Can I use high ISO film in bright light (without problems)?

Question

I've never messed around with film that's much different from the consumer standard of about ISO 200-400. I switched to digital around 2004 and not until the recent years I've been wanting to experiment with film again.

Now I'm just trying to select types of film I like the look of to try in some cameras I have, in this case specifically for a balanced general purpose (let's say a mix of outdoors and sometimes in a shade or well-lit room). But sometimes I run into films I like that are as high as ISO 1600 or 3200.

Of course I CAN/COULD use anything, as there's nothing keeping me from doing so. But generally it's said that 400 or lower is useless indoors, and you should go with 800 or up. But since the latter is intended/recommended for such low-light conditions, would that (1600+) be too sensitive to use in daylight?

I'm sure the camera's meter would indicate whether or not it's overexposed, but even if it doesn't, is that kind of film prone to being overexposed? Or maybe it just has aggressive highlights or some such side-effects? - Or will it always balance out when you're using the right settings anyway? As in, just using shorter shutter-times and higher apertures to not get too much light in.

I do have an exposure-adjustment on the particular camera I want to use for it, which I'd already be turning down by one step when I'd be using 3200 at the camera's maximum setting of 1600. - So I'd have another step left if necessary.

Basically the question is whether or not ISO 1600/3200 is overkill when using it in bright natural light.

(Mind you; I do not mean intentionally seeking out TO shoot in bright sunlight with a high ISO film just to be stubborn. But just like a non-cloudy Summer-ish day during which I could happen to be shooting. And again, I suppose I could (guess and) adapt using the exposure-adjustment as conditions change, much like I did on digital cameras. Except in that case I could see the result beforehand, so I'm not sure what the effect is on film.)

Answer 1

Yes, you can use ISO 1600 in bright sunlight. But you will run into issues:

• You are getting the drawback of high ISO film (grain) without the benefit (high sensitivity).

• Depending on your camera you might run into shutter speed problems. Many film cameras are limited to 1/1000 sec or even 1/500 sec exposure time; this will not be enough.
  When you are unable or unwilling to close your aperture too much (due to desired depth of field and/or diffraction worries) you have to resort to ND filters to make exposure work.

The first will be bigger problem with small format (you enlarge more, but 1/2000 and faster speeds are common) and the second with medium format (many MF cameras are limited to 1/500 sec).

Answer 2

There's nothing inherently incorrect about using 1600-ish speed film outdoors. The issue you may run into is that your camera might not have the aperture/shutter speed combination to properly expose the film. For example, a compact point and shoot with a maximum aperture of f/16 and shutter speed of 1/500 won't be able to expose 1600 film properly in bright sunshine (roughly two stops over if you use Sunny 16). Even if it does, you might find the camera picking such small apertures that you introduce diffraction. These aren't showstoppers, just things you should be aware of. Most film has the latitude to handle a few stops of overexposure. Still, consider an SLR with a very fast shutter or using filters.

Also, 400 is a good general purpose film. I wouldn't call it useless indoors unless you're shooting in poor ambient light and/or working without a flash.

Answer 3

But generally it's said that 400 or lower is useless indoors, and you should go with 800 or up.

Said by whom? ISO 400 film has long been marketed for indoor use. It's only one stop slower than ISO 800, and two stops faster than ISO 100. If you're looking for a film that you can reasonably use indoors without a flash, but which will also work outdoors in a pinch, go with ISO 400.

Basically the question is whether or not ISO 1600/3200 is overkill when using it in bright natural light.

Yes, it is. ISO 1600 film is not the right choice for shooting on a sunny day. Can you make it work? Yes, of course. Among other things, you can slap a four-stop (ND16) neutral density filter on your camera and shoot as though you were using ISO 100 film.

But most of the time, photography isn't just about recording an image -- the goal is to record the best image you can. Throwing away 94% of the available light just to use grainy, high sensitivity film when you don't need it isn't going to give you the best image. High ISO film typically costs around 50% more than slower film, too. Using ISO 1600 film outdoors, you're paying more money to get less resolution.

Answer 4

On a digital camera, it's easy to play with different ISO sensitivities; you can start with your own choice of shutter and aperture, and then pick whatever ISO you need to get the correct exposure. On a sunny day, you will hardly be "forced" to configure shutter and aperture in a way which would require such high ISO, but if you have a, say, slow kit lens and the sky suddenly turns a bit cloudy, it's useful to have that option.

However, sticking with a 1600 ISO film might turn out to be rather limiting on a sunny day. If your camera's max shutter is limited to (say) 1/1000, and you have a lens with 1/22 minimum aperture, then you can basically only shoot f/22 @ 1/1000, and that's it. Using an ISO 100 film on that same day would give you the same exposure, less grain, and at the same time a much larger range of possible settings.

Answer 5

Using a high ISO will allow you to use very short shutter speeds (to freeze action) Sports photographers preferred High ISO films for that reason.

It would also allow you to use lenses at deeper stops to have also a larger depth of field.

If you need slower shutter speeds or shallower depth of field simply use ND (Neutral Density) filters.

The biggest problem you will find with NDs, is that if you are using a reflex camera it will get very dark when looking trough the eyepiece and might be a bit harder to focus.

The main advantage with high ISO film compared with digital sensors is that film is not sensitive to Infrared pollution as silicon based sensors. So adding heavy NDs will not affect the color of the images.

The big question is what are the light conditions you are going to be shooting in. To be in a forest under the trees you will find high ISOs very useful. On a cloudless day on open space maybe not as much. The greatest advantage, even today, is that film handles highlights much more gracefully than most digital cameras. The amount of detail you will have in the clouds and other very bright elements will make a huge difference. Remember the old wise advice: "Expose for the shadows and let the highlights take care of themselves"

Answer 6

Yes, you can. As the others have noted, the quality of the pictures is not as good as with less sensitive films: more grain and less brilliant colors (for color films).

About 20 years ago, I've often used Kodak Ektachrome 1600 (a diapositive film) as ISO 3200. A typical use case was tele action photos without a tripod. An old 500mm lens requires 1/500s or shorter to make that work.

Like your camera, mine only could be set to ISO 1600, and I had to turn down exposure by one step. I mostly used shutter-priority with a time of 1/500s or 1/1000s.

Answer 7

Congrats on getting back into film! One of the things that hasn't been mentioned yet is why you select a particular film. Film has a "look" to it and that look can be influenced by developers and whether or not you push or pull the film.

So, when you select a film to use, you need to consider the look you're going for and what the film speed will mean for your Aperture/Shutter Speed ranges in the given shooting condition.

Let's say you've got nothing but Delta 3200 in the bag and it's a bright sunny day. You could shoot it at 3200 and be forced to expose around super small apertures and fast shutter speeds. Or, you could shoot this film at 800 and get more leeway in terms of aperture/shutter range. Got another roll of it heading into the night? Shoot that one at 6400 - or even push it to 12,800.

The same is true in reverse. Personally, I absolutely love the look of Pan F+, a 50 ISO film. This doesn't mean that I can only shoot it in bright situations. I can also shoot it at night - but it does mean that at night, I'm going to need a tripod and some long shutter speeds. And that's perfectly okay.