Guide to Kodak film: colours, ISO and uses
When it comes to choosing a roll of film, it might seem fairly straightforward at first glance. A format, an ISO, a brand… and yet, two rolls of film placed side by side will never produce exactly the same result. Sensitivity, colour rendering, grain – every detail counts and has a direct impact on your photos.
Whether you’re a curious beginner or an experienced photographer returning to film, this guide has been designed to help you make the right choice based on your shooting conditions and preferences. Kodak offers a wide, coherent range of films, each designed for very distinct uses. The aim here is to help you truly understand them.
ISO, grain, colours: How to choose the right film without getting lost
Before you start choosing a film, you need to fully understand what lies behind the numbers and names. A film is a combination of technical characteristics that will directly shape the look of your images. Grain, colours, light sensitivity… these are all variables you need to learn to interpret in order to make the best possible choice.
Which film for analogue photography?
The market for film is organised into three main categories: colour film, black-and-white film, and what is known as reversal film (also called slide film). For the vast majority of photographers, the choice will be between the first two.
Colour film is by far the most widely used. It reproduces the colours of the real world with varying degrees of warmth, saturation or softness, depending on its formulation. Black-and-white film, on the other hand, tends to emphasise contrasts, shades of grey and the texture of the grain. It is a world unto itself, with its own conventions.
As for format, the vast majority of consumer cameras use 135mm film, also known as 24×36 format. This is, in a sense, the standard. The Kodak films available in 135mm are compatible with the vast majority of cameras on the market today, ranging from compacts to SLRs and rangefinder cameras.
If you’re looking to get started, the Kodak Color Plus Film 200 135mm could be an excellent place to begin. It offers balanced colours, subtle grain and decent exposure latitude, making it a hassle-free choice for beginners.
How do you choose your film?
Three criteria come into play when choosing a film. These are the ISO sensitivity, the desired look, and the lighting conditions in which you’ll be taking photographs.
The ISO sensitivity indicates how sensitive the film is to light. The higher the number, the more sensitive the film is and the more effective it will be in low-light situations. On the other hand, the grain will be more visible. Conversely, a film with a low ISO produces finer, sharper images, but requires more light.
The look is a more subjective matter, but no less important. Some films produce warm, saturated colours, whilst others favour more neutral and natural tones. It is often a matter of taste, but also of suitability for the subject being photographed.
Finally, lighting conditions are perhaps the most practical criterion. In bright sunlight, 200 ISO film will clearly be sufficient. Indoors or in overcast conditions, it is better to increase the ISO. It is this specific point that we will explore in the next section.
Which Kodak film to choose depending on the light and your needs
In reality, this is often where it all comes down to. You can have the best camera in the world, but if the film isn’t suited to the shooting conditions, the photos won’t live up to expectations. Available light is the first factor to consider, well before colour rendering or grain. Here’s how to approach this choice in practical terms, depending on the situations you’ll most commonly encounter.
When should you use 200 ISO film?
ISO 200 film is designed for bright light. A sunny day, a terrace in the middle of the afternoon, a mountain landscape under a clear sky… it’s in these conditions that it performs at its best. Its low sensitivity allows it to produce images with very fine grain, well-defined colours and a rich level of detail.
It’s also the ideal film for photographing static subjects outdoors. A portrait in natural light, a building, an open-air market. Wherever the light is plentiful and predictable, ISO 200 performs perfectly.
However, as soon as you move into deep shade, indoors without a flash or at the end of the day, it will show its limitations. Shutter speeds increase, the risk of blurring rises and exposure becomes more difficult to control.
It’s worth noting that the Kodak Gold GB Film 200 135mm colour film is a benchmark in this range. It produces warm, slightly golden tones, which are particularly flattering for portraits and outdoor scenes. Its fine grain makes it a highly versatile film for all shoots in bright light.
When should you use ISO 400 film?
ISO 400 is, in a way, the epitome of versatility. It works just as well outdoors as indoors, in cloudy weather as under blazing sunshine. This is why many analogue photographers rely on it as their go-to film for everyday use.
In practical terms, it becomes indispensable as soon as lighting conditions become uncertain. A concert, an indoor birthday party, a stroll at dusk, a covered market… these are all situations where ISO 200 would start to struggle. With ISO 400 film, you can maintain shutter speeds fast enough to freeze movement and avoid camera shake.
For example, the Kodak EKTAR H35N film, which splits each exposure in half for a half-frame format, works very well with 400 ISO film. This unique format doubles the number of exposures available per roll, and the 400 ISO sensitivity allows it to be used in a variety of lighting conditions without compromising on quality.
If you’re looking for a film designed for this type of use, the Kodak UltraMax 400 35mm colour film is the one for you. It produces vivid colours, with a slight boost in the highlights, and handles high-key lighting well. It’s a very forgiving film, making it a relatively sensible choice for those who shoot quickly and without a safety net.
To sum up: which film should you choose, ISO 200 or 400?
As mentioned earlier, if you’re mainly shooting outdoors in good lighting conditions, ISO 200 will give you finer grain and more accurate colours. It’s the choice for maximum image quality when the light is on your side.
