You open the catalogue to buy film for a camera you have just acquired, and you see ISO 100, 200, 400, C-41, B&W, E-6, Kodak, Ilford, Harman. Some rolls cost twice what others do; one promises fine grain, another "cinematic colour". And at this point it is not even clear which of them fits your camera.
Don't start with the brand. The best first film is the one that suits your camera, your light, the development you can actually get, and your budget. For most beginners that means a fresh C-41 colour negative or an ordinary black-and-white negative at ISO 200–400. It is sensible to shoot the first roll at its box speed, without push or pull — deliberate changes to exposure and development.
But ISO 400 is not a rule. For mostly daylight shooting, ISO 100–200 is often more convenient. If the light will change, if you are shooting under cloud, or if you don't yet know where you will end up with the camera, ISO 400 gives you more freedom.
What follows is arranged so that you finish with two or three suitable options rather than an even longer list of names.
Quick pick: which film to buy first
| What you want | Where to start | What to keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Colour photographs in daylight, walks, summer | Kodak Gold 200 | C-41; available in 135 and 120; a good margin for small exposure errors |
| Colour, with weather and light unknown in advance | Kodak UltraMax 400 | 135 cameras only. For 120, consider Portra / Ektacolor Pro 400 |
| Colour with an unusually large exposure margin, budget secondary | Kodak Portra 400 / Ektacolor Pro 400 | Available in 135 and 120; pricier, but more forgiving |
| A first classic black-and-white film | ILFORD HP5 Plus 400 | A general-purpose stock in 135 and 120; needs ordinary B&W development |
| Learning while spending less | Fomapan 100/200 for daylight; Fomapan 400 or Kentmere Pan 400 for changing light | Compare the cost together with development and scanning |
| You want B&W, but a C-41 lab is easier to reach | ILFORD XP2 Super | A black-and-white result from standard colour processing |
| Colour in low light | Portra / Ektacolor Pro 800 | CineStill 800T is the alternative when you specifically want its colour and the halation around light sources |
| Experiment matters more than predictability | HARMAN Phoenix II 200 or Phoenix 125 | More demanding on exposure; not the best stock for simultaneously testing an unfamiliar camera |
For an ordinary first walk the choice usually comes down to three names: Gold 200 for daylight, UltraMax 400 for changing light, or HP5 Plus 400 for black and white. Check the format first: UltraMax 400 in this recommendation means 35 mm cameras specifically.
The camera comes first: 135 or 120
135 and 120 are format designations, not speeds and not frame counts. The camera decides which material you can use. If you are still choosing the camera itself, start with how to choose your first film camera. Buying film in the other format because you liked someone's example photographs makes no sense.
135 film: the familiar 35 mm cassette
135 is 35 mm material in a cassette. On an ordinary full-frame 35 mm camera the image measures 24×36 mm. The common cassette marked 135-36 holds 36 frames.
For learning this is convenient: one purchase and one processing cycle give you enough frames to try different subjects. At the same cost per roll, more frames means a lower cost per photograph.
120 film: medium format
120 film is about 61 mm wide. The frame size and the number of shots are set by the camera's design. As a guide: roughly 15–16 frames at 6×4.5, 12 at 6×6, 10 at 6×7 and 8 at 6×9.
A larger negative needs less enlargement for a print or an image of the same size. All else being equal, that helps you get more detail and less visible grain. The cost per frame is usually higher, though: the price of the roll and of processing is divided not by 36 but by, say, 12 or 10.
If you already own the camera, the format question is settled. For a medium-format body, buy 120 — starting there is perfectly normal. If you are still choosing a system and want more practice for the same money, 135 is usually the more rational choice.
