How To Make More USING FILM SPEED EFFECTIVELY
Use film speed effectively
So you have this cool new camera. Now more than ever you are standing in front of movie screenings. All you want to do is take some great family photos, but you don't know where to start.
Film speed is a number that represents the film's sensitivity to light. The higher the number, the more sensitive it is to light, requiring less light to take a well-exposed photo. The number is also an indicator that you will receive from the negative. The higher the number, the more grain you'll see in the print when you magnify. The film speed becomes 25 to 1600 speed film.
25 to 200 Best for still life and portrait work, studio conditions where lighting is controlled. This camera mount is not film for indoor family shots with flash. You really need a perfect lighting setup to use this film effectively. 200 speed film is great for sunny outdoor conditions when you're trying to get a beautiful landscape shot. It delivers excellent details and color saturation.
400 is considered an all-purpose film. Most films labeled as all-purpose or general-purpose are actually 400-speed films. When in doubt use 400 speed film. However you are still using your camera mounted flash in room lighting conditions. Also good for outdoor conditions, giving you some flexibility in dark conditions and where you're trying to capture a moving subject.
The 800 to 1200 is designed to capture fast-moving subjects in all lighting conditions. People are running, playing ball etc. If you want to frame the action of a baseball game, this is what you want. This film speed can be used to capture fast-moving wildlife such as birds, but you'll see less detail if you zoom in to a size larger than 16 by 20.
Unless you're shooting a car or boat race, you probably won't need this much film. Don't use it for nature and landscape images as the lack of detail will be apparent in detail.
Most of the time you will only need 400 speed film for the original snapshots. But it doesn't hurt to use the other speed for special occasions, you'll see the difference.
Copyright 2004 Kelly Paul Kelly Paul is a freelance nature and landscape photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently he has started his business Kelly Paul Photography
