| Film and Photographic Paper Recommendations You would think with all the digital cameras floating around out there that film would be dead. Well, I'm here to tell you that film is not dead, but very much alive. And over the years I've gone through a few rolls of film myself and come up with a list of my favorites. I've used these films in my vintage, toy (Holga and Diana, Lomo), Olympus XA & Lomo LCA, and various homemade and purchased pinhole cameras. So if you're wondering what kind of 35mm or 120 film you should use for homemade or toy camera pinhole photography take a look at the films listed below to see what fits your need best. |
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| 35mm Film | |||
 Fuji Acros 100 Good for MintyCam photos BW Negative 35mm Film |
 Ilford Delta 100 pinhole & toy camera photos BW Negative 35mm Film |
 Fuji Neopan 400 I use this in my Olympus XA BW Negative 35mm Film |
 Ilford Delta 400 Works great in toy cameras BW Negative 35mm Film |
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 Fujichrome Provia 400X Try it in Holga toy cameras 35mm Color Slide Film E-6 Processing |
 Ilford PanF Plus 50 Good for the Rocket Camera, matchbox & mintycam pinhole do-it-yourselg cameras Black and White negative film |
 Fuji NeoPan 1600 1600 ISO High Speed Film try nightime city shots in LCA type cameras with no flash. Black and white negative film |
 Fujichrome Velvia 50 Color slide film good for using the MintyCam and matchbox pinhole cameras in bright sunlight. E-6 processing |
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| 120 Medium Format Film | |||
 Ilford Delta 100 I use this in my Zero Image BW Negative 120 Film |
 Fuji Acros 100 Excellent contrast and tonality BW Negative 120 Film |
 Ilford Delta 400 My favorite for PinHolga BW Negative 120 Film |
 Ilford Delta 3200 Inside or night photos BW Negative 120 Film |
 Fujichrome Provia 100F I use this in 6x9 Zero Image One of my personal favorites Color Slide Film (E-6) |
 Fujichrome Velvia 100F A bit expensive, but worth it. Great for Zero Image Pinhole Cameras Color Slide Flm (E-6) |
 Fujichrome Provia 400X Expensive, but worth the price Great for PinHolga Pinhole Color Slide Flm (E-6) |
 Ilford XP2 Super 400 Good for people who want to take black and white photos but process with color C-41 chem. |
| 5x7 and 8x10 Inch. Photographic Paper | ||
 Freestyle's Arista EDU Ultra 5x7-100 Sheets - ISO Speed P400 RC Grade 2 - Semi-Matte Photo Paper I've heard and read in forums that grade 2 photo paper is the best to use in pinhole cameras that use photographic paper. It's inexpensive so you won't feel bad going through a a few sheets when you're testing out some of your own do-it-youself pinhole cameras. I've had great success myself and use Kodak Dektol to develop the prints in. This paper is stored in a black safe bag and comes in a nice 5x7 two piece box great for storage and travel. Great for school pinhole projects, thus it's name. |
 Oriental Seagull M-3 Premium 8x10 - 20 Sheets - ISO Speed P400 RC Grade 3 - Fine Matte Smooth Paper This is one of those papers that once you use it, you're hooked. Since it's a grade 3 paper, it makes for some really nice paper negatives. The paper is also relatively fast, so if you're using it for pinhole paper negatives, your exposures aren't super long. Since this is an 8x10 paper, I usually cut this paper down to size I want with an Xacto knife in the darkroom, then store in the black safe bag the paper comes with. |
 Ilford MGIV 5x7 - 100 sheets - ISO Speed P500 Multigrade IV RC Deluxe - Glossy Paper I used this paper a lot in college and liked how I could step up the contrast of negatives that were poorly exposed. I've also tried this in pinhole cameras but since it's designed to work with filters, your paper negatives will have a lot of contrast and very little midtones. I suggest using this paper with an enlarger for darkroom printing. Also keep in mind that if you use a glossy paper in a cylindrical shaped pinhole cameras the paper may reflect the light and cause ghosting. This paper also comes in fiber base and has a really nice feel to it |
Please note that when I refer to an "ISO Speed" number this is a totally different speed sensitivity rating found on film. I've found and read that a photo papers have a film equivalent to around ISO 6-10. I hope to have time in the future to test and post my opinions on film and photo paper, so check this webpage later for updates and revisions.
Traveling with Photographic Paper Negatives and Film Field Kits
There's nothing like being outside with a camera. Unlike digital cameras, analog pinhole cameras need film or paper changing. And if you want to do that away from a darkroom, you'll need a "kit" that will allow you to do just that. Load and unload your camera in the field until you run out of film or paper. This means packing and carrying the gear to switch out negatives. This is why I like to create and travel with "kits" that contain everything you'll need to keep your film and photographic paper cameras going.
The photo above of shows an old Dana Designs top loading backpack that I use to load and carry all my pinhole photography gear in. When the photo was taken, I was on a vacation with my family for my 40th birthday. I like this backpack because it allows me to quickly getting gear in and out of my bag without unclipping buckles/etc. At the time I had a partially filled box of Ilford 5x7 in. photographic paper, another box for storing exposed negatives, the Mexicanon, Lavazza coffee can pinhole, a small lightweight tripod, a film changing bag (for loading and unloading paper negatives), lunch/snacks/water (not pictured), rain jacket and hat.
The picture with the Romeo Y Julieta cigarbox pinhole camera on top of the Coleman cooler is my "field kit". 2 light safe opaque black bags for storing unexposed and exposed paper negatives (cut to size in darkroom). The cigarbox pinole loaded and ready to go. And a film changing bag to switch out the negatives in the camera. Before I took this picture I was sitting in my Zip-Dee chair with my hands in the changing bag replacing the paper in the camera. Since I've done this a number of times before, I've gotten down the process to under 2 minutes. Try practicing first with exposed paper to get the hang of it.
The picture above is my backpack with the coffee can pinhole mounted on a tripod. Notice the 6" spring clamp on the outside of the backpack for quick access. I use the clamp for mounting the Pinhola, MintyCam, and Matchbox pinhole cameras to a tripod.
