BEST Backpacking Film

I recently bought a Cannon Rebel TI with a Sigma 28-105 mm lens� I am

moving away from using slide film because of many reasons. My

question is�.what brand and make of film will be my best option to

use while on extended (3 weeks or more) backpacking trips. Most of

my pictures are of landscapes with many being close-ups of flowers (I

carry a 12 mm extension tube.) I also carry a polarizer and two

different Graduated Neutral Density filters for sunrises and

sunsets. I am looking at using 400 speed but have NO idea about

makes of film. I am willing to spend more than I usually do�but I

really don�t want to break the bank. For this trip I need to buy 10-

12 rolls.

Tri-X (B&W) or Kodachrome 64 (color)

Kodak Portra 400UC. The undisputed champion of ISO 400 color print films.

I'd dispute that

Ellis - Kodachrome is fantastic stuff, but he specified no slides.

 

Anyway, my advice to you would be to go to a shop that sells a wide range of films, buy one roll of anything you might like to try out and shoot it to see what it does. Your opinion of what constitutes good color may vary a lot from the next person's opinion. A case in point is a film like Velvia (slides again, but for the sake of discussion a good film to consider). Some people love the hypersaturated colors, others think they look phony. Only you can decide what you like. There's no right answer except your own.

Ditto Kodachrome. It always pulls its own weight. I can't get Velvia to even help carry cartridges for the Rigby on safari, the sluggard.

For backpacking, you probably want one of the modern films with less silver in them, as metal is heavy. :)

 

On a serious note, what about 400CN (or XP2) if you're looking for black and white, or one of the Fuji 400 for color? Decent exposure latitude, and they can be rated at 200 for better shadow detail or less visible grain.

Portra rocks, I love the NC160. You can't go wrong with that stuff, i love it processed at the Fuji Frontier machine. Have a great trip.

Adam - You'll never know for sure until you try stuff for yourself and see what you prefer, but...

...I don't shoot enough b&w to help there. For print films, I use PortraNC, but mostly for people shots. There's a "higher saturation" version of Portra that you may like for landscapes. The Fuji print films have also produced some good results. Then again, for a 3-week backpacking trip, I'd be carrying a bunch of Velvia and E100G, plus some Velvia 100F, so what do I know.

Will you bring a tripod? Slower films are best, but if you intend to do all handheld shots then fast film is a must. Conditions will be important issue... full sun, overcast, shade. Choose one film that works well in full sun, and another that's better in overcast or shade, and plan on swapping when neccessary (even mid-roll rewind if possible)

This poor man. Three people recommended him slide film when he doesn't want to use it.

Most of his shots can be done with tripod and on subjects where ISO 100 excels for colour and enlargements but he seems to need some speed versatility for some reason.

I don't think one type of film may be versatile enough for him over a whole three weeks. I would think most rolls should be 100 with some 800 thrown in for night.