PRACTICAL VIEW : Who Needs Film School?

Choosing the right film for your particular type of photography requires a knowledge of the different kinds of film.

This is not easy, considering that the two leaders in the film business--Fuji and Kodak--each offer more than a dozen consumer films and a dozen professional films for 35mm cameras.

Professional versions are for professional photographers and consumer films are for amateurs. Right?

Well, not necessarily.

Professional films are manufactured to a specific color standard and then frozen. The freezing maintains the color standard until the film is used. Pros use these films because color is often extremely critical in portrait and commercial photography.

Consumers are less critical about color and most don’t store film in a freezer. Therefore, these films are manufactured to “mature” to a specific color standard about nine months after purchase (the average time it takes for consumer films to get into consumer cameras). Consumer films can also be frozen, and will deliver excellent color even years after the expiration date.

After you decide on pro or consumer film, you need to choose between slide and print film. Although you can make slides from print films and vice versa, it can be expensive. It’s best to shoot with a film that meets your exact needs.

One point: slide film processing is less expensive than print film processing, so if you plan to shoot a lot, slide film is more economical.