For fish photographers, there are two primary decisions to make regarding films. The first is the choice between slides and prints.

Arguments for using slides: aquarists interested in photographing their fish are usually members of aquarium societies where slide presentations occur at almost every meeting. This is an important consideration if you plan to share your pictures with a large audience.

Magazines almost exclusively use slides for publication. If you have aspirations of publishing your photos and experiences in a magazine or a book, slides are almost a necessity. If prints are used in publication, the results are often mediocre. Prints are two steps away from the original film, which means the negatives used in generating the print is the first step. The print itself, which is produced from the negative, is the second step. Every step away from the original degrades the image a little. Slides are only one step away from the original.

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Slides show an unbiased image of the subject.

Slides show an unbiased image of the subject. If you have the proper exposure calculated for the picture, what you shoot will be what you see on the slide. With prints, your exposure calculations have reduced relevance, since the machines used to process the film will usually compensate or change the exposure. I find that machines overexpose most prints. Overexposure reduces the color saturation and the print looks dull and colorless. You can, however, ask the developer not to exposure compensate. Some developers will comply.

Slides are usually cheaper than prints to develop. Slides are also easier to store and do not turn yellow or age as fast as prints. This is assuming you store the slides in a slide holder, in cool, dry and dark place. Kodachrome 64 is a slide film known to age very little. All images on this web site were scanned from slides.

Arguments for using prints: there are numerous varieties of films, most of which can be purchased anywhere. The quality of print films has improved tremendously in the last decade, with impressive color rendition and grain size. Prints are also being used frequently in news media.

Prints can be processed almost anywhere and for the impatient, often within an hour.

There is no need for a loupe (a small, hand-held lens used to scrutinize images on slides) or an expensive projector. Slide projectors are heavy, bulky and fragile and require pricey replacement bulbs.

Prints are easy to share with other hobbyists.

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For best results, use ASA 100 films. This is the most common speed used by pros.

Now that you have some of the facts about prints and slides, the second decision is the choice of a specific film. The bad news first: this can get a little complicated. The good news: you cannot go wrong since more contemporary films have impressive color and grain size. If you favor slides, you must first choose the speed of the film. For best results, use ASA 100 films. This is the most common speed used by pros. Some use Fuji Velvia, which is close to ASA 50. Kodachrome 64 (ASA 64) is old and familiar but is being outcompeted in the marketplace by new, modern 100 ASA films.

If you are serious about fish photography and have the proper lighting equipment, you can easily use ASA 100 films. If you are not willing to invest in equipment to sufficiently illuminate your subject, you may get by with faster film. ASA 200 requires half as much light as ASA 100 and ASA 400 requires half as much light as ASA 200. Therefore, you can get suitable exposure with a quarter of the amount of light if you use ASA 400 instead of ASA 100.

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ASA 400 film is much grainier, more costly and less colorful than ASA 100.

So, why doesn t everyone use ASA 400? Well, ASA 400 film is much grainier, more costly and less colorful than ASA 100. If you decide to publish your ASA 400 film, the image will perform poorly if enlarged it will be grainy. ASA 800 offers twice the speed but it is even grainier than ASA 400. 400 and 800 speed films may allow you to photograph your fish without a flash if you use a very wide aperture and lengthy shutter speeds, conditions that will invariably lead to images with poor depth of field and blurry subjects respectively.

Assuming you want superior results and you have decided on 100-speed film, you still have some decisions to make. You have at least two choices from Fuji, namely, Fujichrome Sensia II and Fujichrome Provia. The former is a relatively inexpensive film that performs extremely well in aquarium photography. Its colors are neutral and true and the grain lends itself well to enlargement. It is a personal favorite. Provia is a professional version of Sensia and needs to be refrigerated to give optimal results. It is expensive but the images are fabulous. Fuji's 50 speed Velvia is a highly regarded film due to its fine grain but its colors are a bit exaggerated and the color balance is warm.

Kodak also offers a few entries into this busy segment Ektachrome Elite II, Ektachrome E100S and E100SW. Elite II offers excellent grain size and color saturation but it is too warm the images have a yellow cast. E100S is an expensive but highly desirable film. It is also slightly warm in its color tone but not as much as E100SW, which will make a white fish appear cream. The S stands for saturated color and W for warm color balance. Kodak's Ektachrome Lumiere was an excellent film but it is not in production any longer.

I dislike warm toned films because the fish look like they were illuminated with incandescent lights and it looks like you forgot to do a water-change. Kodak produces an excellent professional film EPP 100 that is difficult to find but it has a neutral color balance. Kodachrome 64 also recreates natural colors but they have to be sent away to the manufacturer for processing and development, a chore I would rather avoid. The third major manufacturer of films, Agfa, produces a few good products. My last experience with Agfa s 100-speed film was satisfactory but it is not my favorite.

My choice for day-to-day fish photography: Fujichrome Sensia II 100. I mail order large quantities and store them in my refrigerator until needed. If you refrigerate your films, remember to allow 30 minutes or so to warm up before you take it out of the carton. Otherwise you risk moistening the film in the high humidity surroundings of the fish room.

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The best film will not rescue an image ruined by insufficient light or an unattractive tank.

With print films, the choices are less dramatic, in my opinion. Almost all 100 and 200 speed print films from Kodak and Fuji are fine performers. If you have enough light, use the 100 speed films, if you have ample light but desire greater depth of field, 200 or 400 may be options. Generally, 400 speed print films appear to have finer grain than 400 speed slide films. Fuji s 400 and 800 speed print films appear to have finer grain than Kodak s equivalent. Often, the name of a slide film ends in the suffix chrome and print films with color.

So, those are the choices to be made before film purchase. Choice of film can make a difference but only if you already have good lighting and optics (lens.) The best film will not rescue an image ruined by the lack of light or an unattractive tank.

Photography Article Index
• Choosing the Right Camera
• Choosing the Right Lens
• Let There be Light
• Choosing the Right Film
• Techniques in Aquarium Photography

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http://geocities.datacellar.net/NapaValley/5491 Latest update: 12 February 2000 Comments on this page: E-Mail author