How Low Can You Go? Exploring Low ISO Films by Taylor Blanchard

Written by Taylor Blanchard

A local film and photography shop in Charlotte, Photo Outfitters, publishes a zine dedicated to analog photography. The focus of their third edition was low ISO film. In the call for entries, they suggested that a low ISO film is anything 100 or less; however, they expanded the definition to 200 ISO so more people could participate.

That prompted a good-natured debate between me and the founders of Photo Outfitters, Tony and Cannon, about how you define a low ISO film. There isn’t a universally agreed upon threshold, and I think it probably varies depending on the photographer.

After my exploration of 3200 ISO films, let’s explore the other end of the spectrum. For this article, I’m focusing on films 50 and lower.

Why Low ISO Film?

Quick recap: While a high ISO film is more sensitive to light, a low ISO film is less sensitive, which means you need a lot of light. On the flip side, what you lose in sensitivity, you gain in smoothness of grain, so you can print and enlarge low ISO negatives to very large sizes. Low ISO films are exceptionally sharp.

In fact, some of the negatives I’ve shot are so crisp that you couldn’t get the full resolving detail in a digital scan. A drum scan might be the only way to get close to maximizing the detail. So if you print these negatives digitally or in the darkroom, you can go big!

For me, the biggest reason to shoot low ISO films is you get film stocks unlike anything else, and you also have quite a lot of options. While at the 3200 end of the ISO spectrum, we only have two options in black and white, at the low end, you have a lot of unique choices.

As we explored with lesser-known color film stocks, many re-packagers and re-spoolers use a cinema film for these low ISO films. Unlike a Kodak Vision 500T with the remjet layer removed, often the low ISO films (usually 12 ISO and below) are technical films used in other parts of the cinema process – not in the final on-screen product.

A motion filmmaker might use one of these films as a duplicating film – basically to create an archive of the original film – or they might use one of these films as an enlarging film to look at close details of a scene.

Selecting the Right Camera and Lens for Low ISO Films

Before you decide to shoot a low ISO film, the first thing you need to do is pick your camera. Many point and shoot cameras that automatically set the ISO by reading the DX codes won’t work with film lower than 50 or 25 ISO. For example, if my Olympus Style Epic encounters a film with a DX code for an ISO 12 film, it will set the ISO to 100, and it won’t let me adjust the exposure.

Even if you have a camera where you can set the ISO, it’s unlikely that your camera will let you select anything less than ISO 25.

When you venture to the world of less than 12 ISO, you still have a few options that keep low ISO films accessible.

One option is to select a camera with manual controls where you can set the shutter speed and aperture, and use a handheld light meter or an app.

Phone apps light meters are usually quite accurate and easy since you’ve got your phone with you. I’ve tested several phone apps versus a Sekonic light meter and the phone app was only ⅓ or ½ stop off.

Another option easier than an external light meter is to use a camera where you can set the ISO as low as it goes, and adjust your camera’s exposure compensation for the exposure difference. You will be limited by how much you can adjust your camera’s exposure – usually up to 3 stops. But, if you set your ISO to 25, you should be able to shoot an ISO 3 or 6 film. You can read more about figuring out reciprocal exposures here.

You can also pick a camera with an interchangeable lens and select a prime lens that’s at least f2.8 or f1.8. A wider angle lens will also help avoid camera shake. However, at lower aperture numbers, you won’t get as much detail from these negatives as you would at f5.6 or f8

The other option of course is to use a tripod, but it’s not necessary. All of the photos in this article were handheld except the ones I shot with my Zero Image Pinhole, but I always use a tripod with that camera.

Low ISO films have become a staple of my film hoarding tendencies; I also shot a few new ones for this article.

6 Low ISO Films to Try

Ilford Pan F Plus

One of the more well known 50 ISO films is Ilford Pan F Plus. The results from Pan F are beautiful with good contrast and a wide tonal range. I love it with an orange or red contrast filter.

Every time I look at the results, I ask myself why I don’t shoot this film more often?

You can read a more in-depth review of Ilford Pan F Plus here.

Find Ilford Pan F Plus on Amazon.

CineStill 50D

This is a cinema film, as other CineStill offerings. Unlike its popular 800T, the 50 is daylight balanced.

Because the remjet layer is removed, the film is prone to halation. I also find the color cast tends a bit green or yellow, and I spend more time editing.

You can read more about CineStill 50D here.

Find CineStill 50D on Amazon.

Rollei RPX 25

I’m including this film because it’s one of the few 25 ISO options. I shot this in my pinhole, so the results will vary from what you would get in another camera. This is a film I want to shoot again.

Find Rollei RPX 25 at B&H Photo.

Adox CMS 20 II (ISO 12)

Adox provides very detailed instructions on how to get the most out of this film. Unfortunately, I didn’t read those before shooting. Instead, I shot at the 12 ISO box speed in a number of conditions and ended up with very high contrast results – even with stand development in Rodinal.

If you can find this film, I recommend reading the very detailed instructions on the Adox website before shooting.

Find Adox CMS 20 II at B&H Photo.

FPP Blue Ultra (ISO 3)

Film Photography Project re-spools and sells a lot of low ISO films and is a great resource. Blue Ultra is originally a film used for making motion picture contact prints.

This is like a Lomography film turned up to maximum. The colors are vibrant and bold – with a range of blue and purple hues.

Find FPP Blue Ultra at B&H Photo.

FPP Low ISO Color (ISO 1.6)

One of the most unique things about this film is it’s not balanced for daylight or tungsten! FPP also says it’s a “Kodak Lab film that’s a low-speed duplicating film intended for making digital dupes in motion picture post production.”

It’s the lowest ISO film that I’ve shot. On a sunny day at a low aperture, my shutter speeds were often 1/15 – right on the edge on my comfort level for not using a tripod. The colors of this one are unpredictable, but not absurd.

Find FPP Low ISO Color at B&H Photo.

Conclusion

When the film negative as we know it today was first introduced, films were quite slow. 400 speed films are a relatively recent invention, and they’ve certainly made film photography easier and more accessible.

Photo Outfitters told me that low ISO films don’t seem to be as popular these days, especially with younger photographers. I would rephrase that to suggest that it takes longer in your photographic journey to discover the joys of a low ISO film.

Low ISO films can feel intimidating to shoot – especially if you’re shooting 36 exposures in a 35mm camera. A 400 or even 800 ISO is much more versatile for everyday use. With the wide array of low ISO films available, though, you can open up a new world of options that are different from many other stocks.

What’s the lowest ISO film you’ve shot? Let me know in the comments.

Thank you so much, Taylor! Taylor is a regular contributor here at Shoot It With Film, and you can check out her other articles here, such as Intrepid 4×5 MK5 Large Format Camera Review and Using High ISO B&W Film: Ilford Delta 3200 and Kodak T-MAX P3200.

You can also check out more of Taylor’s work on Instagram.

Leave your questions about shooting low ISO film stocks below in the comments!

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Taylor Blanchard

Taylor Blanchard is a landscape and travel film photographer and a regular contributor for Shoot It With Film. Find her other articles here, such as My Foray Into Large Format Photography and The World of Infrared and Red-Sensitive Black and White Film.

Image Credit: Ashley Thalman

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