Not a very smart idea but all the possibilities just drives me forward.

However. Acros @ 200 in xtol1+1 works great for me. So I believe I will end up shooting lot of acros once I use up most of my film supply.

[byron]

When I dropped digital, I shot any film I could get my hands on. I didn't care too much about specific results. It was enough to be shooting film, having fun with it, and knowing that I was contributing to its longevity. As I got more serious about photography, I began to envision the shots (or at least the feel of the shots) that I wanted before I even went out with my camera. Because I've shot so many different types of film before, I'm somewhat able to choose specific films that will give me the kind of look I'm going for.

It ties in with the camera as well. There's a famous quote you may have heard:

If you want to change your photographs, you need to change cameras. Changing cameras means that your photographs will change. A really good camera has something I suppose you might describe as its own distinctive aura.

-Nobuyoshi Araki

Each camera gives me a distinctive vibe that leads me to take different types of pictures with each camera that I own. Those "different types of pictures" tend to match up with a specific type of film that suits the feel. I do experiment with different films from time to time, sometimes with positive results (no pun intended) and sometimes with negative ones (and again). However, these are the combinations that I tend to stick to:

Olympus Stylus Epic: Fuji Superia 400
Olympus OM Series: Fuji Provia 100F or 400X, Neopan 1600 if I really feel like shooting b/w

I also have two new cameras: a Kiev 4 and a Mamiya Super 23 (with a broken lens, I'll have to pick up another). I've currently got Neopan 400+1 in the Kiev 4, which I think will give me results that match the vibe I get from the camera. As for the Super 23, I'm thinking of trying some Fuji color negative film, but if that doesn't work out then I'll use Provia 100F.

Sorry for the long explanation!

[jojonas~]

byron, thanks for the long explanation. and I quite liked that quote you droped in. makes me think a bit... the only camera that I have got any clear opinions on like what films suit it is my yashica tlr, I'd always rather have colour in it than black and white. I dunno why really?

by the way, how are you liking your kiev? and what lens(es) do you use with yours? I've got a 4am myself (currently undergoing repair though)

[byron]

byron, thanks for the long explanation. and I quite liked that quote you droped in. makes me think a bit... the only camera that I have got any clear opinions on like what films suit it is my yashica tlr, I'd always rather have colour in it than black and white. I dunno why really?

by the way, how are you liking your kiev? and what lens(es) do you use with yours? I've got a 4am myself (currently undergoing repair though)

That "I dunno why really" is pretty much what I experience, it's just this feeling that I go along with.

I've honestly only shot three pictures with the Kiev so far, so I can't offer my opinion on the results it gives yet. I will say that it was a big pain to get working even relatively properly -- the included take-up spool did not work at all, so I had to fashion my own out of a disassembled 35mm canister and on top of that I had to exercise the shutter for about a day before the speeds got remotely close to what they should be. That's all from a Kiev that was sold in "perfect mechanical condition". It's the price I pay for picking up a cheap soviet rangefinder, I suppose. It seems to be working alright now, although I can't be certain until I develop the test roll.

I will say that ergonomically, it threw me for a loop! When I first got it, I couldn't get the rangefinder patch to come up and after frantically googling "make kiev rangefinder patch appear" and finding no results, I thought I had received a busted model. I found out a bit later that I was unintentionally covering one of the rf windows with my finger. I've experimented with the "Contax grip" a bit, but it's not really working out for me so I'm holding the camera pretty much as I would hold any other with the exception of having to make sure I don't cover the rf windows.

Ah, I forgot to mention: I'm using the Kiev 4 with an earlier chrome Jupiter-8 50/2. I also figured if I was going to go in for a penny, i should go in for a pound so I'm using a Sverdlovsk-4 soviet CDS meter (which nearly exploded on me when I was trying to get it to work initially) and for outdoor use, I use a deep red filter that seems to have been made by the "LZOS" or "ЛЗОС" optics company.

Did you get a chance to shoot at all with your Kiev before sending it in for repairs? What do you think of it? Any particular lenses you're fond of? The Jupiter-12 35/2.8 seems awfully nice...

[jojonas~]

feeling OT coming on, continuing this conversation in another thread

http://www.filmwasters.com/forum/index.php?topic=5940.0

[olympusOM]

I am not new to film, but have been trying a number of different films lately.  I fell in love with Neopan 400 and filled my freezer with it before prices climbed -- that's for 35mm.  In 120, I love Tri-x and can't imagine using much else though I have a few Neopan 400 rolls left.

ISO 100 is an entirely other story.  So many good films, Acros (super sharp), Fomapan 100 (dreamy), Kentmere 100 (meat and potatoes 100 with some grain), ORWO UN54 (so lovely).  I would certainly try others.  The era of plentiful films will end.  We are living in a sad, but still exciting time.

[hookstrapped]

I like different films for different reasons, with color anyway.  I use Portra 400 for "straight" color work and I like it because I can shoot it under a variety of conditions up to  ASA 800 all on the same roll with normal processing.  I cross-process Ektachrome E100 VS for another look, and am starting to cross-process Velvia 100 for another.  With b&w I like a high contrast grainy feel -- I used to use Neopan 1600 when I was shooting 35mm and when it was still available, and now I shoot Tri-X.  I stay away from fine grain low contrast b&w, it's just not my thing.

[Jon Butler]

I use mono film only because I prefer it to colour, it wasn't always that way.

120 Pan F-FP4 and HP5

5x4  HP5

All developed in Pyrocat HD

J.

[vicky slater]

B/W is 99% HP5 or FP4 and colour is  Fuji..160 or 400H.
I guess I know more or less what to expect with them but I'll happily use anything that comes my way : )

[Yglotte]

I love Tmax100 and Portra 400, but when I'll go to Japan this summer, i'll try out all of these Japanease emulsions, and I Will probably buy more Agfa Vista (a great film for my konica big mini) 

[Rafael Morales]

I think I am beginning to like Kodak 200 36 rolls. 

[ambaker]

I'll play with almost anything.  But I believe that film is like cameras.  Each has its strengths, but if you try to shoot every camera, you never master any of them. 

I do believe that if you spend more time with a few cameras, or a few films, you will start to see like they do.  You get better, and better, at anticipating the result.  Perhaps if I shot more, I could master more.  But a couple of cameras in each format, and a couple of films of each type, appear to be my personal limit.  (On a good day.  Sometimes it is much less  ;-)


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