Colour, black-and-white or slide film
At this stage it is more useful to decide what image you want and where you will develop the film than to compare emulsion names.
| Type | What you get after development | Process | Tolerance of exposure error | Cost and difficulty of a first attempt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colour negative | A negative; the familiar colour image comes from printing or scanning | Usually C-41 | Wide on many standard stocks, but it varies | The simplest route to your first colour photographs |
| Classic B&W negative | A silver negative image | Black-and-white negative processing | From moderate to very wide | Affordable stocks exist; the result depends noticeably on development |
| Chromogenic B&W — XP2 Super, for example | A black-and-white negative | C-41 | Wide on XP2 Super | Convenient when the lab you can reach is primarily a colour one |
| Colour slide / reversal | A finished positive image on the film itself | E-6 | Narrower than most standard negatives | Usually costlier and less forgiving of exposure error |
Colour negative: the most straightforward start
Kodak Gold, UltraMax, Portra / Ektacolor Pro and Fujifilm 200/400 are examples of colour negative stocks. Most traditional colour negatives show an orange mask after development. When scanned, the negative is inverted and corrected to produce a normal image.
The main practical advantage is how common the standard C-41 process is. That said, identical chemistry does not mean identical finished files: the scanner, the software and the operator's work all affect the result.
Classic B&W: not necessarily harder, but different
HP5 Plus, Kentmere and Fomapan give a black-and-white negative. They need proper B&W processing rather than C-41. The developer, its dilution, the temperature, the time and the agitation all affect contrast, grain and tonal rendering.
A beginner does not need to understand every combination at once. It is enough to pick a common stock, shoot it at box speed and tell the lab its exact name. Home development can be learned separately: classic B&W processing is the most accessible starting point for it.
XP2 Super: a black-and-white image through C-41
ILFORD XP2 Super is a case of its own. Its nominal speed is ISO 400, but the manufacturer allows exposure anywhere in the EI 50–800 range with standard C-41 processing. That does not mean an identical result at any setting, but it is genuinely useful flexibility. For a first attempt, start at EI 400.
Slide: when you specifically want a positive
Kodak Ektachrome E100, Fujifilm Provia 100F and Velvia give, after E-6, a positive you can hold up to the light. E100 is a fine-grained daylight slide film; Provia aims at a more neutral, general-purpose rendering, Velvia at high saturation, which is particularly interesting for nature and landscape.
Starting with slide film is reasonable if you deliberately want that result and trust your light meter. For testing an unfamiliar camera a negative is more practical: it usually leaves more room after a small exposure error, and a wasted roll costs less.
Choosing film ISO for your light and your camera
ISO describes a stock's sensitivity under defined standard conditions. A more sensitive film needs less light for the same exposure. That lets you use a shorter shutter speed or stop the lens down further.
Shutter speed is how long light reaches the film. A short shutter speed helps avoid blur from movement. The aperture is the adjustable opening in the lens: a wider opening passes more light. f/2, for instance, passes more light than f/5.6.
High ISO is not, in itself, a "make the photograph brighter" setting. When you move to a different speed, you — or the camera's automation — pick a different shutter speed and aperture.
| ISO or working EI | Where it makes sense | The main limitation |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 50 | Bright sun, landscape, tripod, controlled shooting | Little light in hand; awkward for an unplanned evening |
| ISO 100–125 | Sunny days, studio, flash, work where detail comes first | Indoors and after dark you often need support or added light |
| ISO 200 | Daytime walks, summer, travel, portraits outdoors | Noticeably fewer options after sunset |
| ISO 400 | City, overcast, changeable weather, autumn and winter | Does not guarantee a short shutter speed in a dark room |
| ISO / EI 800 | Interiors, evening, movement in limited light | Usually costs more; a fast lens still matters |
| EI 1600 and above | Concerts, night B&W work, very low light | Needs the right stock and matched processing; grain and contrast change |
What moving from ISO 200 to ISO 400 actually gives you
Doubling the speed is one stop of exposure. In practice: you can give the film half as much light.
A worked example: if your meter reads 1/125 s at f/5.6 for ISO 200, then at ISO 400 in the same light you get roughly 1/250 s at f/5.6. Or you can keep 1/125 s and stop down to f/8.
The first is useful for a moving person, the second when you need more depth of field. This is the arithmetic of the difference between two speeds, not a set of ready settings for any street.
Why ISO 200–400 often suits a first roll
ISO 200 is convenient when most of the roll will be shot in good daylight. ISO 400 is more useful if sun alternates with cloud, if you step into shade, or if you want to use short shutter speeds more often.
