Six Incredible Films for Low Light Conditions

Shooting under low-light conditions such as night, indoors or on overcast days requires more than a steady hand (or a tripod) if you're aiming for outstanding results. You also need proper gear, which of course includes film!

In this article, we’ve listed six fast films for low-light scenarios to help you with your next challenging shoot.

Lomography Color Negative 800 (35 mm, 120)

A great all-rounder for round-the-clock photo shoots, this speedy Lomography film is a great choice for concerts, parties, and low-lit indoor scenes. With its rich contrast, fine analogue grain structure and natural color balance, Lomography Color Negative 800 is ready and raring to capture the night.

Kodak Portra 800 (35 mm, 120)

This smooth-grained film is known for its sharpness and natural skin tones, making it an ideal pick for portraiture. Kodak Portra 800 has great edge detail and low contrast, making it great for printing or post-production.

Cinestill 800 (35 mm)

As it’s made from motion film stock, Cinestill 800 is widely popular among analogue shooters for evoking a strong cinematic effect especially in difficult lighting situations. The tungsten-balanced color negative film can add a dramatic flair to almost any night-time scene. What's more, it is easily pushed up to three stops, giving you an incredibly fast ISO of 3200 to play with.

Fujifilm Natura 1600 (35 mm)

This emulsion has been prized for its beautiful colors and fine grain. Made to complement Fujifilm’s Natura cameras, this film stock also works wonders with any 35 mm camera. It’s the fastest in Fujifilm’s range, but unfortunately this well-loved film stock was discontinued in 2017, so while some rolls might still be available on the market, it's most likely not found cheap.

Ilford Delta 3200 Professional (35 mm, 120)

When nothing else is fast enough, Ilford Delta 3200 is your best bet. This black and white film has a large grain structure, producing pleasing sharp snaps with an unmistakably analogue look. Perfect for street photography and any situation that is action-packed!

Kodak T-MAX P3200 (35 mm)

The last on our list, the Kodak TMAX P3200 is a reliable high-speed film for getting fine grain especially for night-time photography. As it has a native ISO of 800, this also makes the black-and-white film stock pretty flexible, though it shines particularly in low-lit scenarios such as concerts, indoors and street photography at night.

Share your own favorite films and after dark adventures in the comment section below!

Refresh your film supply with Lomography film.

2023-10-09 #gear #tutorials #tipster #low-light #high-iso-film #top-five-list