In 2024, we launched our first ever 35mm film tier, and nope, this wasn’t one that the FilmProcessing team had any input into, despite everyone’s comments on social media!
Due to its popularity, we thought, why not make this an annual tradition?
Comprising of our sales data in 2025, we ranked all of the 35mm films we stock by popularity, based on their sales in 2025.
Just as a disclaimer before we get into it, this tier system was in no way chosen by the FilmProcessing team or based on quality, but an interesting bit of data that may, or may not inspire your next film purchase in 2026…
Best 35mm Films Ranked By Popularity In 2025
God Tier
There was a bit of a shake up on last years popularity, and Kodak ColorPlus was a clear winner in 2025 (it didn’t even make the god tier last year!) – it’s an affordable, colour film stock that’s readily available and accessible for both beginners and professionals in the field.
Fujifilm 200 was the winner in 2024, and it’s still evident that ISO 200 colour films carrying the smallest price point, are the most popular, and most commonly purchased.
It’s clear that price point was a clear driver in 2025 for film sales.
Kodak ColorPlus – Kodak ColorPlus 200 is an affordable 35mm colour negative film known for its warm tones, fine grain, and reliable performance in daylight and flash photography.
Fujifilm 200 – Unsurprisingly enough, Fujifilm was the second most popular film stock, ColorPlus being marginally cheaper than Fujifilm. A versatile 35mm colour negative film that delivers natural colours, good contrast, and dependable results in everyday lighting conditions.
CineStill 800T – A high-speed 35mm colour film balanced for tungsten light, known for its cinematic look, rich colours, and distinctive halation around highlights.
Portra 400 – A professional 35mm colour negative film prized for its natural skin tones, fine grain, and wide exposure latitude, making it ideal for portraits and varied lighting.
Top Tier
Leading up the top tier is Kodak Gold, Fujifilm 200 and Kodak Gold 200 are similar films, but for the purpose of this ranking, we have included all film sales to give you a full accurate picture.
We also see the first entrant of a black and white film, Ilford HP5, a total classic in the B&W film community. At £9 a film roll it’s on par with the likes of ColorPlus, whilst not being the cheapest black and white 35mm film available.
Kodak Gold – Kodak Gold 200 is a classic 35mm colour negative film known for its vibrant colours, warm tones, and fine grain, making it well suited to everyday and outdoor photography.
Kodak Ultramax – A balanced all rounder that’s loved by hobbyists and professionals, rated at ISO 400.
Ilford HP5 – Ilford HP5 36exp 35mm has medium grain, great sharpness & beautiful contrast. At the versatile ISO of 400, you can use this stock to capture high contrast, movement or even still scenes featuring deep & indulgent tones.
Portra 800 – A long standing favourite but a bit of movement from last years rankings where it ranked at number two! Kodak Portra 800 benefits from the same authentic capture of skin tones & realistic colours as Portra 160 & 400.
Mid Tier
3 black and white films have made it to the mid tier, and more entrants than we saw in the 2024 sales! Black and white film is generally the cheapest way to shoot film with prices starting from £6 a roll. These rolls make film photography that little bit more affordable, and are equally great for beginners and professionals.
Kentmere 400 – This medium speed black and white film is one of the cheapest B&W film stocks at only £6 a roll. Don’t let the price deter you, it’s a dependable film which is known for its classic look, good contrast, and flexibility,
Fujifilm 400 – Rated at ISO 400, whether you are capturing landscapes, portraits, or everyday moments, this film stock is designed to meet the demands of both amateur and professional photographers.
Ilford FP4 – A fine-grain black and white film with medium speed, known for its excellent sharpness, wide tonal range, and classic look in controlled lighting conditions. Not sure how to choose between this and HP5? We have a full comparison post on these two stocks!
Ilford XP2 – this is the only black and white film that can be used with traditional C-41 development which makes it that much versatile, and affordable when you factor in processing. It delivers fine grain, wide exposure latitude, and clean contrast, with the convenience of standard colour lab processing.
Low Tier
It’s not a surprise to see another two budget, high quality black and white film stocks here. With Ektar 100 and CineStill 400D, both very different ISO rated colour film stocks but effective in what they do, and how they’re shot.
Fomapan 400 – ISO 400, a sharp, fast, fine grain black and white film. Most importantly, it’s affordable too at just £6 a roll.
Ilford Delta 400 – A high speed, black & white film designed to produce images with extraordinary depth and detail.
Ektar 100 – Kodak Ektar Pro 100 is a slow speed ISO 100 film, carrying a versatility for bright, sun drenched days throughout the seasons.
CineStill 400D – With 400 ISO it’s great for medium daylight. That said, 400D can also be rated in the range of 200-800 ISO making it a super versatile film.
Bottom
The film community benefitted from a number of new 35mm film launches last year, and both Kentmere 200 and Harman Phoenix II both made the cut!
Likely some of this will be due to the fact that the community wanted to try these new film stocks. Interestingly enough, the original Harman Phoenix did not make the cut this year, and neither did Harman Red, another new film stock that was launched in 2025.
Kentmere 200 – this film stock was a brand new entrant for 2025. Kentmere PAN 200 is a versatile black & white film with a medium ISO 200 speed, ideal for a wide range of shooting conditions.
Ilford Delta 3200 – An exceptionally high speed black & white film. Ideal for fast action and low light photography.
Harman Phoenix II – HARMAN Phoenix II is Harman’s new 2nd generation 35mm colour film, and very different from the original. Rated at ISO 200.
Fomapan 200 – A budget black and white film, rated at ISO 200 for sharp, fine and fast grain.
So, there we have it, 2025 most popular films, as purchased by you. Head to our post on Instagram to see everyone’s comments about the rankings. It’s important to remember that film stocks are completely subjective, depending on the users needs and wants from the film.
Ready to influence the film tier for 2026? Let us know your thoughts on this list in the comments below!