But the camera has limits too. On an older body whose fastest shutter speed is 1/500 s, a fast film on a bright day can force you to stop down a long way. ISO 100–200 leaves more room in that situation. This is not a ban on shooting ISO 400 in summer — it is a reason not to pick a speed automatically.
The lens matters just as much. Between f/1.8 and f/5.6 there are more than three stops of light. An SLR with a fast lens and a compact with a relatively slow zoom therefore have completely different capabilities in the evening, on the very same ISO 400 film.
There is a dedicated guide to choosing a film speed: how to choose ISO 100, 200, 400 or 800.
High ISO and grain
Within technologically similar lines, a faster film often shows more grain. But you cannot judge graininess from ISO alone: the structure of the emulsion matters too. ILFORD Delta 400, for example, is designed around fine grain and high sharpness, while classic ISO 400 stocks can have a different look.
For a first roll it is more useful to secure adequate exposure and a workable shutter speed than to minimise grain at any cost. A fine-grained ISO 100 will not help if there isn't enough light to shoot without blur.
Exposure latitude: why negatives forgive more
Exposure is the amount of light the film receives while you shoot. Exposure latitude describes how far you can stray from correct exposure and still get a usable image.
For a first roll this matters more than a promise of a "beautiful palette". You don't yet know how accurate the meter is, whether the shutter runs true, or how confidently you read difficult light. A stock with a good exposure margin reduces the consequences of small mistakes.
Kodak emphasises the wide exposure latitude of Gold 200 and the particular flexibility of the Ektacolor Pro family. ILFORD names HP5 Plus's wide latitude as one reason the film suits beginners. But these characteristics cannot be transferred to every negative: Phoenix needs more careful exposure.
Underexposure is especially dangerous in the shadows
When a dark part of the scene receives too little light, the film may not record enough information about its detail. Neither development nor lifting the shadows in a scan can restore what was never written down.
Tolerance of error is therefore not a symmetrical margin. On many familiar negative stocks, moderate overexposure is handled more easily than a significant shortage of light in the shadows. That does not, however, produce a rule that says "always shoot a stop brighter".
For a first roll it is more useful to set the box speed correctly and try to expose accurately. That gives you a clear reference point rather than the result of several experiments at once.
Why there is no "±3 stops for everything" rating here
Manufacturers do not publish a single comparable scale across the whole range under discussion. The ratings "wide", "moderate" and "demanding" below are therefore our editorial comparison, not the results of one laboratory test.
A wide latitude does not fix missed focus, camera shake or a faulty shutter. Nor does it make one stock unconditionally better than another: slide film can give a superb result, it simply asks for more precise work.
Pick the development before you buy: C-41, B&W, E-6 and ECN-2
The process named on the box is part of choosing the film, not a task to postpone until the shooting is done. Find out in advance whether the lab accepts your material, what processing costs, and whether scanning is included.
C-41 is the standard process for most familiar colour negatives and for chromogenic B&W XP2 Super. B&W here means classic black-and-white negative processing. E-6 is for ordinary colour slides. ECN-2 is for the corresponding motion-picture negative.
| Process | What is usually developed in it | Development | Development with scanning |
|---|---|---|---|
| C-41 | Colour negative, XP2 Super | €5.84 | €7.78 |
| Classic B&W | HP5, Kentmere, Fomapan and other B&W negatives | €5.84 | €7.78 |
| E-6 | Ektachrome, Velvia and other colour slides | €9.55 | €10.70 |
| ECN-2 | Motion-picture negatives, including stocks with remjet | €7.78 | €9.73 |
These are FilmLabStore's prices as of 14 September 2026, for 135 and 120. Euro figures are what the shop displays in English; the charge itself is made in Ukrainian hryvnia, and checkout shows that sum before you commit. There is no single national tariff: prices differ between labs, and comparing the name of the process alone is not enough — scan resolution, equipment and the amount of hand work all move the total. Check the price of the specific service before ordering.
Why motion-picture negative and CineStill cannot be lumped together
Kodak VISION3 is a family of motion-picture negatives for ECN-2. With a hand-rolled cassette you need to confirm the exact stock and how it must be handled. If the film carries a remjet anti-halation backing, the lab has to know in advance; you cannot hand it in as ordinary C-41 without arranging it first.
