This time we asked a lot of film street photographers for their favourite choice of film – it ended up being a wonderful and BIG collection – so please scroll down all the way if you want to read about everyone’s film favs and have a look at our most favourite submissions to the Filmie Gallery for this month.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to send their thoughts about their favourite films! If you are not included but want to share your favourite film as well, please feel free to do so in the comments!
Well then, let’s get started!
so fav film would be:
kodak tri-x 400
but i also like fuji neopan 400 very much
It’s all about taste, I really enjoy the grain and sharpness it produces and for me it’s the best in terms of tones and contrast. it gives me that moody and contrasty look that I want, every time.
in the neopan the grain and the tones are a bit different but I love the results as well
I don’t use film much these days but when I do I use Kodak BW400CN because it has fine grain, is sharp and is developed in the C41 process which means any lab that develops colour film can process it in the same chemicals.
My dislike is that it is not very contrasty.
“street 453545435435″ by 
~ohyouhandsomeDevil
Black and White:
KODAK TX (Tri-x 400): Relatively inexpensive to buy in batch and quite responsive for pushing/pulling. If you’ve got some with you, you’re pretty much covered for shooting from 200-1600 ISO with fine results.
Fuji Neopan 400: My favourite black and white film because of its particular tonal spectrum. (mind you, tonal preference is always subjective). I use this film for ANYTHING. Also nicely responsive from 200-800 ISO. Also, for anyone using a flatbed scanner (as I do), neopans come out completely straight after development, resulting in very sharp scans. Tri-x is extremely curly, unless you have a dedicated 35mm scanner (Nikon, Plustek, etc.) or the patience to leave it inside a thick book for a couple of weeks, give fuji a try. On a negative note, fuji neopan 400 is getting harder and harder to find.
COLOUR:
Kodak Ektar 100: The finest all-around film for me, because of its wonderful colour rendering. Perfect for urban landscapes, street shots etc. For portraits I would probably go with something like portra. Of course, these films are too expensive. I mostly end up shooting fuji superias.
DEVELOPING:
Colour Film: I’ve considered developing my own colour films many times but always decide I really don’t have the time to get involved with all those chemicals. Find yourselves a good lab (after you’ve tried a couple first) and stick to it. If you scan your own, simple colour development is always pretty cheap.
Black and White: I use xtol 1:1 and don’t see myself switching any time soon. Minimum grain, great sharpness, wonderful tones. Easy to mix and prepare. I also use Tetenal stop bath and Ilford fixer in my workflow.
I scan all my negatives using Silverfast software and an Epson V700 flatbed scanner. I always try to scan using as few tweaks/settings in the software as to get the full tones and then work on contrast etc in photoshop. It takes more time but if you use the “auto” settings in the scanner software you usually end up with burned highlights and pitch black darks.
That’s about it from me and my film workflow. I hope someone finds it helpful. I think it’s always important to exchange experiences and opinions with other photographers (online or otherwise) and keep experimenting until you find the films/processes that work for you. At the same time, it’s also important, once you find what works for you, to stop “fussing” about film/cameras/equipment and concentrate on actual shooting
- I usually use a 400 ISO black and white. My absolute favourite was Agfa APX 400, unfortunately this has been discontinued (I think there is a replacement from Rollei, but never got around to try it – quite expensive). Now days I am using either Ilford (Delta 400/3200 or HP5), Fuji (Neopan 400 or 1600) or Kodak (TriX or TMax).
For colour I use Kodak Portra or if I want go crazy I would X-Process Agfa Precisia 100 (sometimes I push it to 400 and X-proc the same time).
- Out of all these is Neopan 400 working for me the best. It’s price is very reasonable and I have good results with Ilford DD-X developer. Fine grain, loads of detail.
- Ilford DD-X is the developer of my choice. Good price, convenient 1l bottles (it is liquid), reasonably fast to work with and makes a good fine grain (although this depends on film too), you can push/pull films with this developer too… Easy to store and good shelf life as well.
After developing I scan my films on Epson Perfection 4490 (probably the weakest link in the whole process). The plan is to set up a dark room and later scan from prints. Later…
“Love” by 
=Ikarisou
- My favorite film, overall, is the kodak Tmax 400 I think. That is, in 35mm. In medium format, I prefer color (don’t know why). My choice goes to Fuji pro 160S most of time – though I have a love-hate relationship with the fuji pro 400h and its red tones (and when I do b&w I use TriX, which behaves very differently than in 35mm…).
