I have borrowed a friend’s older model Fuji camera for a daytime wedding this weekend. It uses regular film. I’ve never understood the different film speeds. The film cartons say things like “sharp” or “indoor/outdoor”, etc. and everything they say seems like something I’d want. I’m confused. I will be shooting outdoors mostly but want to be able to get indoor shots too. I’ll get 4x6 prints and most likely will not want enlargements. I don’t want grainy photos and I’d like them to be as good as I can make them.
Film speed is a rating of sensitivity to light, the higher the number the more sensative. The ISO rating is proportional but exposure is logarithmic so the difference between 100 and 200 is the same as 200 and 400. For best image quality use the lowest ISO you can for the light conditions.
One good rule of thumb every photgrapher should know is sunny f16. For an object light by direct sunlight with no odd conditions like highly reflective snow or sand or overcast the correct exposure is aperture f16 (the iris opening in the lens is 1/16 the focal length) and shutter speed equal to 1/ISO, or 1/100 for ISO 100 film but 1/125 is close enough.
I should have added a little more about indoor shooting. Higher ISO film will show more grain. Newer films are better than old but nothing changes that fundimental rule. The same is true with digital even though it’s an electronic setting. I can shoot at ISO 1600 and the grain is very apparent but with my camera actually better than film would be with any ISO 1600 film.
ISO 400 film often won’t be enough improvement over 100 to help much indoors. I’m sitting next to a large picture window facing north and the room is pretty bright. I took an incident reading and got 1/40 second f1.8 aperture (smaller number meand bigger opening) at ISO 100. ISO 400 film would gain a faster shutter speed or a slightly smaller aperture. If I was working under typical room light I usually have to shoot at ISO 1600 and 1/30 or slower at f1.8.
You’re best off shooting with flash indoors and sticking with ISO 100 film. Any old camera with a hot shoe should be able to accept a non-dedicated thyristor automatic flash.
The number refers to the speed of the film–how long you need to leave the shutter open to expose a good picture. The slower films are Marvelous if you have adequate light and/or a tripod. Fast films, like 1000 are good for dark places, indoors, cathedrals and the like because the shutter won’t need to be open for so long (thereby increasing the chances of a blurry picture) but the pictures tend to look “grainy.”
400 is probably your best bet for what you’re doing.
I won’t control the f-stop settings, etc., though. I will just be putting the film into the camera. My friend (who owns it) doesn’t know either. He says he just puts film in. He doesn’t know what speed film he’s been successful with over the years, he says he’s used 100, 200, and 400 but bought them for no particular reason. He said maybe the 400 didn’t look that great but he thought it might be because the camera is getting pretty old.
I second this as the best bottom-line advice. Lots of good advice up there but it’s probably overwhelming for a non-photog.
If you use a fully automatic camera, the bigger the film number:
The grainier the print (although even 400 film today is pretty fine-grained and good for 4 x 6)
The more it freezes motion (high numbers better for sports)
The deeper the depth of field (things both closer and farther than your subject will also be in focus)
I won’t bore you with why these things are true. But use 100 or maybe 200, and you will definitely need a flash for indoor shots.
This is inconsistent with your goal of having your pictures come out “as good as you can make them”. Even assuming that the camera will adjust exposure automatically, you at least need to know that indoors, your shutter speed will be very slow unless you use a flash. This means that unless you hold the camera very steady, your pictures will be blurred. And if you take pictures of anything moving they will be blurred.
I disagree with Padeye’s statement that 400 ASA film won’t help much. In a brightly lit church, you might be able to go from a 1/15 second exposure (hopeless) to 1/60 second exposure (possibly OK, given that people don’t usually get move quickly during the ceremony).
Anyway, I’d split the difference and use ASA 200 film. ASA 100 if you have a flash, and if it’s a sunny day.
Thanks for all the information, guys. I appreciate it and will hope for no rain! Appreciate it!