CineStill 800T and 400D, by contrast, are designed by their maker for C-41. The word "cine" in a description does not tell you which process a particular cassette needs. Go by the exact name and the seller's or manufacturer's instructions, not by the look of the sample images.
The claim that "there is nowhere to develop slide film" is incorrect: all four processes are available, including from us. The more accurate statement is that E-6 is less widespread and usually costs more than C-41.
DX coding: check compatibility with an automatic camera
The DX code is the metal-and-black contact grid on a 135 cassette. A camera that supports the system can read the speed automatically. The standard carries other information as well, but any given body uses only the data it supports.
DX does not change the film. It tells the camera a number, and the camera meters from it.
If your camera lets you set the speed by hand, the absence of DX usually doesn't matter: you enter the right value yourself. With a fully automatic compact it depends on the model. Without a code it may fall back to its own default or behave differently.
Do not assume that any camera without DX will default to ISO 100. Find the manual for your specific body and check two things: which speeds it supports, and what it does with an uncoded cassette.
This is especially worth doing before buying hand-rolled film. A cassette without DX can be perfectly fine for a camera with manual ISO setting and awkward for an automatic one that won't let you change the setting. Check the specific cassette against the specific camera.
ISO, EI, push and pull: what actually changes
ISO is the stock's nominal speed. EI, the Exposure Index, is the value the photographer actually exposes it at. In ordinary shooting the two numbers coincide, but they can be made to differ deliberately.
Say you have HP5 Plus at ISO 400 in the camera. You set 800 on the meter you are using and follow its readings. The camera receives less light: relative to box speed that is one stop of underexposure. No different film has appeared inside — you are shooting ISO 400 at EI 800.
Push: a higher EI and matched development
In a push, exposure with less light is combined with altered processing — usually an increased development time. For the example above, labs will say: HP5 Plus, shot at EI 800, push +1 required.
Push can help when light is scarce, or produce a particular look. But it is not free extra sensitivity: contrast, grain and tonal rendering all change, and information missing from deep shadows is not recovered.
With this approach it is sensible to use one EI for the whole roll and to arrange the processing in advance. Developing a roll does not work like a per-frame setting in a digital editor. Lifting a finished scan is not a push either.
Pull: a lower EI and shortened development
In a pull, the film is given more light than box speed and development is cut back. This can be used to control contrast or to reach a specific result.
Simply setting ISO 200 film to 100 is not yet a pull. If you follow the altered meter, you get an extra stop of exposure. A pull also involves changing the chemistry.
Why Delta 3200 cannot be explained by the number on the box
ILFORD Delta 3200's technical datasheet gives a speed of ISO 1000, while the stock is specifically designed to be shot at a high EI with matched development. The manufacturer particularly recommends the EI 1600–6400 range; EI 3200 is a standard use case, and it is the one reflected in the name.
So the advice to "shoot your first roll at box speed" applies above all to ordinary ISO 200–400 starting stocks. Specialised high-speed film is chosen together with its processing regime, not from one large number on the packaging.
XP2 Super has a different quirk: its wide working range allows the EI to be changed without push or pull in standard C-41. That exception does not make the stock's sensitivity variable — only the exposure changes.
Film compared: character, exposure margin and price
The tables below are for choosing, not for ranking absolute quality. The descriptions of palette and grain show a stock's character; they do not promise the same result across different photographers and labs.
Prices are from the FilmLabStore catalogue as of 14 September 2026, per 135-36 cassette. They are a guide as of publication, not a fixed price list: check the current price and availability on the product page. Some items are sold to order, with a 2–3 week wait.
