| Overview What's more important, good film or good camera? Actually, both are. But film technology has improved much more than camera technology, and lens technology for that matter. Today's films offer more realistic colors and much of finer grain than their ancestors. Furthermore, they are much more forgiving. This is great news for us. One example of a truly outstanding high-speed film is the Fuji 800 ASA negative film. It is offered under various labels, one of them being Fujicolor Press. An 800 speed film requires half as much light as a 400 speed, and 1/8 the light that a 100 speed film needs. Hence, it extends the picture taking opportunities significantly. We can for instance:
What's especially good about Fuji's film is its relatively fine grain. You can't tell it's an 800. In fact, unless prints are enlarged to 8 x 12 or larger size, the grain is not noticeable. Very impressive! |
So when
do I use 800 speed film? Mostly for indoor pictures. With a camera that has a
reasonably fast lens (e.g., F = 2.8 or higher), there's almost no more need to use a
flash. Even with a flash, the high speed film creates much more room depth, as it
still shows parts of the environment that received only little flash light. Also, I like to use it for outside photos during the early evening hours.
Example: Because of the high speed, even the light inside the building is sufficient to expose the film. |