- the reasons behind that… Well, the Tmax 400 has many advantages. It’s not too expensive, which is good, can have a nice grain if you want it but can also be quiet. I find it very easy to process (I know it’s not what people usually say), I find it easy to rinse (easier than triX – I know it can sound stupid, but that’s probably the reason I use more Tmax 400 than Trix – it uses less water too…). It’s a quite versatile film.
Concerning the Fuji Pro 160s, well I use it because it’s cheaper than the Kodak portra 160 and easier to find in 220 (which is important to me). It’s very important to be able to shoot freely, both in color and b&w, if you feel stuck, if you start counting the frames because of what they cost you or how many you can have, you’re done as a photographer. That’s why i buy films in long rolls and huge packs. I’m a trigger happy.
- In terms of development, in b&w I now mostly do Xtol. It works very well with the Tmax. I know you can have less grain with some other developpers but I like how Xtol works. it’s also quite “clean” environmentaly speaking – I’m not obsessed with that but when you have the choice… I Still I keep a bottle of HC110 cause it’s everlasting and fun to use (and gives good results with the Tmax 100 too) 
In colour I always use the Tetenal C41 development kits (not that there’s a lot of other choice available!), it gives me wonderful results, and you can develop quite quickly when you get used to it.
My fav’ films are Fuji Neopan 400 and 1600 for normal street shooting. Which I shoot 90%..
The rest is mostly Fuji Velvia 100 or Fuji PN400 mainly in 120..
I love the tonality of the Neopan, and the fact that it is cheaper here in Japan than Kodak or Ilford make it my all time favourite..
I develop the Neopans typically in Kodak D-76 1:1 for 9:3at 20DegC
“untitled..” by 
~iapostolovski
My favorites for the BW
Kodak Verichrome pan which is no longer manufactured … for urban scenes and landscapes. In my opinion one of the best films ever made …
Kodak plusX125 which is no longer manufactured …
Neopan 400 and 1600 is no longer manufactured … for night scenes or used 800iso
Ilford HP5 which is no longer manufactured.
POlaroid 55
Fuji Neopan 100 for all uses.
Rollei 400s for all uses.
Fomapan 100.
And sometimes Ilford film like XP2 or hp5+
I mainly use the Kodak HC 110, then I’ll try the Rodinal soon, and ultrafine Tetenal
For color.
Kodakchrome 64
Kodak 160 VC / NC
Kodak portra 400 push to 800 or 1600 for night urban shoot
Kodak EKTAR for general use
Fuji Provia
Fuji pro 400h
Polaroid 669
I’m not an expert in developing or shooting but I’m learning every day and it’s exciting
-your favourite film(s) : unoriginal, kodak portra, tri X 400, ilford 3200
- what makes it your favourite film?: The grain, the colors.
-if you develop your films yourself – your favourite developer oder film/developer combo? To early to say…
“Le journal – Block DLVI” by 
*bwiti
- Favorite films
BW – Kodak TRI-X : I have tried nearly everything else on the current market, and have been most pleased with the exposures I take with TX. Its reliable, and if you need to push it, looks amazing at 800 ISO. I have nice fast lenses, so I have not needed to push to 1600, yet..
COL – Kodak 200 : A nice summery colour film. The tones it puts out are always nice and warm, and its a bargain at only $3 per 36exp roll from B&H, compared to professional type films like portra
Slide: Fuji Provia 100 : The colour it puts out does it all for me. A total photo-boner-inducing emulsion. Looks great pushed to 200ISO as well, if needed on a slightly overcast day
Through the winter months, I generally only shoot B/W, moving to a bit more colour in the summer time.
I have a great shop to get my film done (THE LAB: Vancouver) and I scan it myself with my Epson V600 Photo scanner.
- Favorite films
BW – Kodak TRI-X : I have tried nearly everything else on the current market, and have been most pleased with the exposures I take with TX. Its reliable, and if you need to push it, looks amazing at 800 ISO. I have nice fast lenses, so I have not needed to push to 1600, yet..
COL – Kodak 200 : A nice summery colour film. The tones it puts out are always nice and warm, and its a bargain at only $3 per 36exp roll from B&H, compared to professional type films like portra
Slide: Fuji Provia 100 : The colour it puts out does it all for me. A total photo-boner-inducing emulsion. Looks great pushed to 200ISO as well, if needed on a slightly overcast day
Through the winter months, I generally only shoot B/W, moving to a bit more colour in the summer time.
I have a great shop to get my film done (THE LAB: Vancouver) and I scan it myself with my Epson V600 Photo scanner.
