Best film: our picks of the best 35mm film, roll film, and sheet film for your camera

Looking for the best film for your camera? It can understandably be a little confusing to figure out at first, with the sheer amount of options sometimes being overwhelming for new photographers. Depending on the the type of camera you have, you'll need to pick the right size of film, and then there's the box speed to consider, before you even get into the question of whether you want colour film or black and white!

We've put together this guide to help you sort through it all. We've rounded up the best films you can buy for all types of camera, including 35mm (the most common type, equivalent to a full-frame camera in digital photography terms), a medium format camera (120 film), or even a large format camera (sheet film). From old classics to newer and more experimental artisan film, there's plenty for you to choose from. Bear in mind that we're not dealing with instant film photography (e.g. Polaroids) in this guide – check out our best instant cameras guide for more help there.

You can scroll to the bottom of this page for a more thorough explanation of the types of film on offer, or read straight on for our quick list of top picks before the main list. And if you need a camera to get started as well as some film, check out our massive guide to the best film cameras

The quick list

Best 35mm film

With so many 35mm films on the market, we've had to be really selective about which ones we include. Some have stood the test of time while others are complete newcomers that offer funky colors to completely change the look of your image. To make this guide easy to navigate we've split it into three sections: color negative, black and white, and color transparency film. 35mm is often referred to as '135' so if you see that number instead, just remember we mean 35mm film!

35mm color negative film

Portra 400 film has gained a passionate following amongst the film community thanks to its flexibility when shooting in different lighting conditions and its beautifully rendered grain and colors. The only downside with Kodak Portra 400 is that it's only sold in packs of three or five, so you can't officially buy a single roll to experiment with (while you might be able to find single rolls on eBay, be warned that they will have been taken out of their official packaging). However, it's such a good quality film that we can almost guarantee you won't be disappointed.

See our full Kodak Portra 400 review.

Like the mythical phoenix for which it is named, Harman's Phoenix 200 hopefully heralds a rebirth of new color film stocks. Released as a limited run in 2023, this 35mm film is a statement of intent, with Harman intending to release more film in future if they sell enough of it. That is a clear incentive to buy it, but Harman Phoenix is also a solid color film in its own right, with pleasingly warm tones and a distinctive look. We found the grain to be a little heavy and the colors unpredictable, with intermittent purple hues intruding on images, and a sickly yellow look to skin tones. But it's a promising start, and makes for a fun 36 shots to rattle through.

See our full Harman Phoenix 200 review.

Kodak claims the world's finest grain for a color-negative film, thanks to its T-Grain technology. This film also boasts high saturation and sharpness, and Kodak says it's ideal for scanning and enlarging. Its rendition looks ideal for commercial and landscape photography, and it's cheaper than shooting transparency film.

Fujifilm Superia X-TRA 400 is one of the most readily available films and is one of the few remaining in Fujifilm's very diminished options. It has been significantly affected by recent price gouges, but is it still worth it though? The answer would be yes.

Very versatile, the film handles indoor and outdoor lighting admirably, and when properly exposed exhibits very minimal and smooth grain. The colors are muted compared to other films, but with a heavy magenta tint and a much cooler palette that might not be to everyone's liking.

Read our full Fujifilm Superia X-TRA 400 review.

Kodak says Portra 160 is designed with fine grain for scanning and enlargement in a digital workflow. It's one of three films in the Portra family (there are Portra 400 and 800 variants too) and it's designed for smooth and natural skin tones, and for a variety of work from portraits and fashion to commercial photography.

This is one of the most widely-available color print films available today - with an ISO400 speed that makes it a sensible choice for a wide variety of subjects. The film has a wide exposure latitude; this is particularly useful when using this with old cameras where you can't guarantee the metering - or with basic models that have no built-in metering at all. As we have come to expect from Kodak mass-market films, Ultramax offers rich colors and punch contrast that many photographers love.

This is a very similar film in terms of looks and uses as Kodak Ultramax - the key difference is that it is a stop slower, with an ISO rating of 200. As such, this is the better choice of the two if you are shooting in bright outdoor conditions - as this should give marginally less grain than its ISO400 sibling. Widely available - and if you shop around this should be more affordable than many other color print films on the market (but do note that 24-exposure rolls can cost as much as a 36-exposure one!).

