Top Five: Film Stock Shootout
The Doomsday Clock ticks perilously close to midnight, Colesworth has fleeced your latest paycheck, and your camera holds only three shots of borrowed hope. This isn’t Bruce Willis’ latest blockbuster thriller—it’s worse—you’re shopping for film in 2025.
Words & Photos: Morgan Rudolph.
You shuffle forward, uneasy, toward the counter as the queue behind you buckles with impatience. Kodak? Fujifilm? Lomography? Ilford? CineStill? Five brands, endless emulsions, and one inevitable outcome—choice paralysis! Presenting five film stocks to click-and-destroy in 2025, manically curated by the film buff huffing and puffing down your neck.
FujiFilm Velvia
We’re kicking things off with Fujifilm’s most highly saturated colour transparency film, Velvia. This incredibly fine-grain, low-speed, daylight-balanced stock is coveted by landscape photographers for its vivid green and blue tonal range. With a narrow exposure latitude, Velvia is notoriously difficult to expose without an accurate light meter. Be prepared to pay a premium for E-6/CR-56 processing at the lab. We’ll be reaching for Fujifilm Velvia on our next hike—just don’t forget your tripod.
TYPE: Colour Positive/E-6
PRICE: $$$
SPEED: 50 & 100ISO
SATURATION: High
GRAIN: Fine
EXPOSURE LATITUDE: Narrow
Sample FujiFilm Velvia images on Instagram, HERE.
CineStill 800T
Kodak’s Vision3 500T motion picture stock, thoughtfully adapted for still photography. By removing the rem-jet layer—a sacrificial coating of carbon, wax, and adhesive that prevents scratching, static discharge, and reduces halation, symptomatic of motion picture hardware—CineStill have made this emulsions compatible with C-41 chemistry. Conveniently packaged in standardised 135 cassettes with DX coding or spooled in 120 backing paper. This tungsten balanced stock literally shines in artificial light with long exposures.
TYPE: Colour Negative/C-41
PRICE: $$
SPEED: 800ISO
SATURATION: Medium/High
GRAIN: Medium/Coarse
EXPOSURE LATITUDE: Wide
Sample CineStill 800T images on Instagram, HERE.
Ilford HP5 Plus
Introduced in 1931, Ilford’s fifth hypersensitive panchromatic stock offers a noticeable grain structure, wide exposure latitude, and an undeniably classic look. Dust off your Paterson tank—HP5 Plus is ideal for push processing and develops reliably in a range of solutions. We’re reaching for Ilford HP5 Plus on gritty street photography assignments, extra credit if you’re experimenting with filter kits.
TYPE: Black & White Negative
PRICE: $
SPEED: 400ISO
CONTRAST: Medium/High
GRAIN: Coarse
EXPOSURE LATITUDE: Wide
Sample Ilford HP5 Plus images on Instagram, HERE.
Kodak Gold
A fan favourite among point-and-shoot enthusiasts, Kodak’s most optimistic consumer-grade stock, Gold, offers a distinctive soft grain, a warm, sunlit aesthetic, and an affordable price. In 2022, Kodak recognised the demand for a budget-friendly medium format option, releasing this beloved emulsion in 120—thank you, Kodak. We’re reaching for Kodak Gold for everyday duties and long summer road trips.
TYPE: Colour Negative/C-41
PRICE: $
SPEED: 200ISO
SATURATION: Medium
GRAIN: Medium
EXPOSURE LATITUDE: Medium
Sample Kodak Gold images on Instagram, HERE.
Kodak Portra
Kodak’s premium C-41 colour negative film stock offers the world’s finest grain at 400 speed, wide exposure latitude, and soft, natural skin tones second to none. Widely considered the most versatile film stock in production, Portra is revered by professional architecture, fashion, landscape, and portrait photographers alike. Despite the hefty price tag, this emulsion is highly sought and often difficult to lay your hands on. Believe the hype and stock your fridge!
TYPE: Colour Negative/C-41
PRICE: $$$
SPEED: 160, 400 & 800ISO
SATURATION: Low
GRAIN: Fine
EXPOSURE LATITUDE: Wide
Sample Kodak Portra images on Instagram, HERE.
Next time you’re low on ammo and contemplating life’s existential questions—Why are my rolls blank? Is there a purpose to my suffering? And, which film stock should I underexpose next?—refer to this listicle. Just leave some Portra for the rest of us.