Favorite film: Plus-X 125. I like the grain structure and contrast. Seems somehow ideal for street (at least, to my tastes). The finer grain seems to scan better too (at least on my scanner…)
The only problem is that it went out of production!
So TriX 400 is probably my next favorite, though I also like TMAX 3200 when I want to shoot in very low light situations or I when I want a lot of grain for some reason.
I don’t develop my own at this point, so I can’t give you any feedback there.
“nun” by ~iapostolovski
I don’t have a darkroom at this time and I always have to go to friends, so … However the photos that I put on DA are made with film Ilford HP5 + Perceptol
(to take low-light and moving pictures) 400 pushed to 800
First thing: choosing a film/developer is choosing a render. If you don’t care about render, just pick a digital camera.
My aim is to be an humanist shooter. So I prefer organic renderings. My favorite pics are those in which you can smell and hear.
- my favorite films (and why):
*Rollei Retro 100 … which is unfortunately no longer available.
This film is nicely contrasted. It yields a soft but intense grain. Something is alive in it. Rollei RPX 100 is nearly the same but I prefer the first one.
*Ilford HP5+: you can do everything with this one. The best choice for the street if you don’t plan particular situations. Very good sharpness and fine grain. Expose and develop at 200 ASA if your name is HCB
*I HATE Kodak TMax which renders mostly like a digital camera. I’m not a opponent to digital cameras but I don’t understand why using a film to have the same result.
- my three favorite developers:
* Rodinal for low speed films (50 to 320ASA). Great acutance.
* D76 for fast films (400ASA and more).
* Diafine to push processing and film speed up.
I think it’s much more decisive to choose a film/developer combo than to choose a camera. Sleep with your films (in the fridge for a better preservation), not with your camera
“doomsday food” by 
*lightdrafter
- I have different films I use, for different situations… my favorite film for the moment is a very fast one: Tmax P3200 that I use for concerts.
- I really enjoy the effect it gives to shots, like here for example: [link] darkening the shadows and the elements that aren’t under the spot lights. But I would not use it outdoor, not even at night. But I’ve tried it here: [link] I would have liked more shades of gray in the darker parts. Maybe by shooting it at 1600ISO it would have been better?
I develop by myself B&W films, in my kitchen. I’ve experienced just Kodak HC110 and Tetenal Ultrafin plus and both have given satisfaction to me but I prefer the Ultrafin as I don’t need to prepare the chemicals each time I need to develop films.
My favorite b&w films are Kodak Plus-X 125 (now discontinued) and I have since replaced it by Fuji Acros 100. I find both films very forgiving, more so overexposed than underexposed but regardless they have a fine look and range I quite enjoy. I still also love very much Ilford Pan F50, higher contrast but a lovely more dramatic look.
For low light either the Kodak Tri-X 400 or Ilford Delta 400, they have their own look so it really depends on the subject. For really low light I love Fuji Neopan 1600.
As for color film, by far the Kodak Portra 160 or 400. In low light conditions Portra 800. There are others I use but in my opinion they don’t come close to the Portra.
“break” by 
~mrtso
For a very long time, I used two types of film for street photography: Kodak Tri-X at ISO 1600 for the majority of the film and Ilford HP5 (between 1000 and 3200 ISO) for specific conditions.
The use of high ISO allows for faster shutter much more interesting.
For the treatment of Tri-X at ISO 1600 I use Diafine two-bath film developer (5 ‘+5′) and fixer HYPAM (3′). The couple Tri-X/Diafine allows great exposure latitude, with the final one photographic grain (relatively) late. That’s why it’s my favorite combination.
Regarding the film Ilford HP5, I use two different treatments according to ISO sensitivities:
ISO 1000-1600: Diafine two-bath film developer (5 ‘+5′) and fixer HYPAM (3′).
ISO 3200: developer Microphen Ilford (14 ‘) and fixer HYPAM (3′).
Ilford films tend to give a lot of grain, and, in 3200 ISO, the result becomes very special and often too coarse. The film is often too uneven and requires a lot more work than pulling the film Kodak Tri-X.
Unlike Diafine developer, the Microphen leaves very little latitude to ask. It is also less tolerant to temperature during development.
In conclusion: Tri-X + Diafine = soft and fine result (relatively of course), and HP5 + Microphen = brutal and rather mixed result.
- Concerning favorite films. Ok, let’s see:
1. color films:
The best film by far that I have ever used and I kinda feel …in love ( ! ) with, it is the Kodak Kodachrome. Unfortunately it has been EOL’ed, but just holding it is pure magic. I love everything about this film. From its colors to its embossed structure.
