What term encompasses a film's ability to capture detail in varying lighting conditions?

The term that best encompasses a film's ability to capture detail in varying lighting conditions is dynamic range. Dynamic range refers to the range of light intensities a film can effectively capture, from the darkest shadows to the brightest highlights. A film with a wide dynamic range can maintain detail in both extreme ends of lighting conditions, preventing loss of detail in bright areas (highlights) or dark areas (shadows).

Exposure latitude, while related, refers more to the allowable variations in exposure that still yield acceptable results. It describes how much deviation from the ideal exposure (underexposure or overexposure) can occur without significant loss of quality. However, it does not directly address the film's inherent ability to capture detail across extreme lighting conditions.

Shutter speed pertains to the duration of time that the film is exposed to light, influencing motion blur and exposure but not necessarily the broad capability of capturing detail across varied lighting situations.

Film grain describes the texture of the film resulting from silver halide crystals and affects the film's overall image quality, but it does not relate to the film's sensitivity to light in various conditions.

Thus, dynamic range accurately describes the film’s ability to handle detail across a spectrum of lighting scenarios.