One of the most important advances in photography recently has been the development of high-quality, low-light "superfast" films.
These films offer new possibilities for capturing the soft existing light and true feeling of indoor settings. They enable you to shoot indoors without an on-camera flash, which can create harsh lighting if fired directly toward the subject.Several superfast films have recently been introduced, like Kodak's Ektapress Gold 1600e color-grain character for color prints. You should experiment to see which film suits your shooting preference.
In extremely dim light, you may want to shoot with Konica's new ultrafast SR-G 3200 film, which is twice as fast as the 1600 films, but also almost twice as grainy. And, if you must get a picture in an almost dark situation, Kodak's T-Max P3200 black-and-white film "pushed" to ISO 50,000 (that's right - 50,000!) will give you an image, although it won't win any awards for pictorial beauty, due to its heavy grain. In all cases, the number part of the film's name indicates its ISO.
Even if your camera still indicates that there isn't enough light and that you need to use a flash, you have a few choices. One choice, obviously, is to use a flash. But, you can also push your film to a higher ISO number and still get acceptable results. To determine the pushing limit of the film you are using, consult your photo dealer or the film manufacturer.
Major film manufacturers such as Kodak, Agfa, Fuji and Konica offer fast transparency film for photographers who prefer to shoot slides. These films can also be pushed to higher speeds, creating additional opportunities for indoor shooting.
(When you submit pushed film for processing, you must tell the processor at which speed it was exposed, otherwise your film will be delivered over- or underexposed.)
In addition to fast film, a 28mm or 24mm fixed-focal-length wide-angle lens is helpful for shooting indoors. Most wide-angle lenses have a maximum aperture of f1.7 or f2. These relatively wide openings let plenty of light into your camera in a short period of time, enabling you to hand-hold your camera indoors while using a shutter speed fast enough to prevent camera shake.
Zoom lenses, on the other hand, often have a maximum aperture of f3.5 or f4. This reduction in the amount of light entering the camera requires a longer shutter speed, which dictates the use of a tripod or flash.
Another important element to consider when shooting indoors in low light is color. If daylight is the main light source, you will have no problem getting correct subject color with the aforementioned films. It starts to get tricky when daylight is mixed with artificial light, or when artificial light is the main source of illumination.
In situations like these, you may need to use a color correction filter. To get an idea of the various filters available, you can pick up a free Cokin Creative Filter System booklet at your photo dealer. It has plenty of good information, with good ideas and pictures, too.
If you are a fanatic about getting the color correct - not just close, but exact - you'll need a color meter to determine which filters are needed in mixed lighting situations. Your photo dealer can assist you in selecting a meter that fits your needs and your budget as well.