Film for Travel

Film for Travel

Going traveling? What type of film should you take? Here my OPINION. I will discuss only negative films here, i.e., those which people use to create prints, not slides. Here's what I do:

Three types: 100, 400, 800 ASA. Mostly color.
One roll per day.
Carry-on luggage only.

Most of the film I take will be 100 ASA, plain vanilla Kodak Gold or Fuji. Fine grain, good for bright light (i.e., summer or winter sun), allows me to shoot with a wide open lens more often. Inexpensive. I will also take a few roles of 400 ASA, typically Kodak Gold. Higher speed for shots with a tele lens, poorer light (e.g., late afternoon). Also, if the primary camera I am taking is a simple auto-everything zoom with a slow lens, this is a good film to use. At least one roll of 800 ASA. High speed for evening shots and shots inside buildings, such as museums, sports arenas, or theatres without flash. A MUST. If I take two or more cameras, I might even bring a black-and-white film, e.g. Kodak T400CN (that's a B&W film your color lab can handle, using the standard "C41 process"). If I bring only one camera, I don't want to be stuck with a B&W film inside, so I take only color films.

One roll per day. YES. Maybe even one or two roles to spare. Film and development is relatively cheap (bought at home). If you are in Paris near the Eiffel Tower and out of film, you either hate yourself, or blow your vacation budget to buy another role at the nearest Kiosk.

Carry-on luggage only. YES. I frequently have multiple segments in my flight itinerary, or even stop-overs. X-ray machines for carry-on are milder than for checked in luggage. (Also, I like to take pictures on the plane).

The above "travel" shot was in-flight, and difficult. 200mm tele lens, 800 ASA film, F=3.0, t= 1/125s, while the flight attendant stood relatively still. The result was not super-sharp, but appealing.