Film Stock Comparison
Put two to four film stocks next to each other and compare the specs that actually decide a shoot.
Choosing between two films usually comes down to a handful of numbers: how fast they are, whether they are colour or black and white, how they behave on long exposures, and whether you can still buy them. This tool lines those up side by side for any of the stocks profiled on this site, so you do not have to flip between pages. Pick your candidates from the menus and the table fills in.
The reciprocity exponent is worth a second look. It tells you how much each film stretches a metered time once you pass roughly one second. A film at 1.0 needs no correction at all, while a film at 1.4 will roughly double a ten second exposure. If you shoot at night or do long pinhole work, the film with the lower exponent is the easier one to live with.
Frequently asked
Which films can I compare?
Every stock with a full profile on this site, across more than 70 brands. Pick two to four and the table updates instantly.
What does the reciprocity exponent tell me?
How much a film drifts on long exposures. A value of 1.0 means no correction; the higher the number, the more extra time the film needs past about one second. Lower is more forgiving for night and astro work.
Why is the format sometimes listed as not listed?
Format availability is recorded for a subset of the catalog so far. When it is not listed here, check the film's detail page or the manufacturer for current formats.
The full catalog of 668 stocks, with the same corrections applied automatically while you meter, lives in Zone Light Meter for Android.