Colour negative film — C-41
| Film | ISO / EI | Character | Exposure margin | Why choose it | Price, 135-36 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kodak Gold 200 | ISO 200 | Generally warm palette, moderate grain | Wide | A first daylight film: walks, travel | €14.95 |
| Kodak UltraMax 400 | ISO 400 | Saturated, general-purpose colour | Wide | City, overcast, changing light; 135 only | €17.05 |
| Kodak ColorPlus 200 | ISO 200 | Classic everyday colour | Moderate–wide | Daylight shooting on a limited budget | €12.00 |
| Fujifilm 200 / 400 | ISO 200 / 400 | Everyday colour photography | Wide, by our assessment | 200 for daylight; 400 for changing light; 135 only | €16.85 / €16.38 |
| Portra 400 / Ektacolor Pro 400 | ISO 400 | Soft tonality, fine grain for ISO 400 | Very wide | Portraits, travel, general-purpose work | Portra €32.10; Ektacolor Pro €26.60 |
| Portra 800 / Ektacolor Pro 800 | ISO 800 | Portraits and work in limited light | Wide | Interiors, evening, shooting without enough daylight | Portra €36.12; Ektacolor Pro €30.02 |
| Kodak Ektar 100 | ISO 100 | Very fine grain, saturated colour | Moderate | Landscape, bright days, controlled light | €29.70 |
| CineStill 400D | 400 | Soft palette, possible halation around bright sources | Wide | Daylight and general work, 120 included | €24.73 |
| CineStill 800T | EI 800 | Balanced for tungsten, pronounced halation | Moderate–wide | A deliberate evening and night look | €26.80 |
| HARMAN Phoenix II 200 | 200 | Expressive, experimental colour | Needs accurate exposure | Meeting a distinctive emulsion under conditions you understand | €18.14 |
| HARMAN Phoenix 125 | 125 | Distinctive colour, high contrast, visible grain | Needs accurate exposure | Experimenting in good, steady light | Not in the FilmLabStore catalogue |
Gold 200 is a sensible choice not because it beats everything else on detail. Its strength is the combination of daylight speed, exposure margin and a relatively accessible price among colour options. Ektar 100 is chosen for different priorities: fine grain and saturation when there is enough light.
Portra / Ektacolor Pro 400 gives more latitude, but it is not required to begin. Paying more makes sense when you genuinely need what the stock does, not just the word Professional on the box.
Black-and-white film
Every stock in the table needs classic B&W processing, apart from XP2 Super, which is marked separately.
| Film | ISO / EI | Character | Exposure margin | Why choose it | Price, 135-36 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ILFORD HP5 Plus | ISO 400 | Classic grain, wide tonal range | Very wide | A first general-purpose B&W roll | €17.94 |
| Kentmere Pan 400 | ISO 400 | Classic, general-purpose look | Wide | Learning, city work, shooting regularly; 135 and 120 | €10.47 |
| Kentmere Pan 100 | ISO 100 | Finer grain, wide tonality | Wide | Daylight shooting in good light | €10.47 |
| Fomapan 100 / 200 / 400 | ISO 100 / 200 / 400 | Classic character; grain more visible on the 400 | Moderate | A lot of practice at a low material cost | €7.92 / €8.92 / €9.55 |
| ILFORD FP4 Plus | ISO 125 | Fine grain, medium contrast | Wide | Landscape, daylight portraits, studio | €17.94 |
| ILFORD Delta 100 / 400 | ISO 100 / 400 | Fine grain, high sharpness | Moderate | When detail and careful exposure matter | €19.72 / €19.05 |
| Kodak Tri-X 400 | ISO 400 | Classic documentary character | Wide | City, everyday and reportage work | €14.95 |
| ILFORD XP2 Super | ISO 400; wide working EI | A B&W image through C-41 | Very wide working range | When standard colour processing is easier to reach | €17.87 |
| ILFORD Delta 3200 | ISO 1000; usually a high EI | Pronounced structure, work in low light | Depends on EI and matched processing | Evenings, concerts, night B&W | €19.82 |
If a predictable, general-purpose first experience matters most, start with HP5 Plus. If you want to shoot regularly and spend less, compare the current price of Kentmere Pan 400 and Fomapan. For mostly daylight work there is no need to stay at ISO 400: Fomapan 100/200, Kentmere Pan 100 and FP4 Plus make sense too.
What to keep in mind about Kodak, Fujifilm and HARMAN names
The Eastman Kodak catalogue lists Ektacolor Pro 160/400/800 and Ektapan, while Kodak Professional material still refers to Portra and T-Max. Both sets of professional names are therefore kept in this guide. A Portra price cannot be carried over to a particular Ektacolor Pro package.
