First of all, it is important to specify that there are 2 types of film: The positive film (slide) and the negative film (conventional photograph). Several bird photographers use the slide film. With the slide, there is no loss of quality caused by the transfer on paper (the slide is your film). In addition, by projecting them, you are able to better appreciate the colours and the beauty of the birds, or to share them with a larger audience. Moreover, if you plan to sell your photographs to magazines, the editors prefer to use slides rather than photographs.

The sensitivity of the film is indicated by the number of ASA. The higher the number, the more your film will be sensitive to light. On the other hand, more the ASA is high, more the grain of the film will be visible. Generally, the photographers of birds use film between 50 ASA and 400 ASA. If you have a very luminous lens, you will be able to use the 50 ASA even in low light conditions. But if your lens is not very luminous, you could need to use the 400 ASA.

There are 2 large film manufacturers: Fudji and Kodak. Some photographers swear only by Fudji whereas others use only Kodak. It is a very subjective question. At Fudji, the good slide films are Velvia 50 ASA and Provia 100F. At Kodak, there are Ektachrome 100 S and Ektachrome 100 SW. All these films offer a high level of colour saturation which is excellent for wildlife photography. The price of film varies slightly from one kind to another but turns around $ 10 for a roll of 36 exposures. With my 400 mm F 5,6 lens, I most of the time use Fudji Provia 100 F. The colours are realistic and the granulation is low even with high magnification. This film also offers the amateur a rather good margin of error regarding the exposure.

Occasionally, I also use the Kodak Ektachrome 100 SW (software warm) film. It is an excellent film, especially on a cloudy day.