35mm black and white film

Ilford's latest version of its classic fast film can be developed in traditional black-and-white chemistry. It is a great all-round film, suitable for those who just want to try monochrome – or for those who are looking for a film that will respond well to push processing for lowlight use. 

Read our full Ilford HP5 Plus review

What can you say about Kodak Tri-X? Made famous by a generation of documentary and war photographers, it's pretty tolerant of exposure variations and push/pull processing and produces strong gritty images with good detail rendition. Maybe a bit rough and ready for today's tastes, but it still has 'the look'.

Ilford's XP1 'chromogenic' film caused quite a stir when it first appeared, offering black and white photographers the exposure latitude and easy lab processing of color negative film, with smoother, finer grain than other ISO 400 mono films. The updated XP2S is still an interesting option for 35mm black and white fans who like latitude and not grain!

Lomography is one of the main driving forces behind the film photography revival. And as well as producing its own range of beautifully-designed Lomo cameras, it also has a range of films too. This black-and-white film has been given a twist with imaginative branding – and is sold in three-roll packs.

35mm transparency film

Velvia has gained a reputation as the world's richest, most super-saturated, and sharpest color transparency film ever. Kodachrome used to carry that crown, but it looks positively restrained by comparison. Not everyone loves Velvia 50's strong colors and contrasts, but it's now gained immortality among Fujifilm's digital Film Simulation modes.

See also Best slide viewers

This film has just been revived by Kodak (the new Kodak film-making spin-off following the break-up of the old company). It offers the same ISO rating as Velvia 100, but you might find it has slightly less exaggerated colors. It uses the same generic E-6 transparency processing chemistry, though, so getting your films developed shouldn't be a problem.

Velvia 100 arrived as Velvia 50's more responsible, more usable sibling. It's one f-stop faster, which makes it a fraction easier to use if the light's not good, and the colors are perhaps a bit more natural-looking than Velvia 50's, but there's not much in it. Both films use widely-available E-6 processing, unlike the other old favorite, Kodachrome.

Best Film: 120 roll film

The medium format film market is surprisingly healthy, and the 120 roll film format is relatively inexpensive. It's versatile too, as some cameras use it for 6cm x 6cm square images, narrower 6cm x 4.5cm negatives or wider 6cm x 7cm or even 6cm x 9cm shots. Again, we've organized these films into color negative, black and white and color transparency films.

Medium format color negative film

This is the same Extar 100 film available in 35mm format, but this time on 120 roll film. Its combination of fine grain (T-Grain), high saturation and sharpness should make it good for all kinds of commercial work, and an alternative to transparency film for landscapes, scenic shoots and travel.

Kodak Portra 160 is a good choice for medium format portrait photographers, being optimised for smooth and natural-looking skintones. If ISO 160 is too slow, there are ISO 400 and ISO 800 versions too, though as ever with faster films, grain becomes an issue much sooner than it does with digital sensors.

You can get Lomography's distinctive yellow/orange/red color shifts in a medium format version of its Redscale XR 50200 film. This could be ideal if you're going for a strong retro vibe and you're experimenting with an old medium format TLR, for example, or one of Lomography's own cameras.

It is the high ISO rating that is the attraction of this Portrait color negative film. This is particularly useful for those shooting gigs or theater productions - and for sporting events. The film has more noticeable grain than films with an ISO of 400 or slower - so should only be used for subjects where a long exposure or a tripod are not an option.

Medium format black and white film

Ilford FP4 Plus is an evolution of a film that's been a favourite among scenic photographers for decades. It's an all-rounder, offering reasonable speed, good contrast and definition and pretty fine grain – though its characteristics will depend on which of many available developers you use with it.

The effect isn't quite the same as Kodak's long-gone HIE infra-red film, but Ilford SFX200 does have extended red sensitivity and, when used with a deep red filter, can produce attractive infra-red images. It's easier to load and handle than Kodak's film, too, needing no special handling precautions. It's worth noting that although this film is still available at some retailers, it has now been discontinued by Ilford so it won't be around forever.