Now, for something that can still be used, the Fuji Reala is fantastic. Vivid colors, fine grain, beautiful tones. I use a 5D Mark
II and on a sunny day, Reala beats it hand down. Use a good scanner and the results are far superior than anything digital I use.
I use the cheapest films I can find with lomos.
I really like slide films cross processed, but I prefer Kodak’s to Fuji’s films because they tend to be on the red-er side rather the green-er side.
2. black and white films:
I use black and white films far more than color ones. The main reason is that I dont like digital black and white and also that I cannot adapt to shooting in color and then converting in b&w as a post-photographing concept. When I start my day, I want to know that I’ll do something in color or in b&w.
I have used a lot of black and white and I have settled on the following:
- TriX 400 : this is my primary film. Capable to be used in almost all situations, very very forgiving, produces great results at stock speed and -/+ 1 stop and I have been pushing to 2 or 3 stops with very nice results. Especially in medium format, the combination of Tri-X pushed 2 stops in Rodinal 1+50 produces very nice images. I love the grainy structure of the film (not very fond of the super fine grain bw films like the T-Max) and I dont know, if this was the only available bw film I would be very happy!
- Neopan 400: I have used this film mostly in medium format and I would say that it is lovable. I am not sure if Fuji has discontinued this film (I always buy film in large quantities, store it in my fridge and then use my stock for some considerable period of time), however it is a very good alternative.
- I dont use higher speed films – I push TriX up to 3200 and also Neopan 400 up to 1600 is very nice.
- I love Kodak PlusX 125. To me its like the 125 version of TriX
Very nice details, I feel that it captures in the best way what I have in my mind when I press the shutter button on my camera. However for some reason I always have some difficulty to find this film, so I have to resolve to other solutions very frequently. I generally hate Ilford’s films, with one notable exception – FP125+. It is actually quite nice and one of the reasons I have been using it extensively is that I once found a great deal on this film and bought a really big stock
I develop the films myself, as hinted from the comments above. For 35mm films, most of the times I use HC-110 (1+31 dilution). There is nothing exciting about this developer other than its cost of use and the fact that I get predictable, medium grain results, with nice tonality. I avoid using HC for push processing. I prefer Rodinal for that.
Rodinal (1+50) is not a fine grain developer however I like the contrast that is produces and I think it works really well with TriX and FP125. I use it almost exclusively with medium format films and it produces really nice results. I have used it extensively to push TriX medium format films up to 3 stops (3200) and the results are great. Did I mention that at 1+50 it is dirty cheap???
“120101 – Lahti” by 
*JakezDaniel
Usually I use Ilford films, most often delta 400 and hp5+. Sometimes I push film up to 800 ISO because it can tolerate
higher ISO values nicely. Ilford films are flexible enough and they have a fine graine that I like.
This summer I plan to work with delta 100.
For the type of street photography that I prefer it is essential to ensure the shutter speed at min 1/125 and DOP at max. This way I can react really fast, also the adjustments of camera and focusing are reduce to minimum.
I develop my own films with Ilfotec LC 29 developer at 1+19 ratio. I still haven’t decided on favourite developer because I only tried this one, so far.
By far my favourite film is Ilford Pan 400:
[link]
I love if for it’s usability – it offers pretty broad contrast range leaving plenty of room for post processing. It handles pushing pretty well – I get usable results even when pushing to ISO 1600 and I suspect it’d handle ISO 3200 without much trouble. It’s also plenty sharp when your shooting technique allows it too. Even if it doesn’t – slightly blurred photos will look awesome thanks to this Ilford’s attractive grain structure. Also, being a black-and-white negative film, it’s dynamic range is just mind boggling.
To sum it up: I highly recommend giving Pan 400 a try. It doesn’t cost much but it really delivers.
Maclunar’s film developing technique guide in 5 easy steps
1. Eject your exposed film from your camera
2. Go to your nearest drugstore (e.g. Rossman)
3. Check if they take in films for developing
4. If yes – leave your film for developing; if no – find another drugstore and repeat from step 3
Return after a couple days and collect your developed film
My two favourite films are Kodak TriX 400 & Agfa APX 100 – these are the two films I use most of the time. TriX is my allround film, in summertime when it‘s very bright outside I switch to Agfa APX 100. When I want results with lovely grain I develop in Rodinal 1+50, my allround developer is Xtol 1+1.
Keep shooting!
The Filmie Team
