Astra 35mm Film: A Complete Guide to All 8 Stocks
By Siddharth S Prabhu — Filmmaker and Co-founder, Astra
The hardest question I get asked, more often than any other, is some version of: which Astra film should I buy first? I understand why. Eight stocks is a lot to choose from when you're standing at the front of the catalog with no clear sense of what separates one from another beyond an ISO number.
This is a working guide to all eight films we currently make, organised by ISO speed band, with honest notes on what each one is actually like to shoot. I've shot every roll in this catalog, and I'll tell you what I noticed.
If you're new to film entirely and you want a primer on what respooling is and why our prices look the way they do, start with Why Respooled Film Costs Half as Much as Kodak and come back to this guide after.
How to read this guide
Film is organised by ISO — a number that describes how sensitive the emulsion is to light. Slower films (lower ISO) need more light but produce finer detail and grain; faster films (higher ISO) need less light but show more grain. There's no "best" ISO. There's only the right ISO for what you're shooting.
A rough working map:
- ISO 50 is for bright daylight, landscapes, and any scene where you want the finest possible detail. Slow enough that you'll need bright sun or a tripod.
- ISO 100–250 is the general-purpose middle ground — most everyday shooting, portraits, travel, street photography in good light.
- ISO 400–500 is for low light, indoor scenes, evening street photography, or anywhere you need to shoot at faster shutter speeds.
Our eight stocks fall across all three bands. Here's each one.
Slow speed: ISO 50 stocks
Astra Apollo 50 — daylight colour
Astra Apollo 50 is respooled from Kodak Vision3 50D, a daylight-balanced cinema colour negative film. It produces extraordinarily fine grain and razor-sharp detail with rich, natural colours. There is no equivalent slow daylight colour stock available in Indian retail today.
From shooting it: Apollo asks for light. Shooting it in mid-morning Mumbai sun gives results that hold up at very large print sizes; shooting it in overcast or shade requires a tripod or a fast lens wide open. The grain is so fine that scans at 24 megapixels and above genuinely retrieve more detail than the same scene would from a higher-speed colour stock. Best for landscape, architecture, and any work where you want the image to feel almost digital in its smoothness.
Compare against: Nothing direct in the retail market. The closest historical equivalent was Fuji Velvia 50, a slide film with a very different colour response.
Astra Vertex 50 — high-resolution black and white
Astra Vertex 50 is respooled from Adox HR-50, a German high-resolution black and white emulsion. It produces extraordinarily sharp images with virtually grainless tonality — the kind of detail that usually requires a large-format camera.
From shooting it: Vertex is the stock I reach for when the subject is the texture — old buildings, weathered hands, intricate patterns. It rewards careful exposure and a steady camera. Pushed to ISO 100 it loses some of its character; shot at box speed in bright light, it's astonishingly sharp.
Compare against: Adox HR-50 itself, which has limited availability in India. Otherwise, Ilford Pan F Plus is the closest commonly-available retail equivalent, though Vertex is sharper.
Medium speed: ISO 100, 200 and 250 stocks
Astra Spectra 100 — daylight colour slide
Astra Spectra 100 is respooled from Kodak Ektachrome E100 — the only colour slide film still in current production anywhere in the world. It delivers vivid, saturated colours with exceptional clarity: punchy blues, rich greens, and clean skin tones.
From shooting it: Spectra punishes underexposure more than any other stock in the catalog — slide film has roughly two stops of usable latitude compared to colour negative's six or seven. We've learned to meter for the shadows on Spectra rather than the highlights. Done right, the slides are unreal: Mumbai sea blues at golden hour come out the way you remember them, not the way most colour negative films interpret them. Done wrong, you lose the shadow entirely. It rewards careful work.
Compare against: Kodak Ektachrome E100 sold at retail, which is the same emulsion at significantly higher cost in India. There is no other colour slide film currently in production.
If you've never shot slide film before, our guide to shooting E-6 in 2026 walks through the discipline it requires.
Astra Vesper 200 — medium-speed black and white
Astra Vesper 200 is respooled from Fomapan 200, a panchromatic black and white emulsion with a refined, medium-speed character. The tonality is gentle and painterly — softer than the high-contrast cinema B&W films and grainier than the slow-speed high-resolution stocks.
From shooting it: Vesper sits in a useful middle ground. If you've tried Blackstar and found it too contrasty for portrait work, or tried Vertex and found it too slow, Vesper is the stock between them. Fomapan 200 has a tonal gradient that scans beautifully — it gives you a wide grey range without crushing shadows or blowing highlights. I use it for portraits where I want softness rather than punch.
Compare against: Ilford FP4 Plus is the closest retail equivalent. Vesper carries a touch more grain and more European-emulsion character.
Astra Solaris 250 — daylight colour, versatile
Astra Solaris 250 is respooled from Kodak Vision3 250D, a daylight-balanced colour negative film built for general cinema work. It's the most versatile colour stock in our catalog — fast enough for variable light, slow enough to hold fine detail, and forgiving on exposure.
From shooting it: If someone asks me which single Astra stock to start with, Solaris is the answer. It's the closest thing in our catalog to a "load it up, shoot whatever" film. Vision3 250D was engineered to be a workhorse cinema stock, which means it handles mixed lighting, varied skin tones, and Indian sun without complaint. The colour response is more neutral than a film like Portra — fashion photographers and editorial shooters used to digital grading workflows will find it easier to push to a specific look in post.
Compare against: Kodak Portra 400 in the consumer market — different speed but similar everyday-shooting use case. Different colour signature, so they're not direct substitutes.
