Analog & Film Stock Quiz

In film, sensitivity to light is called film speed, and it is printed on the box, such as 100 or 400. Faster film needs less light to expose. The ISO number on digital cameras borrowed this same rating system.

Medium format 120 film uses a strip 60 millimeters wide, compared to the 35-millimeter width of standard film. The larger negative captures more silver halide and resolves finer detail, producing images with more tonal gradation and the potential for much larger prints.

Pushing means shooting film at a higher speed than its box rating, for example 400 speed film shot at 1600, which underexposes it. The lab then extends development time to compensate. The result is more contrast and more grain, but usable images in low light.

C-41 is a standardized color negative development chemistry. Most professional and consumer color films are designed for this process, which is widely available and temperature-controlled to produce consistent results regardless of the specific film stock used.

E-6 slide film processes the exposed negative through an additional reversal step, converting what began as a negative silver image into a positive. The result is a transparent positive that can be projected directly or scanned without inversion.

Noise is grain or speckles that appear especially in shadows when ISO is high or the image is underexposed. It is the digital equivalent of film grain. Higher-end sensors produce less noise at the same ISO than entry-level sensors.

Portra 400 was formulated with skin tone reproduction as a priority, offering subtle, accurate color rendering across a wide range of lighting conditions. Its generous exposure latitude tolerates overexposure without losing highlight detail, making it forgiving in unpredictable light.

A light leak happens when stray light gets through a gap in the camera body, a worn seal or a damaged film canister and hits the film. It shows up as orange, red or white streaks or flares across the frame. It is unrelated to the lens or to how bright the scene was.

Standard 35mm film has a row of evenly spaced sprocket holes along both edges of the strip. These perforations engage the film transport mechanism in the camera, ensuring precise, consistent frame advancement with each shutter cycle.

Double exposure on film requires the shutter to be cocked a second time without advancing the film, so the second exposure is recorded on the same frame as the first. Some cameras include a dedicated multiple-exposure mode; others require a technique to re-cock without winding.