An overview of B&W film by YOU!

There is no worse feeling then pulling the film from the fix and discovering a defect. For that reason, I would suggest you NOT purchase the cheapest films available. Kodak, Ilford and Fuji should have something that fits your needs. I would stick with them due to their Quality Control. You do get what you pay for. Personally I use Tri-X if the print is going to be enlarged (4x5 or smaller) and TMax 400 for those that will be contact printed (5x7 and above)

Just my 2 cents

I second the HP5+ in dilute Perceptol.
I just started doing this combo after reading Barry Thornton's book 'The Edge of Darkness'.
I shoot my HP5+ at 200 and develop in Perceptol 1:3, it seems to have opened a whole new world to my negatives as before they always seemed to be too contrasty.

BTW
Ultrafineonline in the US still has bulk rolls of Agfa APX100 and APX400 for $27 and $31 respectively. Not sure if they ship overseas though.

For both 135 and 120 - you can't really go wrong with Tmax 100 and 400. If it's cheap - why not? I think those films are really good, they display a very nice tonal range and the quality control is second to none.
- Thomas

I'm a big fan of APX 100 (which is what Rollei Retro really is). At first, I wasn't impressed by the grain but after learning how to use this film, it has really come into it's own. I really love the tones and sharpness I get from using this film. The unfortunate thing is that they have stopped making it. Hopefully, we'll see a form of it resurrected in the future.

BTW, Ultrafine does ship internationally (at least to Canada) and they are an excellent source of this film at very good prices.