HOW TO USE FILM EFFECTIVELY Which types of film speeds to be used are depending on what type of photography you are shooting. However, most photo magazines or books would advise that you start off with using an ISO 50 or ISO 100 films for most occasions, whether you are shooting with colour negative or slides film. And unless you are photographing action shots in dim light conditions, these publications would recommend that you stay away from fast films, even with those films with ISO 400 speeds. Slow or medium speed films are good if you are shooting under bright lighting conditions or you have several fast lenses having maximum f/2.8 aperture or faster, otherwise you may find that for most shots, the use of a tripod is essential when the light level is getting low. If most of your Canon EF lenses are those zoom lenses with varying maximum apertures like the EF 28-80mm f/4.5-5.6 or the EF 35-80mm f/4-5.6 or the EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 lenses, the lowest ISO film you should use is with the ISO 200 for general photography. If prices are of no objections, you can even try shooting with ISO 400 films. All press photographers around the world now shoots with ISO 400 films on their daily routines and uses higher film speeds of ISO 800 or 1600 for night time assignments or indoor sporting events. If you are planning to shoot for newsmagazines or a foreign news agency as a freelancer, your standard film must be an ISO 400 speed, regardless of the brand and they expected you to have ISO 800 and 1600 films on standby as well. There is however, an exception on this with the photo agencies specializing in sports photography, the pictures are shot using slow, medium and high speed films, whether colour negative or slides, depending on the type of sports. For most outdoor sports like tennis, American football or motor racing, slow and medium speed colour slides film are preferred while night-time or indoor sporting events like basketball, badminton, soccer and gymnastics, high speed colour negative film will be used. Previously, before the quality of high speed colour negative films were improved, sports photographers have to make do by "pushing" their medium speeds colour slides film for any sporting event performed in low light shooting conditions. << Back to Main . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . 10 . 11 . 12 .