Using ISO 100 Film for most of your photography. Color films for 35mm photography have improved tremendously over the past two decades, making the 135mm format even more popular than ever, despite the emergence of the 24mm Advanced Photo System (APS) film and higher resolution consumer digital cameras. With choices like black and white, color reversal and color print versions, the 35mm shooter is surrounded by the largest selection of films ever made for any format. Aside from the choice of monochrome or color, there is also an option for film speed that is formulated specially for the particular photo shoot in mind. With ISO film speeds ranging from ISO 12 (b/w) to ISO 25 (color), 50, 64, 100, 125, 200, 320, 400, 640, 800, 1000, 1600 and 3200, the 35mm shooter has just about any film that he/she is able to choose the right emulsion needed. Of course, the medium and large format shooters do have access to some of the ISO film speeds mentioned above but they don't have the luxury of being able to use emulsions, like the ISO 12, 25, 320, 640, 1000, 1600 and 3200, compared to the 35mm photographer. I am not going to dwell too much on films in general as this has already been covered in issue No: 7 of this column. What I am going to focus on is the usage of the ISO 100 speed film, regardless of it being color reversal or print emulsion, for most of your photography work. The reason being, the ISO 100 film is the first choice for many beginners and amateurs as well as professionals. Today's higher speed emulsions like ISO 200 or 400 have been improved tremendously that they are far better than the versions available more than two decades ago. In fact, these higher speed films are as good as those ISO 100 versions introduced in the mid-eighties and early nineties that in most cases, they have replaced the latter as the film of choice for beginners and amateurs. It is also true that professional photographers working in the Press and photojournalism have also resorted to using ISO 400 and 800 films for their daily assignments as these will provide adequate depth-of-field when shooting in bright conditions and higher shutter speeds in low-light situations. Those specializing in sports, however, do still use the ISO 100 speed film, in addition to the slower varieties like ISO 50 and 64 as well as the high-speed types. Why use an ISO 100 speed film? ISO 200 and 400 films may give you excellent color and contrast nowadays but that's only because you have rarely seen a side-by-side comparison of pictures shot on ISO 100 emulsion against those recorded on higher speed types. This will be a time when you realize that your pictures have been missing something all this while (for those of you who have never shot with an ISO 100 film since the camera was bought). The lenses for your 35mm AF or manual focus SLR camera may be manufactured with the strictest quality control and rare earth raw materials, but the film used is what determines the final image of the subject. The sharpest lens in the world is hardly a match for the sharpest film in the world. Get the idea? << Back to Main . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 .