Types of Color Film

Best film for landscapes, portraits

Professional photographers often keep two (or even three) cameras loaded, each with a different film recording the same image. Conversely, there are also experts who believe the camera has more to do with the finished result than the film. And, of course, the experience of the person behind the lens has a large effect on the end result. But for average consumers who count on their cameras to record birthdays, holidays and vacations, lugging around a bunch of cameras or keeping ten types of film on hand is pretty impractical. So we looked to experts to identify the best general-purpose films.

No film receives more kudos on review sites than Kodak Royal Gold. Kodak has recently updated the name to the more modern sounding Kodak High Definition (*Est. $6), but it's the same film. A favorite of both amateurs and professionals such as the editors of Photographic magazine, Popular Photography and Photo.net, Kodak Royal Gold/High Definition offers excellent grain and color-reproduction, and even one-hour photo labs in the mall are familiar with developing and enlarging prints accurately with Kodak film. Kodak High Definition is currently available in two ISO speeds, 200 and 400. Some reviewers on opinions sites have even noticed an improvement over the Gold series, though Kodak representatives told us that the two films are identical.

Most experts say that 200-speed film is a good choice for most everyday purposes, with the notable exception of Photo.net's Philip Greenspun, who doesn't see much advantage over 100- or 400-speed film. Still, if you are only going to keep one film on your shelf, 200 ISO is your best bet. See our ISO discussion below for more information on choosing a speed.

You can fine-tune the quality of your vacation landscape and scenery shots by using Fujicolor Superia Reala 100 (*Est. $7). Experts say this film has sharp grain?important for enlargements?and exaggerated color saturation, due to red and magenta shifts. This is one of the unique characteristics of this film, which tends to render excessive reds in skin tones, making it a poor choice for portraits, but an excellent film for nature shots and landscapes. If you are a more experienced photographer with an SLR, you can experiment with different exposures, aperture and ISO settings on your camera to fine-tune even further.

While reviewers say Fujicolor Superia Reala 100 isn't appropriate for people shots such as weddings and portraits, they recommend Kodak Portra 160NC (*Est. $4) as a better choice. This is a low-contrast film, which experts say is great for rendering detail in wedding fabrics, such as white silk and black tuxedo. Kodak Portra smooths out skin tones, giving people a flattering, "glowing" look.