Camera Film Reviews
My reviews of camera films. Film is still very a valid creative photographic format in the 2020s. In many ways, film will still produce better images than digital when it is used correctly. It is just that there are so many stages of the film photographic process that means something can go irrecoverably wrong that can let it down.
Film makes you a better photographer
Both film and digital are very capable formats. But what I often find is that so many functions are buried in complicated menus in digital cameras, whereas with film, what you want to do is up to you with the mechanical controls of the camera. You tend to be more in the moment when shooting film, whereas with digital you tend to more looking at the screen. Also, and this is a big thing – film tends to make you think more on the fly about your photos. You know the specifications of the film, eg, ISO, colour balance, or the general look the film will give you and you tend to work around that when composing your images.
Probably my favourite aspect of shooting film over digital though is that once you have taken a shot, you mentally move onto the next. You don’t try and do it again. Nor do you rely on silly things like a rapid fire of a slowing moving or stationary object. Hence, when you develop, you tend to get a nice surprise when you find all your images are in fact different, and you don’t have rows and rows of the same picture like you do with digital.
Do I prefer shooting Colour or Black and White Film?
What makes me choose a specific film?
Interesting concept. Distinctive look. Not a film I’ll be buying again. Lomography has built a reputation for producing films that embrace imperfection. Their films are often less about technical accuracy and more about mood, nostalgia and experimentation. The latest addition to the range, LomoChrome Color ’92 Sun-Kissed, promises warm golden...
Some films impress you immediately. Others take time to appreciate. And then there are films like Ilford FP4 Plus 125 — films that quietly earn your respect with every roll you shoot. In an era where photographers often obsess over ultra-fine grain, extreme sharpness, and laboratory-perfect image quality, FP4 sits...
Fujifilm Superia: The film that gave the world greener greens and deeper blues. If you’ve ever loaded a roll of Fujifilm Superia into your camera, you’ve probably noticed something immediately. The colours look different.Greens seem richer. Blues appear deeper. Landscapes feel more vibrant. Even ordinary snapshots often have a distinctive...
Kodak Kodacolor 100 is a modern revival of one of photography’s most iconic names, delivering a beautifully balanced colour negative film that combines natural, slightly muted tones with excellent fine detail and impressive flexibility in both highlights and shadows. Shot on a Leica MP with a 50mm Summilux across bright...
If you’ve ever been curious about Ilford’s take on colour film, Ilford Ilfocolor 400 might just surprise you. In this in-depth review, I put this retro-styled 35mm film to the test with my Leica MP and 50mm Summilux, exploring how it performs across city streets and low-light market scenes in...
This is not the Ilford, ahem, Harman colour film I’m looking for. I’ve been trying out Harman’s Phoenix 200 film and it’s not what I was hoping for. It doesn’t seem to have a unique quality, rather it seems to be trying too hard to have too many of them...
A slight shock to the system recently about one of my favourite colour films. If anyone can shed further light on this it would be appreciated, please comment below. Who is now making Fuji C200 Film? This week I bought some new Fuji 200. By chance I happened to have...