Kodacolor 100/200 is also in Kodak's catalogue. ColorPlus 200 turns up at retail, but to buy it you need to look at the specific offer rather than assume that any name from an older review is reliably available.
Fujifilm 200 and 400 are worth comparing as the specific products they are. There is no official confirmation that would let anyone call them Gold and UltraMax in a different box without qualification. For a first purchase, light, format, price and freshness matter more than guesses about an emulsion's origin.
With HARMAN, distinguish Phoenix II 200 from Phoenix 125. Do not carry exposure advice from one version to the other just because they share a name.
Choosing by scenario: which film to take on a shoot
| Where and what you are shooting | Two or three suitable options | The deciding question |
|---|---|---|
| A walk through the city | Gold 200, UltraMax 400, HP5 Plus | Will most of the roll be shot in daylight or in changing light? |
| Travel | Gold 200, UltraMax 400, Fujifilm 400 | Is there fresh film in the right format, and processing you can reach? |
| Portraits | Portra / Ektacolor Pro 400, Gold 200, HP5 Plus | What will the light be — rather than which brand you like? |
| A bright sunny day | Gold 200, Ektar 100, FP4 Plus | Do the camera's shutter speeds allow the exposure you need? |
| Overcast weather, autumn or winter | UltraMax 400, Fujifilm 400, Kentmere Pan 400 | Is the shutter speed short enough with your lens? |
| Indoors | Portra / Ektacolor Pro 400 or 800, HP5 Plus 400 | Do you have a fast lens, a flash or something to brace against? |
| Evening, city lights | Portra / Ektacolor Pro 800, CineStill 800T, Delta 3200 | Do you want 800T's particular colour, and is the EI agreed for B&W? |
| Landscape | Ektar 100, Gold 200, Delta 100 | Can you work in good light or on a tripod? |
| Studio with flash | Ektar 100, Pro Image 100, FP4 Plus | Is there enough controlled light for a low ISO? |
| A first B&W roll | HP5 Plus, Kentmere Pan 400, Fomapan 400 | Which matters more: maximum latitude or minimum cost? |
| A first roll of 120 | Gold 200, Portra / Ektacolor Pro 400, HP5 Plus | What is the full cost per frame in your particular format? |
| An expressive experiment | Phoenix II 200, Phoenix 125 | Are you ready for stricter exposure and less predictable colour? |
Night shooting does not always mean high ISO. A static subject can be photographed from a tripod on a slower film. For moving people the same approach does not solve the problem: a long exposure keeps the movement in the frame. So decide first what you are actually going to photograph.
If your camera has no meter, a stock with good exposure latitude helps but does not replace measurement. For a first roll it is better to use a handheld or phone meter than to test the camera and learn to guess the light at the same time.
What a first roll really costs
The price of the film is only part of the spend. To end up with digital photographs you normally pay for the material, the development and the scanning. Sending film to a lab adds postage.
Cost per frame = (film + development + scanning) / frames actually shot.
The calculation below uses catalogue prices and our own processing: €7.78 for development with scanning for C-41 and classic B&W, €10.70 for E-6. All examples assume 36 frames and exclude postage.
| Film | Material | Development and scanning | Total per roll | Per one of 36 frames |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fomapan 100 | €7.92 | €7.78 | €15.70 | €0.44 |
| Kentmere Pan 400 | €10.47 | €7.78 | €18.25 | €0.51 |
| Kodak Gold 200 | €14.95 | €7.78 | €22.73 | €0.63 |
| ILFORD HP5 Plus | €17.94 | €7.78 | €25.72 | €0.71 |
| Kodak Portra 400 | €32.10 | €7.78 | €39.88 | €1.11 |
| CineStill 800T | €26.80 | €7.78 | €34.58 | €0.96 |
| Kodak Ektachrome E100 | €36.49 | €10.70 | €47.19 | €1.31 |
Gold at €14.95 works out at roughly €0.42 of material per frame, but a finished digital frame already costs €0.63. The second number is the more useful one for planning regular shooting. The spread between the cheapest and the dearest option in the table is nearly threefold.
That is the cost of a technically complete frame across a full roll. If only a few photographs turn out well, the actual cost of each keeper is higher. Which is why predictability, not just a low price, matters while you are learning.