Medium format transparency film

At 50 ISO you're going to want to use a tripod to shoot with Velvia 50. Although more commonly known as 35mm slide film, it's also available in 120mm medium format film as packs of five. The 35mm version is rather expensive but the medium format version doesn't seem like bad value at all.

Best film: Best sheet Film

If you thought that large format film was scarce by now, you'll be pleasantly surprised! Again, there are more films out there than we have space to list, so we've picked a few highlights to give you a flavor of what you can get. Processing sheet film is trickier than with smaller formats, but we figure if you've got the dedication and skill to handle a large format camera you're not going to be daunted by the processing. 

We've picked the 'universal' 5 x 4-inch format for our buying links, but note that may of these films are available in larger sizes too, up to 10 x 8 inch and beyond! Be aware that while large format film is easy enough to get in the US, you might have to resort to some international shopping in other territories.

Color negative sheet film

Large-format portrait photographers have a ready-made film in Portra 160. There are ISO 400 and 800 versions too, but if you're working with a large format camera you're hardly likely to be running around taking handheld shots via available light, so the ISO 160 version looks the best best for quality.

Kodak's fine grain color negative film with high saturation and sharpness is available in large format sheet film sizes too. With the advent of digital imaging and tools for color negative film masking, large format photographers are not necessarily restricted to just transparency or black and white film.

Black and white sheet film

Ilford Delta 100 comes in sizes from 35mm through medium format and right up to sheet film size. The Delta range is like a more modern, finer-grained replacement for Ilford's classic black and white films like FP4, though many photographers still prefer the look of the older product and you can still buy both.

This is the same FP4 Plus offered in medium format and 35mm sizes, though when used in large format cameras its fine grain pattern will be far less visible and you can concentrate instead on its tonal qualities. You have a choice of developers, including Ilford ID11, Kodak D-76) the same thing or various liquid concentrates.

Kodak Professional T-Max 100 is like the Kodak equivalent of Ilford's Delta 100 film, boasting very fine grain, thanks to Kodak's T-Grain technology. In fact, Kodak says it's the finest-grain film of its speed in the world. Yes, another one. Don't worry, this was what they argued about in the days before autofocus speed comparisons.

Interestingly, the large format Tri-X is rated at a slightly lower speed than the 35mm version. It's recommended for portraits, indoor photography and situations with high brightness ranges – this is a classic virtue of faster black and white films that can often offset their increased grain for pictorial photography.

How to choose the best film

Film can be split into three main types: color negative film, black and white negative film and transparency (slide film).

Color negative film: this is one of the most popular types of film and is widely available from specialist camera shops as well as Amazon. The film is developed using a process called C-41 which is available in all labs and is particularly useful for digitizing film as it easily handles the orange mask and negative tones of a color negative. 

Black-and-white negative film: Images without color are often deemed a more arty choice, and black-and-white shooting is popular among film enthusiasts. It can be easily processed at home, which is why film students and anyone who wants to develop themselves might choose to shoot with it—although it's a much more involved process than sending it off to a lab.

Transparency film or slide film: used to be a favorite option for professionals, as there wasn't an intermediate printing stage to lower the quality and add to the cost. You could also easily send off slides to editors and picture libraries. Because this isn't as popular today, however, the range of transparency films is a little more limited than it used to be. All modern slide film is developed using the E-6 process that's widely available in labs.

How we test film

At Digital Camera World, many of our reviewers and other contributors have been shooting since the heyday of film, so we're more than prepared to lend our critical eye to analog photography kit as well as digital. When we test film, we do exactly what you would expect – load it up into a film camera and shoot a few rolls. We assess the film's colour palette, consistency, dynamic range, grain and tolerance for over/underexposure. We shoot a variety of different subjects – human, vegetable, animal and mineral – to get a sense of how the film performs in different situations, and will generally do our shooting at the manufacturer's recommended box speed. Learn more about how we test and review at Digital Camera World. 

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