Love film travel photography but limited in night street / indoors?

For slide film Provia 400X shot at 400 or pushed 2 stops to 1600.

For black and white I push trix to 1600 or shoot delta3200. Or most films at iso 400 are ok when shot wide open.

It's not smooth grain free, but I like it that way. Also my lenses are f1.4 and f1.5 on a range finder and I hand hold it to 1/15.

You can check my flickr for some examples.

ericdan said:

I took some night shots around town the other day at f/2.8 and 1/15th of a second with 100 speed slide film. I am sure that indoors is not a problem with films like Portra 400. You may even have a faster lens than me in which case you can do even better.

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Your "indoors" must be way brighter lit than my "indoors." I was shooting some OUTDOOR shots of my wife's family shooting basketball in the driveway in Montgomery, AL on Portra 400, heavy overcast and just before sunset, much brighter than indoors in any night cafe, and getting speeds only about a stop or two better than that - 1/30th and 1/60th at 2.8.

I used to push TMZ to 6400 with pretty good results. So far I haven't tried Delta 3200 at 6400 but I think it will do ok with greatly extended development (at LEAST the Ilford times for 12500.) I've done the "photos of black cats on coal piles at midnight" available light thing far too much since the 70s and kind of want to get a DSLR just for this and family snapshots for which I lack both the time and inclination to work on in the darkroom. Last summer I found myself in New Orleans, in a warehouse at night, watching a clown show by a bunch of tattooed, pierced, clowns doing definitely adult jokes and such, with TMZ loaded into my Pentax LX - even at a potential 6400 I was getting about 1/15th at f/1.7, my fastest lens. I just gave up, put the camera away and enjoyed the show.

If 3200 will suffice you can get really nice black and white results with Delta 3200. (I still have some cold stored barely in date TMZ but that is very soon a complete thing of the past considering how poorly it keeps.) If you need color at that speed or need faster speed in either color or black and white, just go over to the dark side. It's temporary, causes no lasting harm, and really isn't habit forming. It will make you appreciate film when appropriate, and stop the Procrustean attempt to use film at all costs even when it's not the best tool.

splash_fr said:

Most private parties I've visited lately to take some fotos have been really dark, as in f/1.5, ISO3200, 1/30 dark. but it's still doable handheld! expect a lot of blurry and out of focus foots though...

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This. I don't know where these folks are shooting these "400 is fast enough, or 800 certainly" or if they just meter differently (in which case I'm sure that *I* at least wouldn't like their results) but - this. Yes you can do it. You can also put an outboard engine on a bathtub and call it a motorboat, and it might work in a pinch if you need a boat but only HAVE a bathtub and motor, but it's not the best tool for skiing or a bass tournament.

EDIT: I had assumed the reference to carrying two bodies was to one film, one...evil. But if it's to two film bodies then I wouldn't have said the above. I'm normally a film purist myself just get tired of trying to force it into this role. But if the faster films suffice the answers are to go ahead and carry two bodies, go MF with two backs (M645 and 80 1.9 for this work) or swap rolls in 35mm, easily enough done with most manual wind cameras though sacrificing a frame or two for insurance is best.

NJH said:

Portra 400 shot at 800, developed as normal job done. I was really surprised just how good it is in low light, a whole new level better than XP2 at 800 for example IMHO. Colours will be off of course though. In fact I don't really like Portra that much because I never really liked Kodak colours and tonality but have kept some in the fridge for indoors and lower light work. Cinestill I haven't tried yet but its the obvious first choice answer to this question.

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Porta 800 shot at 800 is even better.

Yeah, Portra 800 is a great film, worth what it costs.


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I suggest a lightweight carbon fibre travel tripod or mono pod.