What is the best all around 35mm film speed to use for every occasion?

Question

100,200,400 ect.

Answer 1

For years, Popular Photography has been promoting ISO 400 as the best all round film for everyday use. As Terisu says, the grain is vastly improved over the old days and Pop Photo points out that there is an exposure latitude of about 3 stops plus or minus, so it would be very difficult to end up with an unsalvageable image.

Answer 2

A lot depends on your lens speed. (Lens speed refers to the biggest maximum aperture, not how fast it focuses) Some p&s cameras have maximum aperatures at the long end in excess of f11 or f16. That is a slow lens, meaning it takes a long time to gather light for a good exposure in darker situations.

If you have a point & shoot with a slow zoom lens (and most of them are slow) then you might need to stick with 400 for brighter subjects and move up to 800 when it is darker. 800 speed film is grainier than 400, but better to get a well exposed but grainy picture than one that is severely underexposed.

I also am a 100 and 200 speed film fan...for years my go-to film has been plain old Kodak Gold 200. Great skin tones and acceptable grain. For 400 speed, Kodak 400UC is very well thought of by professionals as well as consumers.

I prefer Kodak, but Fuji is good, too. Kodak has a warm color pallatte, good for skin tones, while Fuji handles green outdoor scenes better. Agfa and Konica are out of business. Don't care for Ferrenia or Polaroid much. Store brands might be anything. (Eckerd brand is Fuji, CVS is Konica, but they will have to change when supply is depleted) or store brands may be some cheapo film that may give lesser results.

I would advise you to try a couple of different films to see what looks good to you . Bear in mind, where you get your pictures printed matters almost as much as the film. There are good labs and bad ones. If you have a friend who's pics always look good, ask where they get them printed.

Answer 3

The 400 speed film of today has finer grain than older 200 and sometimes even 100 speed films. 100 speed will limit you to bright sunlit photos. 200 will take you a little farther. With 400, you can photograph with dimmer light or faster action shots, like sports. If you use a telephoto lens, that will also reduce your light, so 400 is a good speed, I think.

Answer 4

You will find a host of features
within the capabilities of the 200 ASA films of today
It is competent enough in low grain capabilities to allow for fairly large enlargements that are very clear (low grain) and yet it has enough faster capabilities to (with aid of most smaller to mid-size flash attachments) produce quite good shots in lower light situations-----

100 ASA is the absolute best of the choices you have laid out if you are shooting with brighter light or with larger flash units from one aspect in general---it's extremely low grain (shots with this film type can be made incredibly large witlh no visible grain whatsoever)
400 ASA is exceptional in the lowest light situations AND can add some incredible "depth of field" to your photos (the distance from the camera that has "in focus" appearance into the background area) But with the larger enlargements it can begin to show a grainy texture that (at larger sizes) can be a real annoyance !!!

So, MY vote for best all around film for use would be the 200 ASA

I've been a professional commercial photographer for close to thirty years and have literally shot tens of thousands of rolls of 35 mm film in my lifetime---do so still---even though my business is primarily based in digital now and most of my production is wilthin THAT format !!!!

Answer 5

There is no best for every occasion. Enlarging photos of say 8X10 or more go with 100 asa or lower on a sunny day. Cloudy day would be 400 asa. I never messed with asa 200.

Answer 6

400

Answer 7

The lowest you can use you'll get the lowest level of noise.

I think between 200 and 400 is good.