Which iso film roll?

I'm running into the following, which iso film roll should I get and what about pushing and pulling if your camera's iso isn't high?

I've shot a lot up to 400 iso during the day/cloudy. But now I want to take pictures in the dark/evening, but the maximum iso of my rangefinder/point and shoot is between 400-1000

I have the following cameras

SLR:
Canon A1
Olympus OM1

Rangefinder:
Canon QL 17 G III
Olympus XA

Point and shoot:
Canon AF35m
Nikon L35AF
Olympus trip 35

Use a tripod and slower shutter speeds with your usual films.

Ian

+1 on the tripod and cable release .

Also you don't say what your photographing , or the lenses used .
Faster glass might be an option , f/1.4 or f/1.2 .
Flash might also be suitable .

If using Ilford 3200 film isn't an option due to your cameras ISO setting only going to 1000 , then you can either shoot manually with a separate meter or buy another camera body that uses the same lenses but meets your needs .

Ilford and Kodak "3200" films are properly about ISO 1000 anyway, made to be pushed a bit in "normal" processing. There'll be no harm in loading either Delta 3200 or T-Max P3200 and setting your ISO dial to 800 or 1000. The Canonet QL17 GIII or either of the SLRs with a fast normal lens will work well for that. And FWIW, under streetlights, you'll get good exposure at EI 800, f/2 and 1/30 even if your camera's meter doesn't read that dim.

Donald Qualls said:

Ilford and Kodak "3200" films are properly about ISO 1000 anyway, made to be pushed a bit in "normal" processing. There'll be no harm in loading either Delta 3200 or T-Max P3200 and setting your ISO dial to 800 or 1000. The Canonet QL17 GIII or either of the SLRs with a fast normal lens will work well for that. And FWIW, under streetlights, you'll get good exposure at EI 800, f/2 and 1/30 even if your camera's meter doesn't read that dim.

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ok clear, and if I want to develop them do I have to indicate anything else if i buy 1600/3200 iso and put it on 800/1000 iso?

Caithlin said:

ok clear, and if I want to develop them do I have to indicate anything else if i buy 1600/3200 iso and put it on 800/1000 iso?

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Are you developing the film yourself, or having the negatives processed by a lab?

runswithsizzers said:

Are you developing the film yourself, or having the negatives processed by a lab?

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By a lab

My lab pushes and pulls and cross processes.

Oh, you;re in Europe.

If you meter Ilford Delta 3200 at EI 1000, you could ask the lab for "pull processing." But many photographers expose their B&W negative film at one-half of the box speed and then process it normally. Suggest you ask the lab for their advice -- they may or may not offer pull-processing (and if they do, they may charge extra).

There are several factors that are going to affect the outcome, such as your metering technique, what you plan to do with the negatives (scan vs. wet print), etc. But if you meter Ilford Delta 3200 at EI 1000 and have it processed normally, I think there is a good chance your negatives will be acceptable. However, without reducing the normal processing time (known as pull processing), there is a chance your negatives may be a little bit dense and contrasty. You won't know for sure if that is acceptable until you try it.

As for metering, the simple thing to do would be to load the Canon A1 with Ilford Delta 3200 and set the ASA dial to 3200. ;-)

But if you want to use the point-and-shoot set to ASA 1000, that will probably work, too. For "evening light" I don't anticipate problems metering with any of the cameras you list; but when you say, "dark" -- then meter sensitivity may become an issue? For example, the Canon A1 has a silicon meter cell which can read down to EV -2. There are several different versions of the Canon AF35m, but autoexposure on those may only work down to EV 4 or EV 6. Many older cameras use CdS meter cells (Cadmiun sulfide) which are usually not as sensitive in very low light compared to the newer silicon cells.

One solution would be to forget about trying to meter and use a chart to choose a recommended exposure for the kind of light you are shooting under. For example, there are charts like this one from Fred Parker's "ULTIMATE EXPOSURE COMPUTER" that show:


... continues. To use the chart, you need another chart that shows which combinations of shutter speed and aperture should be used for a given EV at a given ISO.

Just tell them what EI they were shot at; they'll develop for that exposure.

Caithlin said:

But now I want to take pictures in the dark/evening

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What are you looking to photograph, specifically? Depending on the subject matter and (especially) illumination, 400 may be enough or 3200 may still be vastly inadequate.

In general, I agree with @Ian Grant. Use a tripod.

Welcome to Photrio!

First of all I recommend using a tripod and using any film shot at box speed. Forget pushing and pulling. I have been using this available light slide rule since it first came out in 1963.

Sirius Glass said:

Welcome to Photrio!

First of all I recommend using a tripod and using any film shot at box speed. Forget pushing and pulling. I have been using this available light slide rule since it first came out in 1963.

http://www.southbristolviews.com/pics/Cameras/JiffyCalc.pdf

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But for Ilford Delta 3200, isn't shooting it a box speed actually pushing?

runswithsizzers said:

But for Ilford Delta 3200, isn't shooting it a box speed actually pushing?

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Well, to be technical, if one shoots at "box speed" (EI of 3200) you will end up with an under-exposed negative. One can then use a push development to maximize the benefits of the exposure you have, as well as obtain results with normal contrast. Otherwise, with more normal development, you will end up with an under-exposed, low contrast negative.

MattKing said:

Well, to be technical, if one shoots at "box speed" (EI of 3200) you will end up with an under-exposed negative. One can then use a push development to maximize the benefits of the exposure you have, as well as obtain results with normal contrast. Otherwise, with more normal development, you will end up with an under-exposed, low contrast negative.

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When discussing Ilford Delta 3200, the definitions of "normal development" and "push development" are not clear to me.

Ilford says the ISO rating for Delta 3200 is 1000. In my mind, the recommended processing time when the fim is exposed at its measured ISO would be the "normal" time. But their data sheet does not provide a recommended development time at the ISO 1000.

When the film is exposed at its box speed of 3200, Ilford indicates the time in their recommended developer (Ilfotec DD-X at 1+4) is 9.5 minutes. Is that, then the "normal" developing time for Delta 3200? Or is 9.5 minutes a pushed-processing time?

runswithsizzers said:

When discussing Ilford Delta 3200, the definitions of "normal development" and "push development" are not clear to me.

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"Normal development" and "push development" in general.
The directions for the film are special purpose ones, matched to the peculiarities of the film.
If one uses the sort of general purpose developer, in a development line that a commercial lab might have used back in the day, most films are/were designed to come out well when developed in that line. Typical commercial labs that developed in volume rarely adjusted themselves to different films. The films were generally designed to perform well with that.
It wasn't as narrowly defined as colour negative or colour slide processes, but there were commonly used targets.
If one developed a roll of HP5+ and a roll of Delta 3200 side by side in one of those "normal" lines, the HP5+ would come out normally, and the Delta 3200 would come out under exposed (if shot at an EI greater than 1000) and low in contrast, no matter what EI was used.
Delta 3200 is designed to be pushed in development. Otherwise it comes out flat.

If you develop for "normal" contrast after shooting at EI 1000, you'd reduce development approximately 30% from the recommended figures for EI 3200. Equivalent to a 1 2/3 stop pull, approximately.

While many/most films had the same normal development time long ago, I don't believe that was the case by the time the minilab era dawned. Some are still close (IIRC, it was 7 minutes in D-76 stock or equivalent), but many films even from the 1980s stray far from that "normal" development.