B&W 35mm film recommendations

Taz777 · Sep 6, 2019

I'm hoping this is in the right section of the forums!

As a total beginner in B&W film, I'm looking for recommendations on which B&W 35mm film I should try out. I want to buy a few rolls, say around five rolls, to try out in various old cameras. My test shots will be landscapes, portraits and close-ups. I want to try several different types out before settling on one or two.

Ariston · Sep 6, 2019

Ultrafine Extreme is great... and it’s cheap!

Pieter12 · Sep 6, 2019

Ilford HP5+ is a nice all-around film, especially if you rate it at 200.

BradS · Sep 6, 2019

Kodak Tri-X or if you want a medium speed film, Ilford FP-4+
and if you want the very best, Kodak Tmax 400 or Ilford Delta-100

Ariston · Sep 6, 2019

Taz, I recommend you decide how much you want to spend, then google the different films on flickr, for instance, google "Fuji Acros Flickr", and you will get to see a lot of examples of what that film can do.

Dali · Sep 6, 2019

Kodak Tri-X definitely. Not the cheapest but certainly one of the best and the most versatile film available today.

Alan Edward Klein · Sep 6, 2019

WIll you be scanning the film and/or printing chemically from it? Your darkroom or commercial lab?

Taz777 · Sep 6, 2019

Many thanks all. It's given me some ideas. I'll take a look at Flickr too as I have an idea in my mind as to the type of results that I want to achieve.

Taz777 · Sep 6, 2019

Alan Edward Klein said:
WIll you be scanning the film and/or printing chemically from it? Your darkroom or commercial lab?

I'll be using a processing lab. I emailed them today to enquire about their prices. I want the film processed and scanned.

Agulliver · Sep 6, 2019

You're in London so Ultrafine Extreme isn't going to be easy for you to obtain. If you're after trying a few rolls, it's worth considering if you are developing yourself or getting a lab to do it....and if you're having traditional prints made, scanning yourself or having a lab scan.
EDIT - I've just seen your answer. It's worth finding out what chemistry the lab uses and processing technique.

I've settled on Ilford HP5+ for any situation where I require a fast film. I develop myself in ID-11 and shoot it at anything from 400 to 3200 ISO, developing as appropriate. For sunny outdoor times I use Fomapan 100 but this can be a bit finnicky with developers and developing techniques.

HP5+ is probably the most versatile, along with Kodak Tri-X but the former is more available and cheaper in England. You might even find some at Boots. If you're in London, try popping into Process Supplies near Farringdon, they have just about every film on the market available to buy over the counter. I'd have a go with both HP5+ and FP4+, see how they differ. You might find you prefer one for portraits of people and another for landscapes.

pentaxuser · Sep 6, 2019

Ariston said:
Ultrafine Extreme is great... and it’s cheap!

In London, U.K., where the OP is situated I doubt this to be the case. I have never even seen this film at any U.K. retailers. Given our light conditions for most of the year and the required speed for such conditions I'd go for a 400 film. D400 has finer grain but is more expensive than HP5+ and unless you are willing to pay for and need enlargements bigger than 8x10 from your lab then HP5+ has a lot of versatility. Cheaper but not by that much in the U.K. is the Foma range. Try Foma 400 as well. If you are rich try TMax 400

pentaxuser

railwayman3 · Sep 6, 2019

I'd go with HP5+ and FP4+ as starter films. HP5+ is a versatile and an easy forgiving film to use, FP4+ is good for better lighting and finer grain.

There are other fine films, but, whichever you choose, I wouldn't fall into the trap of trying too many different ones at once. You really need to get-to-know any film to get the best quality and consistency of results, otherwise you just get confused and waste time and money. IMHO.

kevs · Sep 6, 2019

Taz777 said:
I'll be using a processing lab. I emailed them today to enquire about their prices. I want the film processed and scanned.

Welcome to Photrio.

Try Ilford XP2 Super. It's a black-and-white C-41-processed (C-41 is the process used for colour negative film) 400 ASA film that has fine grain and plenty of exposure latitude (tolerance to under- and over-exposure).

Good luck and have fun,
kevs.

Paul Howell · Sep 6, 2019

Agulliver said:
You're in London so Ultrafine Extreme isn't going to be easy for you to obtain.

I believe that UFE is rebranded Kentmyer which you ought to be able to find in London. I use UFE as my walk around film, ISO 400 can be grainy you need to work with a lab that uses a suitable developer. Here in the US many labs use Extol not sure what is used in the UK. One word of caution, Kentmere and UFE does have a antihalation coating or the coating is very poor, it is easy to blow out highlights. For your first 5 rolls I would give Ilford HP5 or Delta 400 a try.

faberryman · Sep 6, 2019

Any of the films from the major manufacturers are fine.

