One of the Most Comprehensive Looks at Film Color Science

Japan-based analog photographer D.Daniel has delivered arguably the most comprehensive, efficient, and useful comparisons of color and black-and-white photographic film stocks ever.

Analog photography is experiencing a major resurgence right now, and many photographers are either getting back into film or trying it for the first time. One of the biggest barriers to entry to analog photography isn’t necessarily the camera or lens, but the cost of film, both the film itself and development and scanning.

Kodak Kodacolor 100

The prices of film stocks, ranging from $10 to $20 per roll, sometimes even more, mean analog shooters may hesitate to buy a bunch of different films to try, as every experiment comes with a very real cost. It adds up fast. Unfortunately, there’s also no easy way to determine what film is “best,” whatever that even means. As D.Daniel’s brilliant videos below show, different films are extremely different from one another. The variety of the look, quality, and overall vibe, for lack of a better term, in analog photography is light-years ahead of the variety of digital cameras.

“‘Changing the film’ might be synonymous with ‘completely replacing the sensor part of a digital camera,” D.Daniel writes on X, formerly known as Twitter. Arguably, changing the film in an analog camera does so much more than that. Image sensors and the ways different brands render color are certainly different from one another, but not like this.

こちらは44種類のカラーフィルムを並べたものです。

「フィルムを交換する」ことは「デジタルカメラのセンサー部分を丸ごと取り替える」ことと同義なのかもしれません。

同じカメラでもフィルムを変えることで全く異なる画作りをすることができます。… https://t.co/wiMHlh6VC9 pic.twitter.com/0j8irDrewV

— だにえる｜D.Daniel (@d_daniel_film) June 3, 2026

In the case of color film, there are significant differences between stocks in terms of color balance, contrast, accuracy, warmth, coolness, noise, sharpness, and much more. D.Daniel tested an expansive lineup of 44 color films from companies such as Kodak, Lomography, Fujifilm, CineStill, Reflx Labs, and more.

Fujifilm Velvia 100

D. Daniel did the same thing with 55 black-and-white film stocks from Kodak, Ilford, Rollei, and Fujifilm, to name a few.

55種類のフィルム比較の際、モノクロの現像をお願いした先がアート・ラボさんでした。

ラボに入るとフィルムの銘柄がびっしり書かれたホワイトボードが目に入ってきて、現像する一つ一つのフィルムについて丁寧に聞いてくださる姿が印象的でした。

長い間、大変お疲れ様でした。… https://t.co/dgbOsfgPF6 pic.twitter.com/A3yii87KN9

— だにえる｜D.Daniel (@d_daniel_film) May 25, 2026

It is worth noting that D.Daniel had his black-and-white film developed at Art Lab in Tokyo, a black-and-white film specialist that has developed and printed monochromatic photos for over 60 years. Unfortunately, Art Lab is closing its doors forever on July 30, 2026. In our small way, PetaPixel wanted to give a shoutout to the dedicated artisans who are preparing to shut down.

Kodak TMax

Fujifilm Acros II

“For approximately 60 years since our founding, centered on black-and-white film development and black-and-white printing, we extend our deepest gratitude for the support we have received from all of you, and at the same time, we sincerely apologize from the bottom of our hearts for the sudden announcement and any inconvenience this may cause,” the highly respected lab said late last month.

Fujifilm Provia 100F

D.Daniel’s two new videos above may be very short, totaling around 30 seconds between the two of them, but they are a veritable treasure trove of interesting information about film stocks. If a photographer likes how a particular color film renders reds, blues, or greens, or the contrast of a black-and-white film, they can buy a roll and skip the tinkering typical of finding a favorite film. In about half a minute, D.Daniel just shared an extreme amount of work with the community and did analog photographers a great service.

Image credits: D.Daniel (X, Instagram, YouTube) | Film sample photos by Jaron Schneider