Top 13 Film Stocks for Every Occasion | Our Favorite Film Brands

This year has been an incredible feat for the film photography community. With Kodak releasing their beloved Kodak Gold 200 in 120 formats, CineStill successfully Kickstarted 400D, Leica re-released the famous M6, and Nikon is now launching a film-lookalike of one of their digital mirrorless cameras.

While exciting, we must recognize how expensive film can be, and spending hard-earned dollars on film is a delicate choice. As such, we've put together this guide to walk you through most of the film stocks we carry to help you decide what film will serve you best.

I've enlisted the help of my fellow film shooters here at Creative Club Chicago to help give you a broader perspective on the myriad of film stocks. They're all wonderfully talented photographers — please check out their work, linked in each section, and give them a follow.

Kodak Ektar 100

Picked By: @stevenmschultz

I will champion Ektar all day long. While not only film stock I have reached for, it works beautifully when I do. The roll's extreme colorways are beautiful for landscapes and street photography, and the 100-speed gives you a healthy level of fine grain and detail in every image. Pro tip — rate it for 25 or 50, and the colors will gradually soften to grant you a cleaner palette.

Kodak Ektachrome 100

Picked By: @braxtonwallis

Ektachrome is my favorite slide film available. Seeing your photos as positives rather than negatives after development makes this roll unique and charming. Ektachrome tends to lean on the cooler side, so I prefer to capture images during blue hour for an even chillier image of dusted blues.

Kodak Portra 160

Picked By: @melissatassone_

I appreciate Portra 160 because it offers the most refined, neutral tone. With its leaf shutter, I consistently achieve the most use out of the 160-speed in my GA 645. I've had a lot more range in editing the scans because the base colors of 160 stay true to life.

Kodak Gold 200

Picked By: @stevenmschultz

I was pleasantly surprised after testing Kodak's famous Gold 200 in 120; I didn't expect to love it as much as I do. I consider it an in-between option for Ektar 100 and Portra 400 — more saturated than Portra, a little less than Ektar, and offers plenty of sharpness, fine grain, and fantastic color. I'm not particularly fond of skin tones from this stock, but when there's sufficient light, it thrives for landscape imagery.

Portra 400

Picked By: @geneyoon

This is my go-to film stock. It's the film stock I've shot the most so far as a film photographer, and I love how it renders color and saturation. For budget, it's slightly more affordable than Portra 800 and is the perfect choice for portraits, landscapes, and general use.

Fuji Pro 400H

Picked By: @geneyoon

This film stock I've reserved for landscape use. I adore how it looks with lots of available sunlight, particularly its mesmerizing blues and greens that emulate storybook visuals.

Lomo 800

Picked By: @melissatassone_

Lomo 800 is a favorite because of its natural glow, vibrant colors, and a deep touch of grain. I naturally lean for magenta in my digital editing to impersonate this stock's natural tone. While it may seem gnarly to push to 3200, it holds up well for low-light conditions. Lomo 800 is the only film stock I use that has made my red hair pop while maintaining its hue.

Portra 800

Picked By: @stevenmschultz

My go-to film stock for almost every scenario. It's perfect for shooting when the light gets low, and I generally value this film's stellar saturation, textured grain, and subtle contrast. It's the first film I reach for regardless of the situation because I know it'll deliver the exact results I envision before I pick up my camera.

CineStill 800T

Picked By: @eric.floberg

I don’t shoot CineStill that frequently, but when it works, it really works. Since it is technically Vision 500T (commonly used film for motion picture films) with the remjet layer removed, it has a visceral cinematic look unparalleled to any other film stock. Stereotypically, photographers use this stock on urban landscapes at night for the red halation’s, but I love experimenting with it in broad daylight, for portraiture, and during blue hour.

CineStill BWxx

Picked By: @braxtonwallis

I love BWxx because of its effortless cinematic vibe. As essentially repackaged Kodak Eastman Double-X 5222, you can recreate the countenance seen in movies such as Raging Bull, Schindler's List, and Kill Bill Vol. 1. It sports stunning tonality with pleasing contrast and grain structure.

Ilford HP5+

Picked By: @braxtonwallis

HP5+ Is the most versatile B&W stock; it offers tons of exposure latitude to shoot in any condition. It also provides a softer, less contrasty face if that's more your style. I love carrying this around when I don't know the constraints. Furthermore, this is the best budget B&W stock you can find.

Kodak Tri-X 400

Picked By: @braxtonwallis

My favorite film stock for almost everything. I love shooting this stock at 800-1600 ISO, but it can handle 3200 without a problem. It gives a more contrasty look than most, which I love.

Kodak TMax 400

Picked By: @braxtonwallis

This is my favorite b&w stock for portraits. It features Kodak's T-Grain emulsion and maintains a fine-grain structure with potent levels of sharpness and detail. It also pushes very well if you're seeking additional contrast.

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