Film Grain and Sharpness

Two important aspects of image quality related to film speed are sharpness and graininess. Sharpness refers to the film's ability to record fine detail with good definition. Generally, the lower a film's ISO speed, the greater its ability to render subjects sharply. Graininess is the sand-like or granular texture sometimes noticeable in prints and enlargements. Grain is a by-product of the structure of the films light-sensitive emulsion. It is more apparent in pictures made with faster films. As speed increases, so does the size of the grain pattern.

Enlargement of the negative also affects apparent sharpness and graininess. At moderate print sizes (5 x 7-inch or smaller), grain is barely noticeable, even with fast films. But as enlargement increases, graininess becomes more apparent, and image sharpness diminishes. If you're planning on making extreme enlargements, you'll get the best results with low and medium-speed films. KODAK ROYAL GOLD 100 Film excels in producing big enlargements. For black-and-white prints, use the medium-speed KODAK T-MAX 100 Professional Film to obtain excellent results even in big enlargements.

The relationship of film speed to grain and sharpness sometimes forces you to make crucial quality decisions. With action subjects, for example, you have to decide if you want to use a slower film for sharper finer-grained pictures or a faster action-stopping film. If you opt for slower-speed film, you'll lose some action-stopping ability; but if you choose a faster film to stop action, you'll get increased grain. KODAK MAX 400 Film offers a good balance of fine grain, high sharpness and speed, yielding excellent results in most picture-taking situations.