Need help on what type of film to use........?

Question

I will be using my studio for the first time to take some professional photos and i need to know what type of film to use indoors as i have always taken my photos outdoors using a 400 type film. A friend told me i need to use a 1600. is this right? The photos will be in black and white. will i need the same type for colour...if this helps

Answer 1

The main difference between outdoor and indoor photography is the KIND of light that's available, not the amount.

Daylight is more blue than artificial light, so if you use 'outdoor' film with indoor lamps the pictures will look very yellow.

The rolls of film you have been buying will be labelled as 'DAYLIGHT' or 'TUNGSTEN' (tungsten is the metal used to make the bit of a bulb that produces light). The right film for indoor work is the 'tungsten' type.

ISO numbers (100, 200, 400, 800 etc) measure how reactive the crystals are, in the chemical that records an image on the film. Big numbers mean a fast reaction, but a sloppy one. ISO 1600 film can be used in low light, but the pictures will be more speckled ('grainy') than pictures taken on 'slower' film.

For sharp, clear pictures, outdoors or in a studio, you want a LOW film-speed number (100, 64, or even 32). If you have any lamps in your studio, there will be plenty of available light.

If you haven't got lamps, you can get excellent results with a simple flash attachment on your camera, by placing 'reflectors' near your subject. These can be white (or pale coloured) sheets of cloth, large pieces of paper, or cooking foil taped to pieces of cardboard.

Different arrangements of reflectors (behind, beside, above and below the subject) will give different effects, and you might want to look at some photography magazines or books for guidance on the best way to use these.

Professionals almost alway use 'diffusers' to spread the light of a flash or a studio lamp. You can try taping tissue paper over a flash, or blowing into a white plastic bag and taping it on so that it stays inflated.

Answer 2

Stay away from your friends for advice this guy was going to have you use and outside after dark sports film that would have had your pictrures very pixelated (grainy).

For just starting out you're really starting out on the old fashioned end unless that's absolutely where you want to be. I would only recommend that for black and white only. IF you're really going to suceed then you must get a good digital slr camera such as a Nikon or Canon.

For inside you can still use 400 iso ( read on the film pack, it's good for indoors as well). I would use nothing faster than an 800 iso if you want quality.

The lights are what is going to make the difference in quality. I would highly recommmend shooting on no less than an aperture of 16 and preferablly 18 if you can. It will take some experimenting but I would recommend a shutter speed of 160 to 180 and your studio lights synchorized with the camera via cable to the camera's external flash unit or slave drive.

I would not recommend shooting color film in the studio unless your'e ready to send off the film and ready to wait for processing. This is not the type of film that you can get developed at a speed mart. Most of the pro centers have shut down shop because of digital and are no longer developing color. You fail to say what type of camera you have but if it's a good one you could use the same lenses on a digtial SLR and save a ton of money.

Hope that helps. PS: Use a tripod because to shoot at an aperture of 16 in a studio might require some slowing down on the shutter speed. HOpe you're good with a light meter because that is what will save you.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

You should not be considering professional photography until you know the basics of film types. Outdoor film should be 100 or 200 ASA. 400 ASA is usually fine for indoor photograpy. 1600 ASA would be used for low light photography without flash. The bigger the ASA number the grainier the results

Answer 5

I agree wholheartedly with Edwin's answer, you can also get colour film between 100 and 160 ASA.

Practically, the lower the speed of the film, the greater the definition because of the grain size, whatever you decide to use a tripod is a must.

Answer 6

1600 film will definitely be very grainy and an 8x10 will be the largest print you'll want to make - unless that's the "look" you're going for.

If you're using flash and/or hot lights you should be able to use ISO 125.

I'm curious as to why you use 400 for outdoors.

Answer 7

This depends ENTIRELY on how much light you have. Do you have strobes? What watt seconds are they? Do you have constant lights? What wattage and how many?

If you dont have alot of light I would keep it with 400. If you need to put on shades then knock it down to 100. Going higher than 400 may introduce more grain than you like, unless you like that look.