Okay, so last weekend I decided to do a little experiment with my film camera. I had this roll of ISO 200 film and another one of ISO 400, and I was curious about the actual difference it makes in everyday shooting. I loaded up my camera with the ISO 200 first.
It was a bright, sunny day, perfect for testing. I walked around my neighborhood, taking pictures of pretty much anything – buildings, trees, people on the street. I tried to keep the lighting conditions as consistent as possible for each shot to really see how the film speed affected the photos.
After I finished the ISO 200 roll, I switched to the 400. I repeated the same walk, shooting at roughly the same spots, under the same sunlight. It was interesting because even to my naked eye, things looked slightly different through the viewfinder, but I couldn’t really tell how it would affect the pictures.
The real test came when I got the pictures back. Honestly, in broad daylight, the differences were not extremely obvious. Both rolls produced decent shots. But I did notice the ISO 400 photos had a bit more flexibility with exposure. For example, in shadows or slightly darker areas, the ISO 400 roll did capture more details.
Later that day, I also took some photos indoors, without flash. That’s where the ISO 400 showed its strength. The pictures were noticeably brighter and clearer, while the ISO 200 ones came out a bit dark and grainy. I guess it’s true what they say – ISO 400 is better for low-light situations.
My Takeaway
- ISO 200 is fine for sunny outdoor shooting.
- ISO 400 gives you more flexibility, especially in mixed lighting or indoors.
- You can use ISO 400 all the time, but 200 is not ideal if you’re not in good lighting.
So, there you have it. It was a fun little experiment. I would say, if you are not sure what to expect in terms of lighting, go with ISO 400. If you know you will be in bright conditions, ISO 200 works just fine.
Next time, I might try pushing the ISO 400 film to 800 and see what happens. Always something new to learn with film photography, right?
