Film Recommendations: 8 Types of Film for Everyone from Beginners to Enthusiasts & Examples | Focus #44
The unique charm of film photography lies in its painterly texture and distinctive colors, which digital photography cannot replicate. However, with so many options available, choosing the right film can be confusing, especially for beginners.
First, clarify the image you want to express and choose the film that can most vividly convey it. As a guide to film selection, we pick up major films from , , , and , explaining their characteristics and providing examples.
Kodak E100
is a positive film known for its vibrant colors, excellent saturation, fine grain, and high resolution. Designed for professionals, it is an ideal choice for landscape and portrait photography. It captures vivid colors, especially under bright sunlight.
Image by Koji Takasaki
Kodak Professional GOLD200
features warm tones and moderate contrast, making it perfect for everyday snapshots. This film vividly reproduces yellow and red hues, performing well even in soft lighting conditions.
Image by Sentimental_Jong
Kodak Portra400
is specialized for portrait photography, known for its natural skin tone representation and pleasant color noise due to fine grain. Despite its high ISO value, this film combines excellent color reproduction and dynamic range, adaptable to various lighting conditions.
Image by yuya4four
FUJIFILM FUJICOLOR 100
is a negative film that stands out for its bright and clear color reproduction and sharp depiction ability. It is ideal for everyday snapshots and landscape photography, achieving high resolution even at low sensitivity.
Image by miho
FUJIFILM SUPERIA X-TRA 400
is a negative film that combines vivid colors with excellent grain performance. It is particularly suited for outdoor sports and event photography, with standout green and blue tones.
Image by usubafilm
FUJIFILM SUPERIA PREMIUM 400
is characterized by deep colors and excellent skin tone reproduction. It is ideal for shooting in soft light, such as at dusk or indoor parties.
Image by 徐行
Lomochrome Color 92
offers an experimental shooting experience with its unique color conversion capabilities and psychedelic atmosphere. It is an ideal choice for creators aiming to produce creative photographic works that step beyond traditional color representation.
Image by usubafilm
ILFORD XP2 Super 400
elevates the allure of monochrome photography to a new dimension, compatible with the C41 processing. This film combines exceptional sharpness and a wide exposure latitude, producing sharp and high-contrast photos under various lighting conditions.
Image by Sentimental_Jong
The journey of film photography holds endless combinations and possibilities for exploration. The type of film used, the unique characteristics of the camera, the conditions of the scene being shot, and the chosen development process all merge to imbue each photo with a unique soul.
Initially, this process may seem complex, but in reality, this exploration becomes a highly enjoyable creative experiment.
While the number of discontinued films has increased in recent years, along with rising prices, interest in film photography continues to grow, with new film brands and cameras emerging. There are still many films I want to introduce, but that will be for next time.
Summary of Each Negative Film's Features
- Kodak E100: "Beautiful landscapes with vibrant colors and high saturation"
- Kodak Professional GOLD200: "Soft everyday scenes with warm tones"
- Kodak Portra400: "Ideal for portraits with natural skin tones and fine grain"
- FUJIFILM FUJICOLOR 100: "Bright and clear colors for everyday snapshots"
- FUJIFILM SUPERIA X-TRA 400: "Vivid colors for active scenes"
- FUJIFILM SUPERIA PREMIUM 400: "Deep colors for soft light scenes"
- Lomochrome Color 92: "Creative photographic works with unique color conversion"
- ILFORD XP2 Super 400: "High-contrast black and white photos with C41 processing"
cover image by yNAK
