Some advice, please, on film for 35mm cameras. In the UK, where is the best place to buy?
I will leave that one to UK members. In Canada, my neighborhood drug-store for consumer films, camera stores for pro films.
What is regarded as good film?
In the past, there were some stores that had house brands, and there was no way to tell where they got the stuff. Pure gamble on quality. Now as then, you are safe with Fuji, Ilford and Kodak. Once you are comfortable with these, by all means try off-brands for experience, but realize your mileage may vary.
What difference can different films make?Recommendations for colour and for B&W? And anything else I should know...?
Vast differences were once possible, but perhaps not as much now. With consumer colour negative films, the sensitivity may vary, but results depend more on the skill of the person doing your prints than on the film itself. Film from any of the suppliers above will yield satisfactory results.
The primary difference between consumer films and pro films are that pro-films are aged to the point that colour is at its optimum, at which point they are refrigerated. It is recommended that pro-films are brought up to temperature just prior to the shoot, and processed immediately. Consumer films are more forgiving, and photo-processors giggle at the fact that there may be more than one Christmas tree on a roll. Pro films are not necessarily better, just more predictable when highly precise results are demanded under completely controlled circumstances. Professional photographers shot a whole lot of consumer-level film.
Colour negatives exist for the purpose of prints, and that is the case for B&W as well. Chrome films yield transparencies and are primarily used for projection and reproduction in magazines or commercial art. Negative films have considerable latitude, allowing for some overexposure and underexposure, while transparency films tend to be very unforgiving.
There are also specialized films that are not aimed at general photography, but they would not be available except by special order through pro-level camera stores. They are designed for things like forensics, astrophotography, surveillance, super high-contrast and that sort of thing. You are unlikely to find any by accident.
For colour, Kodak or Fujifilm from a neighborhood retail store is a good place to start. It can be processed at any photofinishing company, one hour lab and that sort of thing.
For B&W I would recommend Ilford XP-2, which uses colour film technology to produce a highly forgiving monochrome film. The advantage is that it can be processed by any photofinisher, along with colour film. With traditional B&W, it has become difficult to find any lab that will still process it, at least on this side of the pond. If you are really enthusiastic, it can be processed and printed in a home darkroom.