MattKing · Sep 6, 2019

Ask your lab - they probably see a fair amount of film .

runswithsizzers · Sep 6, 2019

I don't know how much you care about the scans or what you intend to do with them, but my experience here in the middle of the US suggests the quality of the scans I get from different labs varies a LOT more than any differences between films. The situation may be different in London, but if I were you, I would get some local recommendations before deciding on who is going to scan the negatives.

mgb74 · Sep 6, 2019

MattKing said:
Ask your lab - they probably see a fair amount of film .

And they know what they've optimized their processing and scanning for.

Ariston · Sep 6, 2019

runswithsizzers said:
I don't know how much you care about the scans or what you intend to do with them, but my experience here in the middle of the US suggests the quality of the scans I get from different labs varies a LOT more than any differences between films. The situation may be different in London, but if I were you, I would get some local recommendations before deciding on who is going to scan the negatives.

I would add that the quality of scans I get from MYSELF tends to vary a lot more than any diffrences between films. The OP won't be scanning, but one of the things I like about UFX is how flat it is. It may be the lack of the anti-halation layer someone else mentioned. If Kentmere is the same, that is something to keep in Mind for those who scan their own film.

runswithsizzers · Sep 6, 2019

Ariston said:
I would add that the quality of scans I get from MYSELF tends to vary a lot more than any diffrences between films. The OP won't be scanning, but one of the things I like about UFX is how flat it is. It may be the lack of the anti-halation layer someone else mentioned. If Kentmere is the same, that is something to keep in Mind for those who scan their own film.

So true. I have been d.i.y. scanning using both a film scanner and my digital camera; each has it's strength and weaknesses. I recently "scanned" a roll of Kentmere 100 (photographed with my digital camera), and it was pretty easy going. I don't have any recent lab scans of B&W film, so I can't say how my home scans compare, but if anyone wants to see them <click here>. Overall, I was very pleased with the Kentmere 100. For an all-purpose walk-about film, I might have liked a little more film speed, so I am eager to try the 400.

Edit: I will add my vote for Ilford HP5+ as a very good, fast, b&w negative film. But for trying out old cameras, if the Kentmere 400 is cheaper than the HP5+ I might be inclined to try the Kentmere.

radiant · Sep 7, 2019

What is the best? The one I use ofcourse Your question is difficult because the answer is personal preference.

If you're just starting my suggestion is: try all of them. Really. The "worst" thing you can do is stick to one film type in beginning, shooting 100 rolls and then finding out that you like some other film much more.

So buy one Tri-X, HP5, Tmax400, Delta 100 and Fomapan 100. This way you get really huge cut through different film types and you see how 400/100 ISO changes the look. Maybe after this test choose two types and shoot 10 rolls of both and maybe then you can "choose" the film you like. Try to expose all films with different kind of light scenarios: high contrast, low contrast, low light, details, sky, humans ..

Agulliver · Sep 7, 2019

Harman Technology have stated on numerous occasions that neither Ilford nor Kentmere film is sold under any other name. Ergo Ultrafine Xtreme is not Kentmere 400. Photo Warehouse are very reluctant to say where they get their film from, but the way it is packaged certainly suggests it hails from Mobberly and is made by Harman. Therefore it may share some lineage with Kentmere or even with Ilfrod Pan 400. But categorically it is not the same film as either. Harman are *very* clear about this. So unless he has links to the USA, OP cannot get hold of Ultrafine Xtreme easily or cheaply.

That said, if OP wishes to try the Kentmere films, I've found there's nothing wrong with the 400 but it doesn't push too well beyond 800, contrast goes up and grain increases far more than with HP5+ This may not be an issue for OP of course.

I agree wholeheartedly with the idea of trying a few films out to get a feel for them...how they work with the way you do your photography, the lab you choose and the way they process and scan or print.

RalphLambrecht · Sep 7, 2019

Taz777 said:
I'm hoping this is in the right section of the forums!

As a total beginner in B&W film, I'm looking for recommendations on which B&W 35mm film I should try out. I want to buy a few rolls, say around five rolls, to try out in various old cameras. My test shots will be landscapes, portraits and close-ups. I want to try several different types out before settling on one or two.

IlfordFP4+ and Kodak Tmax100

Taz777 · Sep 7, 2019

runswithsizzers said:
I don't know how much you care about the scans or what you intend to do with them, but my experience here in the middle of the US suggests the quality of the scans I get from different labs varies a LOT more than any differences between films. The situation may be different in London, but if I were you, I would get some local recommendations before deciding on who is going to scan the negatives.

Indeed. I've spent a bit of time researching a lab in London that produces good scans. I believe I've found one based on good feedback on various Internet forums. In the meantime I've ordered one of:

Foma Action Film 35mm B&W ISO 400
Ilford HP5 Plus 400 B&W ISO 400
Kodak Tri-X 400 35mm B&W Film

...to get me started. I'll see how things go and if they go well I'll order another set of B&W films to try out.

AgX · Sep 7, 2019

faberryman said:
Any of the films from the major manufacturers are fine.

Exactly. When I started there were only 5 different films on the shelves. I think internet spoiled people...

B&W 35mm film recommendations

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