ISO 800 film

by Markus Ehrenfried 

Normally I prefer ISO 100 film whenever possible and otherwise -- under difficult light conditions (for example for macros) -- I use ISO 400 material. I almost never use ISO 200 films anymore as the single step in film speed is not really a big improvement compared to ISO 100 and modern ISO 400 films are surprisingly good. Sure, ISO 100 has much finer grain and on prints bigger than 13x18cm one can clearly see it (whereas it is quite difficult to distinguish ISO 100 from ISO 400 on 10x15cm prints!) but if the faster film allows me to take a sharper picture due to shorter shutter speeds or a smaller aperture I'm willing to pay for that with some grain. It's just a matter of personal taste: I prefer a sharp picture with some grain on ISO 400 instead of a blurred picture on ISO 100 film.

Out of sheer curiosity I recently tried an ISO 800 film: the Fujicolor Superia X-TRA 800. I read somewhere that one can use this film rated as ISO 400 and expose it at ISO 800 only when needed (under low light conditions). I didn't do that. I exposed the whole roll at ISO 800. I have the impression that the two steps from ISO 100 to ISO 400 mean much less quality loss than the single additional step from ISO 400 to ISO 800. Colours are less saturated and even on 10x15cm prints some grain is clearly visible, but not to an extend that I would call disturbing or distracting. It's not dramatic, but it's clearly there. Of course I cannot show it with the digitized pictures on this webpage as even at 100% magnification of the negative it would mix with the noise of the scanner and you would get a misleading impression (-- when I inspect the 'grain' visible in the scans it looks quite different compared to the grain I can see on the negatives or the 10x15cm laser prints I ordered).

That said, the film is impressive. I would never use it in a situation where I could also use an ISO 400 film but there are situations where you'll need just this additional step in film speed to get a reasonable picture at all. For these occasions this film is perfect and I decided to have always one roll in my photo bag -- just in case I'll need it some day.

The picture above shows the Alter Elbtunnel in Hamburg and I took it with a Zeiss Biogon 2.8/28mm lens at f/2.8 and 1/60s. This shutter speed is of course pretty much on the safe side for a 28mm lens: the general rule 'use the reciprocal of the focal length as shutter speed in seconds' would suggest approx. 1/30s. I have to admit that I was never especially good in handholding at low shutter speeds, so I try to shoot one step faster whenever possible. The picture of the Elbtunnel is tack sharp and has very good contrast, something I have to blame on the Zeiss lens which is even at open aperture outstanding.

The following two pictures show the Foyer of the Deutsches Schauspielhaus. Both were taken also at f/2.8 and 1/60s with the same 28mm Zeiss lens:

As you can see, even at full aperture the short focal length of 28mm delivers sufficient depth of field. Unfortunately I tilted the camera slightly upwards when I took the second picture. I often cannot resist doing that although I know how much I dislike the effect it creates. Oh well....

Something which always surprises me when I take pictures under low light conditions with fast film is how 'bright' the pictures look. I know, it's somehow clear that this is exactely how it works -- it collects light -- but still: the foyer shown in the upper two pictures looks brightly lit as if the chandelier was illuminating the whole room but in fact I remember the light to be very dim. Don't get me wrong: I'm not surprised by the effect itself as it is quite obvious from the physics point of view, but I have to learn what I have to expect when I take a picture under conditions like that.

I guess I just have to trust the film that it will produce a decent picture even if it is nearly dark. When I took this picture of a staircase in Hamburgs Chilehaus it was so dark that I almost couldn't make out the ground floor, while the picture, exposed at f/2.8 for 1/20s (I rested the camera against the banister), makes me wonder if there is something wrong with my eyes:  (no, I didn't just enter from outside and was blinded by the sunlight :)

Although pictures tend to look much brighter than I remember the reality to be, the colours look very natural under low light conditions. I could not find any strange colour cast on the photos taken indoors, but when used in bright light (e.g. outdoors during the day) the film clearly performs less good than slower material. When I left the Chilehaus I took a picture under daylight conditions, lens stopped down to f/22:

Comparing this picture with others of the same building, taken on ISO 100 and ISO 400 material, it is obvious to me that one shouldn't use ISO 800 under conditions which allow slower film speeds. There is clearly visible grain expecially in the blue of the sky, but it's not only the grain: the colour saturation is weak and also the contrast is not convicing. It looks almost like an underexposed picture on ISO 400. Next time I will try what happens when I overexpose the ISO 800 material by one or two stops if there is 'enough' light available.

Here are some pictures, taken at the Levantehaus in Hamburgs Mönckebergstraße, again all of them taken with the Zeiss 28mm lens @ f/2.8:

The strong point of the Fuji Superia X-TRA 800 is clearly that it can produce pictures in low light situations which appear very natural, and then it performs impressively well.