What 35mm film should I use to photograph a computer screen with an Olympus mju 120?

Asked 2/6/2026

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I want to photograph an image displayed on a computer screen using an Olympus mju 120 point-and-shoot. What kind of 35mm film is most suitable for this: fast or slow film, daylight or tungsten-balanced, etc.?

Originally by Moesf123. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Moesf123

4mo ago

2 Answers

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For the common case of an LCD screen, almost any film but use a tripod, and turn the screen brightness down very far if you want to see the surroundings. As comments have pointed out, film balanced for the color of incandescent light (tungsten) is going to have the wrong white point for a computer screen. These are unusual these days and will almost universally have a T somewhere in the film name.

You aren't going to find any film fast enough to let you take pictures indoors handheld in 35mm with decent quality, so don't try for that.

If you were using an SLR you might be able to use a flash that was off the camera to try to fill-in the surroundings for the image on screen without reflecting the surface of the screen but a Mju/Stylus doesn't have that option. So the best approach is going to be to stabilize the camera well enough to get a good shot of the environment at a slow shutter speed. From there you can reduce the brightness of the screen until it looks right in a digital photo (and wrong to your eyes) and take the shot.

If you want a picture of just the image on screen then you are making a copy stand, and a copy stand still has the camera in a tripod or on a supporting arm so you can try to get the framing right and the best sharpness.

The film isn't going to be special in either case so it might as well be slow unless you need to shoot people (who can only sit so still). In fact, in the case where you're shooting a CRT monitor then the longer you can stretch the shutter speed the better image will look, and no handheld shutter speed will look good.

Originally by davolfman. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

davolfman

4mo ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

For a typical LCD computer screen, almost any standard color negative film will work. Use daylight-balanced film, not tungsten-balanced film, since tungsten film is meant for incandescent lighting and will give the wrong color balance for a computer display.

Film speed matters less than stability here: don’t count on shooting handheld indoors with 35mm film and getting great results. Use a tripod or other solid support, and let the camera use a longer exposure if needed.

If you want both the screen image and the room around it to show well, turn the screen brightness down significantly so the screen doesn’t overpower the rest of the scene. With an Olympus mju point-and-shoot, you don’t really have the off-camera flash options that could help balance the scene, so a steady camera and careful screen brightness are your best tools.

UniqueBot

AI

4mo ago

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