Astra Blackstar 250 — high-contrast cinema black and white
Astra Blackstar 250 is respooled from Kodak Double X 5222, the cinema black and white stock used in The Lighthouse, Schindler's List, Oppenheimer, and The Tragedy of Macbeth. It produces sharp, punchy images with rich blacks, bright whites, and strong tonal separation.
From shooting it: Blackstar is full of character. It's a high-contrast stock by nature, so it rewards subjects with clear tonal range — strong daylight, deep shadows, architecture with hard edges. Pulled to ISO 200 with reduced development, the contrast eases up and it becomes more flexible for portraits. At box speed, it's the most cinematic B&W stock you can shoot, and it's what I reach for when I want frames to look like film stills.
Compare against: Ilford HP5 Plus rated down to 250, though Blackstar has more inherent contrast and a different highlight roll-off.
High speed: ISO 400 and 500 stocks
Astra Nightfog 400 — classic black and white
Astra Nightfog 400 is respooled from Fomapan 400, a classic European panchromatic black and white emulsion. It has raw, expressive grain and a tonal character that feels traditionally European — closer to old Czech and German documentary photography than the smoother American B&W films.
From shooting it: Nightfog is the cheapest way I know to get expressive low-light black and white. Push it. Pushed to 800 it gains contrast and grain without losing detail; pushed to 1600 with extended development it becomes genuinely gritty, and it's a great look for street photography after dark. At box speed in daylight it's a softer film than its character suggests — most of what people associate with Fomapan 400 comes from pushing.
Compare against: Ilford HP5 Plus is the closest retail equivalent in speed, though HP5 is smoother and less characterful at box speed. Nightfog is the more expressive option.
Astra Decima 500 — tungsten colour for low light
Astra Decima 500 is respooled from Kodak Vision3 500T — a tungsten-balanced high-speed colour negative film designed for indoor venues, artificial lighting, and night photography. It's the fastest colour stock in our catalog and the only one balanced for tungsten light.
From shooting it: Decima is what I shoot most. Tungsten balance means daylight images come out cool and blue without correction — you can either filter with an 85B for daylight shooting or accept the cooler look and push the warmth in post. At night under streetlights, Decima produces the most cinematic colour rendering of any film stock available in India. Mumbai at night — Marine Drive, Bandra back-streets, gully shots — was made for this film. We've also pushed it to 1000 and 1600 successfully for darker scenes.
Compare against: Cinestill 800T, which is the same Vision3 500T family handled differently. Decima is rated at box speed (500); Cinestill 800T is the same emulsion rerated higher.
A deeper write-up on shooting at night, with comparison frames, is in our low-light film guide.
How to choose if you can't decide
Here's the short version, by scenario:
You're shooting your first roll of film, or your first roll of Astra: Start with Decima 500. It's the most forgiving colour stock we make and it handles almost any light. If you want black and white, Blackstar 250 at box speed in daylight is the equivalent starting point.
You want the cinema look that most contemporary photographers chase: Solaris 250 for daytime, Decima 500 for low light or night. Both are Vision3 stocks; together they cover almost any condition.
You want razor-sharp detail and grain doesn't suit you: Apollo 50 for colour, Vertex 50 for black and white. Both want bright light or a tripod.
You want classic black and white character with grain that shows: Nightfog 400 is the answer.
You want soft, painterly black and white: Vesper 200.
You want maximum contrast black and white: Blackstar 250 at box speed.
You've never shot slide film and want to try it: Spectra 100. Read our slide film guide first.
You're shooting in low light, indoors, or at night: Decima 500 for colour, Nightfog 400 pushed for black and white.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Astra film for beginners? Astra Solaris 250 is the most forgiving and versatile stock in the catalog. It handles a wide range of light, has good exposure latitude, and produces results most photographers find immediately satisfying. Astra Blackstar 250 is the equivalent starting point for black and white.
Which Astra film is closest to Kodak Portra? None of our stocks are a direct Portra substitute — Portra was engineered specifically for portrait skin tones in still photography, while Astra's colour stocks are respooled cinema emulsions with more neutral colour response. Astra Solaris 250 is the closest in everyday use case, though the colour signature differs.
What ISO is Astra Spectra? Astra Spectra is rated at ISO 100. It is a daylight-balanced colour slide film requiring E-6 processing.
Can all Astra films be developed at any lab in India? The black and white stocks (Vertex, Vesper, Blackstar, Nightfog) develop in standard B&W chemistry at any lab. The Vision3 colour stocks (Apollo, Solaris, Decima) are designed for ECN-2 or C41 as we supply them. Spectra requires E-6 processing, which is available at select labs.
What's the difference between Astra Solaris and Astra Decima? Solaris 250 is a daylight-balanced colour stock for general shooting in natural light. Decima 500 is a tungsten-balanced high-speed colour stock for indoor, artificial-lighting, and night work.
Which Astra film is best for portraits? Solaris 250 for colour portraits in natural light; Vesper 200 for soft black and white portraits; Blackstar 250 at ISO 200 (pulled) for dramatic high-contrast portraits.
Which Astra film is best for street photography? Solaris 250 in daylight, Decima 500 after dark. For black and white, Nightfog 400 pushed to 800 is the classic combination.
The short version
We currently make eight stocks: two slow-speed (Apollo 50, Vertex 50), four medium-speed (Spectra 100, Vesper 200, Solaris 250, Blackstar 250), and two high-speed (Nightfog 400, Decima 500). They cover the full range of light, from bright daylight to night under streetlight, and they cover the range of looks, from sharp neutral colour to expressive grainy black and white.
Browse the full Astra catalog to order any of these, or revisit the respooled film explainer if you want to understand more about how we make them.
Siddharth S Prabhu is a filmmaker and co-founder of Astra. He shoots primarily on Decima 500 and Vision3 cinema stocks.