Push the slow or pull the fast?

Is there a general rule regarding a preference for pushing a slow film or pulling a fast film? For example: I want to shoot at EI 800. I have an EI 400 film that I could push up to 800, and I have an EI 1600 film that I could pull down to 800. Is there a generally prefered choice? I would expect that the 1600 film might look better pulled down to 800 than it does at its rated 1600, but would it look better than a 400 pushed to 800?

[ Previous | Next ]