@Reply #10 - good point! Honestly, I fixed my own AE-1 shutter squeak for $5 with some sewing machine oil while the shop wanted $150. Save your cash for film.

• Ilford HP5 Plus 400 is way cheaper and bulletproof for learning.
• Kodak ColorPlus 200 is my go-to for daily shots. Stop overpaying for hype and just go shoot. Portra is for people who love burning money...

> I saw someone mention that Gold 200 is basically a cheaper alternative, but does that actually look the same? I’m no expert, but I just went through this exact rabbit hole last week. I found that Kodak Gold 200 35mm is warmer and punchier than Kodak Portra 400 35mm, which is more neutral and creamy. You won't get that exact 'pro' look, but it's great for learning. Another option I looked into is Fujifilm Superia 400 35mm, which is usually cheaper than Portra and has a nice green/cool tint that might actually fit the Seattle vibe well. Before I suggest which one to grab, are you planning on getting your film developed at a local lab or are you looking to scan it yourself at home? That makes a big difference in how your colors turn out.

Everyone pushes Kodak Portra 400 35mm like it is magic, but it is mostly marketing hype. You are paying for a premium brand name, not for the camera to do the work for you. If you are just starting, you are better off buying Ilford HP5 Plus 400 35mm. It is black and white, so you stop worrying about color balance and focus entirely on your exposure and composition. It is much cheaper, and the contrast is easy to manage in Seattle's overcast light. If you must shoot color, avoid the eBay gamble. Expired film is unpredictable and will just frustrate you if you do not know if your settings are wrong. Buy fresh rolls from a reputable shop so you have a baseline to troubleshoot your technique.

To add to the point above: tbh if you are just starting, don't waste your money on Portra yet. It's expensive and you'll probably mess up exposure a few times. Grab some Kodak Ultramax 400 35mm instead. It’s way cheaper, handles mistakes well, and works perfectly for Seattle’s lighting. As for eBay, avoid expired film if you're learning. Stick to fresh rolls so you aren't guessing if the film or your settings are the problem.

Jumping in here because this brings back such a wild memory from when I was shooting an old manual body in the Swiss Alps back in 09. I had this bag full of silver canisters and I was so convinced that the specific humidity levels of the high altitude were gonna change the chemical composition of the emulsion, so I spent an entire afternoon inside a mountain hut trying to calibrate my light meter against a literal candle flame. I ended up missing the sunset entirely because I was so obsessed with the mechanics of the film advance gear that I didnt even notice a mountain goat had walked right up to my tripod and eaten half my lunch. Anyway, bottom line is...

• It is truly a wild ride when you start.
• Sometimes the gear just takes over your brain.
• I still think about that goat sometimes...

Rarely post but saw this and had to chime in. Like someone mentioned, don't blow your budget on expensive professional stocks while learning. I'd suggest grabbing a few rolls of consumer-grade color negative film and focusing on consistent exposure. Avoid buying unknown film from eBay; if the storage temperature was high, the color shifts and grain structure will be ruined, which is frustrating for a beginner. Stick to fresh stock from reputable dealers until you know your camera's meter.

Re: "Re: "." — Honestly, I completely agree with the folks saying to hold off on the pricey stuff. Listen here. Look, everyone's arguing about stocks and meters, but nobody asked the basics. What kind of battery is currently sitting in that AE-1 right now? Are you even sure the light meter is giving you accurate readings, or is it running on a dead 1.35V mercury cell replacement that's throwing your whole exposure off by three stops? Before you drop cash on any film at all — whether it's cheap or expensive — is the shutter firing consistently across all speeds, or is that classic squeak starting to drag?

Regarding what #8 said about "Rarely post but saw this and had to..." - yeah, totally agree on skipping expensive rolls for now. Honestly, you should just grab whatever is fresh. I remember when I was obsessed with testing the spectral sensitivity of vintage tungsten emulsions under moonlight. I spent months cataloging light leaks on my old rangefinder, even built a custom darkroom in my pantry just to see if the developer temp variance would shift the magenta levels. Anyway, bottom line is... just shoot what you can afford lol.

So funny you ask this — last summer I took a bunch of expired rolls to a wedding and ended up with nothing but purple-tinted ghosts. Honestly, before you spend a dime on any film, are you planning on scanning these yourself or getting them developed at a lab? It makes a huge difference in cost. Whatever you do, just avoid buying 'tested' film from random eBay sellers—it's almost never worth the headache or the risk of losing your shots.

Welcome to the film world! The Canon AE-1 is a classic choice, and honestly, you're going to have a blast with it in Seattle. I get the confusion. Portra 400 is super hyped online because of how it handles skin tones and its wide exposure latitude, which basically means it's super forgiving if you mess up your settings. However, it is definitely pricey if you're just burning through rolls while learning the ropes. Before I can give you a solid recommendation on whether to drop the cash on the 'holy grail' stuff or stick to something cheaper, I need to know a bit more about what you're actually aiming for:

• What is your primary goal for this trip? Are you trying to get professional-looking portraits that look like those soft, dreamy Instagram shots, or are you just trying to document the trip and learn how the camera works?
• How comfortable are you with the manual settings on your camera right now? Do you have a good handle on how the light meter works, or are you still feeling a bit shaky with your shutter speeds and aperture? Knowing this will help me narrow down if you should splurge or pick up some cheaper rolls to practice with first. Ngl, messing up a roll of expensive film definitely hurts, so being clear on your goals makes a huge difference.

Man I wish I found this thread sooner. Would have saved me so much hassle.

Honestly, reading about someone stressing over film stocks takes me back to when I bought my first beat-up SLR at a dusty garage sale in the late 90s. I remember trying to hike up a mountain with three different rolls of film in my bag, only for the camera to jam halfway up the peak because I didnt know you werent supposed to force the advance lever like a maniac. It turned into this whole ordeal where I spent two hours sitting on a rock trying to pry the back open with a pocket knife while a light drizzle started coming down. I eventually got the film out, but the whole roll was ruined anyway. I've been through three of these cameras since then and that memory still haunts me whenever I pack for a trip...

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Re: "." — Honestly, I completely agree with the folks saying to hold off on the pricey stuff. I’ve been through three of these old bodies over the last decade — bought my first one at a garage sale for peanuts, then two more when the shutters inevitably gave out — and the biggest lesson I learned is that you’re basically just paying to learn how to meter. If you’re just starting out, you’re going to mess up the exposure, and that’s fine! It’s part of the process. I remember burning through a few rolls of the "pro" stocks years ago, expecting magic, and all I got was a bunch of underexposed gray mush because I didn’t know how to handle the light yet. It was garbage, honestly. Things might have changed since then — maybe the labs have better scanners now — but back then it just felt like throwing cash into a shredder. Don't stress about the "look" right now. Just focus on getting the focus right and understanding your meter. Once you can actually get a consistently exposed shot, then you can worry about the fancy stuff.