Emma? Has Opinions? Of fucking course she does.
This page exists mostly so I can keep track of what I shot. I’m considering adding a few example pictures to each category but for now, I will just make it a list.
black and white
- Ilford HP5+ – the absolute GOAT film. the grain looks like proper Film Grain without ruining any shot. it pushes beautifully and honestly, shoot it at 800 and stand dev and you get the perfect BW film
- Kentmere 400 – budget HP5. essentially everything from above, but apparently it likes being pushed even more. more testing needed. the actual plastic base sucks to load into a Patterson tank
- Ferrania P30 – incredibly sharp, detailed, smooth, beautiful film.
- Arista/Fomo 400 – i might have made a mistake shooting this at 1600 and didn’t dev it enough. but i was not thrilled with the results at all. i might shoot it again but with easy access to HP5 and Kentmere, i don’t see the need
- Kodak Tri-X 400 – i need to shoot it more. a really close friend of mine swears by it and i just haven’t given it a good chance
color
- Fuji Superia 400 – my favorite film stock. i have not found a film that has the right balance of color, quality, and straight up nostalgia goggles that Superia 400 delivers. Lomo 800 gets close but it ain’t it.
- Kodak Gold (all of them) – yeah i see why kodak defined film. this film is good, but in a kind of sterile way. it still Looks Like Film and the colors are Good. but it both doesn’t have enough color and sharpness to be a good Quality Film, but it doesn’t have enough of a nostalgia filter to slot into the role that Superia fills. (includes Pro Image 100 and Ultramax 400)
- Lomography 800 – i really like this film. it is one of the few Normal high ISO color films available. It carries a similar vibe of nostalgia goggles as Superia, but has a far more neutral color spread and doesn’t scream Green the way Superia does. this might become my Winter Color Film of choice
- Cinestill 800t – if you are shooting neon or darker scenes, this film is perfect for you. stop reading here. if you shoot a variety of normal things, there’s better high ISO films.
- Cinestill 400d – honestly, really pretty for a film stock. but i don’t think i can justify the price when actually good color film stocks exist. i need to shoot it more to get a better vibe for it
- Harmon Phoenix 200 – i’ve not personally shot it but i scanned a roll for a friend. i love the vibe of it. it is horribly grainy in an aesthetic way. if you remember there’s no anti-halation layer, you can use the extremely blown out nature of this film in artistic ways. all in all, i’m blown away by the first real New Color Film in so long