Budget, mid-range and premium film
By the catalogue on 14 September 2026, for 135-36, it is convenient to treat roughly up to €10.50 as budget, about €10.50–19 as mid-range, and from about €19 upwards as premium. This is our editorial grouping, not an industry standard.
Fomapan (€7.92–9.55) stands out at the lower end, with Kentmere Pan at €10.47. The middle holds ColorPlus, Gold, Tri-X, Fujifilm 200, UltraMax, XP2 Super, HP5 Plus, FP4 Plus and Phoenix II. Portra, Ektar, Ektacolor Pro, CineStill and slide film need a larger budget. A brand name does not fix a price forever.
For 120, count frames rather than rolls
Kodak Gold 200 in 120 costs €13.99 — that is €1.17 of material per frame in a 6×6 camera with twelve frames. At 6×7 with ten frames it is already €1.40, and at 6×9 with eight, €1.75. Development and scanning are not included yet.
So two rolls of 135 and 120 at the same price do not mean the same cost of shooting. Check the scanning tariff as well: it can depend on the format and on the digitising method you choose.
A decision tree for your first film
Which format does the camera need?
- 135 → choose 135 cassettes
- 120 → choose 120 rolls
Colour or black-and-white?
- Colour — for a simple start, check that C-41 is available:
- Mostly daylight, ISO 100–200: 135 → Gold 200 / Fujifilm 200 / Ektar 100; 120 → Gold 200 / Ektar 100
- Changing light, ISO 400: 135 → UltraMax 400 / Fujifilm 400 / Portra–Ektacolor Pro 400; 120 → Portra–Ektacolor Pro 400 / CineStill 400D
- A lot of low light: Portra–Ektacolor Pro 800; CineStill 800T when its colour character suits you
- Black-and-white:
- Classic B&W processing available: general purpose → HP5 Plus 400 / Kentmere Pan 400; economy → Fomapan at the right ISO; good daylight → Kentmere Pan 100 / FP4 Plus / Fomapan 100
- Only C-41 within easy reach → XP2 Super
Do you need a large margin for error?
- Favour a standard negative with wide exposure latitude.
- Leave Phoenix and slide film for a more deliberate experiment.
Before buying
- Check DX if your camera requires it.
- Add up the film, the development and the scanning.
- In low light, check what your lens and flash can do.
- For an ordinary first roll: fresh film, box speed, standard processing without push or pull.
Within the right branch, first rule out anything outside your full budget. Then choose the stock with the degree of predictability you want. A rare emulsion is not required: an available fresh roll of the right class beats waiting for the "perfect" film.
Common beginner mistakes
Buying ISO 100 for the evening just for the fine grain. Check first whether there is enough light for the shutter speed you need. ISO 800 does not guarantee handheld shooting in every room either: sometimes a flash, a tripod or a faster lens matters more.
Choosing a stock without checking the development. E-6 and ECN-2 are not just different colour schemes on the box. They are different processes, with their own availability and price. Equally, classic HP5 cannot be handed in for C-41 just because the lab accepts colour film.
Changing ISO frame to frame as on a digital camera. What changes is the exposure calculation, not the film's physical sensitivity. Keep one value for an ordinary first roll. Study the particular capabilities of individual stocks, such as XP2, separately.
Pushing "for a more filmic result". You are adding another variable and making it harder to understand what went wrong. It helps to see a normally developed roll, shot at box speed, first.
Testing an old camera and unknown expired film at the same time. If the result is poor, it will be hard to separate an exposure error from problems with the shutter, the emulsion or storage. Fresh standard film is not a formality — it is what makes the first test legible. If the expired film is already sitting at home, there are separate pieces on it: how to shoot expired film and found old film — what to do.
Choosing from other people's photographs and forgetting the scan. What you see online is a chain: emulsion → exposure → development → scanner → inversion → the operator's settings → editing. Even the same Gold can look quite different. Compare examples with the light and the digitising method in mind, rather than expecting to reproduce someone else's palette exactly.