If your photography is more varied, if you’re moving from a sunny terrace to an indoor café in the course of the same day, ISO 400 will be much more practical. It copes better with changes in light and gives you a considerable margin for error when it comes to exposure. For a compact camera like the Kodak Ultra F9, which doesn’t allow manual exposure adjustment, 400 ISO film will often be better suited to everyday, spontaneous use.
The grain on 400 ISO film is slightly more pronounced than on 200 ISO, but on today’s digital cameras, this difference is considerably reduced when the images are printed. In practice, it is often imperceptible, or even sought after for the aesthetic effect it creates.
Further reading: specialised films
Certain situations or photographic projects require films with more specialised characteristics – with technical specifications tailored to a specific purpose. Two Kodak films stand out in particular in this regard.
The first is the Kodak Ektar 100 135mm colour film, which is the finest colour film in the range. With an ISO of 100, it requires good lighting, but in return offers virtually invisible grain and remarkably precise colour reproduction. The reds are intense, the greens deep, and the blues clear and well-defined. This is the film for photographers who want to achieve the highest possible quality for a specific project, such as fashion photography, landscape photography or architectural photography in daylight. It is not an everyday film, but one for those moments when every detail counts.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, the Kodak TMAX P3200 135mm black-and-white film is a high-sensitivity film designed for very low-light environments. Developed at ISO 3200, it can even be pushed to 6400 or 12500 in the lab for extreme situations. Concerts, shows, streets at night, dark interiors without a flash… this is clearly its natural habitat. The grain is pronounced and deliberate, adding to the atmosphere of the images. It’s a film that requires a certain mastery of exposure and development, but one that rewards those who put in the effort with expressive, high-contrast results.
Using and storing your Kodak films properly
Knowing how to choose your film is essential and an excellent start. But knowing how to use it correctly and store it in the right conditions is what really makes the difference in the long run. A film that’s stored or used incorrectly can ruin hours of shooting, even if everything else was perfect. Here are the key points you need to know to ensure you don’t waste a single roll.
How do you know when a roll of film has run out?
Unlike digital cameras, film cameras don’t alert you with a warning message or a flashing counter.
The most common sign is resistance when advancing the film. On most manual-advance cameras, you’ll feel a slight resistance as you wind the mechanism, and then at some point, the lever stops moving. This is the sign that you’ve reached the last exposure. On automatic-advance cameras, the motor stops of its own accord and rewinds the film as soon as the number of exposures is reached.
On some cameras, a frame counter shows the number of the current frame. When it displays 36 on a 36-exposure film, you have reached the last frame. Do not force the mechanism any further, as this risks tearing the film inside the camera body.
Once the film is finished, you must rewind it completely into its cartridge before opening the camera’s back. This is a crucial step. Opening the back before rewinding exposes the film to light and irreparably destroys your images. On modern compact cameras such as the Kodak Ultra F9, this rewinding is done automatically, which eliminates this risk for less experienced users.
Storing your film in the best possible conditions
Please note that photographic film is a sensitive product. Heat, humidity and light are its three main enemies. Film stored in poor conditions will age prematurely, resulting in a loss of sensitivity, colour shift and increased grain.
The ideal storage temperature is between 10 and 18 degrees. The fridge is often suggested as a storage solution, and it is indeed a good option for film that you won’t be using for several months. However, there is one important rule to bear in mind. Before using film that has been taken out of the fridge, allow it to return to room temperature for at least an hour. Otherwise, the condensation that forms on the film may cause defects in your images.
For film that you use regularly, a cool, dry place away from direct light is sufficient. A closed drawer or a shelf in a room at a moderate temperature, away from heat sources such as radiators or window sills in summer.
The Kodak Film Case 135mm is designed precisely for this purpose. It protects your rolls from light and knocks, whilst keeping them neatly organised. This is handy for those who keep several rolls in stock and want to avoid mixing unused rolls with those that have already been exposed and are awaiting development.
Finally, remember to note the date of purchase on your film rolls if you usually keep several in stock. Expired film isn’t necessarily unusable, but its characteristics change over time. Some photographers actually appreciate this ageing effect for the distinctive look it produces. But if you’re looking for consistency and reliability, it’s best to stick to the expiry date shown on the packaging.
Choosing your Kodak film: a decision that makes all the difference
The film you load into your camera directly determines the results you’ll get from your shots. This is no minor detail. It may even be the most important decision you make before pressing the shutter button.
ISO 200 for beautiful sunny days, ISO 400 for everyday, versatile use, Ektar 100 for demanding projects, and TMAX P3200 for night-time scenes and tricky lighting conditions. Every film has its own character, its strengths, and its ideal setting.
It’s true that analogue photography requires a little more attention than digital. But that is precisely what makes every shot precious. Taking the time to choose the right film, to understand the available light, to store your rolls properly… all of this is part of a more mindful, more committed approach to photography.
And ultimately, that’s what Kodak has been offering for over a century: films designed to support all photographers, whatever their level or project.
