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  #1  
Old 11th October 2010, 09:45 PM
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Default Black & White Film

I wondered what FADU members have as their preference for black and white film and why. I am quite fond of FP4, mainly due to its speed and tonal rendition.
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Old 11th October 2010, 09:56 PM
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HP5 + suits what I do and I have been with it for a while now. Most of my landscape work is done during the autumn and winter months, often in adverse conditions, where a 400 iso film is desirable. If necessary it will push to 800 iso and will still provide acceptable quality.

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Old 11th October 2010, 11:04 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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HP5+ is very good and forgiving but recently I have got better results with Neopan 400 which is as forgiving but producing less grainy negs.

With filters and without a tripod and for most of the year, anything slower than 400 isn't really fast enough for me in the U.K.

With Neopan 400 I found that most negs were good whereas I found that D400 to be more problematical. I'll re-phrase that. I should say that I found Neopan 400 easier to use with less "thinking" about the scene and lighting condition.

I might of course belong to the group that George Eastman made a fortune serving when he said "you press the shutter and we do the rest"

Mike
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Old 12th October 2010, 06:20 AM
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Delta 400 has been my prefered film for sometime, superb in PMK pyro developer, smooth tonality and very fine grain, especially for a 400iso film - I only wish it was available in sheet film (again).
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Old 12th October 2010, 07:16 AM
Dave miller Dave miller is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Trevor Crone View Post
Delta 400 has been my prefered film for sometime, superb in PMK pyro developer, smooth tonality and very fine grain, especially for a 400iso film - I only wish it was available in sheet film (again).
I'm another Delta 400 user in medium format, although I use Prescysol as my preferred staining developer, it allows me to use the film at box speed.
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Old 12th October 2010, 08:12 AM
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I think all of the above films are good. The FP4 Plus you are currently using is a good choice as well.
It's usually good advice to stick with a film you like and enjoy your photography. FP4 Plus and HP5 Plus are all I use these days.
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Old 12th October 2010, 08:30 AM
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Although not the cheapest option I have recently been using Delta 3200 in 120 format. I accidentally underexposed some frames so had to develop the film (in DDX) at ISO 6400. Only at that rating could I see noticeable grain (akin to Tri-X). At the 'normal' 1600 rating that I use the grain is hardly noticable and the tonality is nice. I would use this film for situations where a tripod is awkward.

Les
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Old 12th October 2010, 09:00 AM
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I mainly use FP4 and HP5, consistent results and a nice grain structure. I am just about to reacquaint myself with PanF which I hadn't used since college, but I remember having beautiful results with it. I also use Tri-X again because I like the grain structure, for subjects where the grain works.
I have T Max 3200 for times when I need the speed, I can't get on with D3200.

Neil
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Old 12th October 2010, 09:11 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike O'Pray View Post
HP5+ is very good and forgiving but recently I have got better results with Neopan 400 which is as forgiving but producing less grainy negs.

With filters and without a tripod and for most of the year, anything slower than 400 isn't really fast enough for me in the U.K.

With Neopan 400 I found that most negs were good whereas I found that D400 to be more problematical. I'll re-phrase that. I should say that I found Neopan 400 easier to use with less "thinking" about the scene and lighting condition.

I might of course belong to the group that George Eastman made a fortune serving when he said "you press the shutter and we do the rest"

Mike

Mike,

I am not worried about grain and often uprate or use high developer dilutions to get more grain. I have used Neopan 400 many times and sometimes the Fuji 1600 as well. But overall I prefer HP5+ and Trix to Neopan - it is hard to say why but to my eye the results from Hp5+ and Trix suit my style more than Neopan. Another concern about Neopan of course is it has now been knocked on the head by Fuji and one doesn't know how long the LP alternative will exist.

Neil.
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Old 12th October 2010, 09:19 AM
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I'd be hard pressed to choose a favourite black & white film as I do like all of Ilford's films, and will pick whichever is most suitable for each circumstance. For my landscape work, I generally use either FP4+ or the Delta 100 if the light is good or I have my tripod at hand. I'd also recommend the Pan F+ if you want the finest grain as it's only 50 ISO, but is capable of producing outstanding results.

For greater speed, I have used HP5+ more often than the Delta 400 and, like Neil, tend to use it most of the time once the dark days start to set in, but I'm perfectly happy to use either film. I actually quite like the grain offered with HP5 if I'm being honest, and although the Delta does have finer grain it needs a little more care with exposure/development (used DD-X the last time).

I haven't used any Kodak films for a very long time, so perhaps I should investigate their films a little further and see how they compare.
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