There are many different types of film to choose from, so many that it might seem overwhelming. One might think that to obtain a professional image, a professional type of film is needed, but some of my own favorite images have been taken with a consumer-grade film, like my favorite, Fujifilm Superia .

What is most important when picking from the different types of film is the speed of the film.

400 speed: This speed is good for outdoor and indoor shots without a flash. Since the film is faster, it’s more sensitive to light and will make your indoor shots less blurry. This is the most common film that people use. The only drawback to 400 speed film is that if you are planning to enlarge a photograph in a lab or in a darkroom, 400 will appear more “grainy” than other types of film, like 100 and 200 speed films.

200 speed: This is my personal favorite. 200 is still good for well-light indoor scenarios and excellent for outdoor photography. It has less grain than 400 speed film, so when making large prints, your images will come out looking sharp.

100 speed: I also enjoy 100 speed film, as it is even less grainy than 200, but it’s not a good film to choose if you plan on doing indoor, natural light photography. Unless you are in a very well lit room by a window, or have a very expensive lens, the aperture and shutter speed usually aren’t going to be able to accommodate this film well enough to make the image sharp if you are holding the camera yourself. Indoor shots with moving people will come out blurry, and a tripod would be needed for a longer shutter speed.

The less commonly used types of film are the 800, 1600 and 3200 speed film. They are more expensive and extremely sensitive to light. If you are doing photography in a dimly-lit bar, or at a party, these are great choices. They will pick up the available light and make very interesting and crisp photographs. However, they are the grainiest films of all! So don’t expect the smooth images that you will get with the more common types of film.