Three myths that make choosing harder than it is
"Professional film is always better than consumer film"
A professional stock may offer wider exposure latitude, finer grain or the colour rendering you want. That does not make it necessary for every job. Gold and UltraMax can be the more rational choice for those first walks, and an expensive roll does not fix focus, light or a faulty camera.
"Film is ruined the moment it passes its expiry date"
The date is not a switch. Condition depends on time, temperature, storage and the material itself. Unknown expired film does add uncertainty, though. For a first roll that is usually a drawback; for a later, deliberate experiment it is a workable quirk.
"You can't shoot film unless you keep it refrigerated"
Cold helps with long-term storage, but it is not a precondition for using fresh film normally. Follow the manufacturer's guidance, avoid hostile conditions, and let a package acclimatise after cold storage before you open it. The detailed regimes are covered separately: how to store film at home.
Frequently asked questions
Which film should a beginner choose?
For an ordinary 35 mm camera, a fresh negative at a suitable speed: Kodak Gold 200 for daylight, UltraMax 400 for changing light, or ILFORD HP5 Plus 400 for black and white. Check the format and the availability of development before you buy.
ISO 200 or 400 for a first roll?
ISO 200 is convenient for mostly daylight shooting. ISO 400 is more versatile under cloud, in shade and in changing light. Take your lens's maximum aperture and the camera's fastest shutter speed into account as well.
What is the difference between 135 and 120?
135 is 35 mm film in a cassette; the ordinary frame is 24×36 mm. 120 is wider roll film for medium format. The camera determines compatibility, image size and frame count.
Which film should I choose for indoors?
Consider a colour negative at ISO 400–800, or a suitable B&W stock. But even ISO 800 does not guarantee a shot without blur: you may still need a fast lens, a flash or a tripod.
Can I change ISO in the middle of a roll?
You can change the setting, but the film's sensitivity does not change: you are changing the EI and the amount of light. Use one value for an ordinary first roll. XP2 Super allows a wide EI range with standard processing, but that is a property of that particular film.
What happens if the cassette has no DX code?
It depends on the camera. With manual setting you enter the speed yourself. An automatic compact may fall back to a default or use another rule — check the manual for your model.
Can black-and-white film be developed in C-41?
ILFORD XP2 Super is designed for C-41. Classic HP5 Plus, Kentmere and Fomapan need ordinary black-and-white processing. The process follows the exact name of the stock.
What does push +1 mean?
The typical case is shooting ISO 400 film at EI 800 and then developing for longer. It is a combination of exposure and processing, not a transformation of the stock into a different emulsion. Arrange it with the lab in advance.
Is Portra 400 worth buying as a first film?
You can: it is a flexible stock with a large exposure margin. But there is no technical need. Gold or UltraMax are often more economical while you are learning, and a high price does not correct focus errors or a faulty camera.
What does one frame cost with development and scanning?
Add the cost of the material and the processing, then divide by the number of frames. Kodak Gold 200 at €14.95 plus development with scanning at €7.78 gives €22.73 per roll, or about €0.63 for each of 36 frames. Prices as of 14 September 2026; check the current ones in the catalogue.
In short: what to do before you buy
The whole sequence comes down to five steps:
- Find the format your camera needs in its manual — 135 or 120 — and check how it handles DX.
- Decide whether you want colour or black-and-white, and find out where the matching process is available.
- Pick the speed: ISO 100–200 for mostly daylight, ISO 400 for changing light; judge low light together with what your lens can do.
- Compare the full cost of a roll, development and scanning included, not just the price on the box.
- For a first test, take a fresh standard negative and shoot it at box speed, with no changes to the processing.
For a 35 mm camera with no special requirements the concrete choice is this: Gold 200 for daylight colour, UltraMax 400 for colour in changing light, HP5 Plus 400 for general-purpose black and white. For a 120 camera, use the recommendations in that format: Gold 200, Portra / Ektacolor Pro 400 or HP5 Plus.
Before ordering, match your chosen film from the catalogue with the development and scanning service. If you would rather understand shooting as a whole, and not only the choice of stock, there is a full guide to shooting film. The job of a first roll is to give you a legible result: to test the camera and to show you whether you have enough light, enough speed and the right processing. After that, the next purchase rests on your own frames rather than on promises printed on a box.