B&W Film Recommendations for 120?

snegron

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Anyone have any recommendations for 120 B&W film? Some shots will be portraits, others will be landscapes. Which film (or films) will give the most accurate overall tonal reproductions, less grain? The objective will be to make large prints (11"x14") from 645 and 6x7 negatives suitable for display.
 

asaphoto

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I have been using Efke film for a while and really like it. It is available in 120 size 100 50 and 25 iso. The 25 speed is really sharp. and it has a hight tonal range overall.
 

JBrunner

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It's like asking "how big is a rock"

Having said that, it sounds like you are looking for a fine grained slow speed film, 100 ASA or less, so the Ilford 50 would be a good choice. The Efke films are an older style of emulsion, if you like that look and give good results. The 25 speed is a bit of its own animal, and if you are interested in using it you should search up some of the older threads that discuss its peculiarities.

I can't comment on the Fuji, but it seems to have a faithful following as well.

It needs to be mentioned that developer choice will be as important as what film you choose, in regard to the grain.
 

wirehead

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You know, if you start as a 6x7 and are only enlarging to 11x14, a good percentage of the B&W films currently on the market will be rather grainless.
 

spark

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Everybody has a favorite. Pan F/Rodinal is almost foolproof for me in MF, I'm just starting to play with Fuji Acros. Tmax 100 gave me great results my first roll but I've never been able to repeat it. You've got a lot of sun and UV there in Florida, experiment!
 

mcgrattan

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As has been said, everyone has their own preference.

I really like Fuji Neopan Acros as a slower film, it gives really consistent and predictable results for me, it has low grain, high sharpness and a beautiful tone. I also really like the look of Ilford Pan-F but struggle to develop it consistently. The couple of times I've had it processed by my local mini-lab I've had great results.

Fuji Neopan Acros and Neopan 400 are my standard 'medium format' films and I use them for both 645 and 6x6 and have almost never had a bad shot.

For a while I was using the older emulsions from Efke and Maco, and while I liked them a lot, I couldn't quite get the same consistency as with the Fuji films -- possibly due to my own poor technique -- and if I buy from the right retailer there isn't really a price difference.
 

Roger Hicks

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diwolf said:
Fuji Acros.
Click to expand...
Dear Dietmar,

Which only goes to show how intensely personal it is. I'd say, 'anything EXCEPT Fuji Acros', with Ilford Delta 100 the front runner for my money. That doesn't make either of us right (or wrong), but it does rather call into question the value of asking for others' advice on the best film.

Cheers,

R.
 

Keith Tapscott.

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I wonder why some people always assume that there is an absolute best of everything? You often read questions such as: What is the best Camera, lens, film, developer etc. The best way to find out which film(s) are the best (which comes down to each individuals own personal preference), is to buy some Kodak, Ilford, Fuji or what ever takes your fancy and then see for your self which films you like that suits you best. Asking what is the absolute best of everything will vary widely depending on who you ask.
 

Alex Bishop-Thorpe

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Grab 2 rolls of everything and just experiment. One roll to shoot around, another roll to learn from the first roll.
As has been pointed out, it's a really personal thing. It's like picking out underwear, honestly.
 

Magnus W

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I used Agfapan100 / APX100 until the demise of Agfa. I found Fuji Acros to be a good replacement for APX.

-- MW
 

Dietmar Wolf

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Basically you are absolutely right.

But it is often not so easy. You have to test the film, developer and all that under different light. So this needs time with all available films.

Personally I would only buy stuff you can rely on for the next years. So Ilford or Fuji.
I had the Acros in 6X6 in ID11 1+1. Perfect if you want a sharp, finegrain film, it does not curl, very flat and is easy to scan, if you want to work hybrid.
So I can recommend it.
But if you use a Delta, I am sure, the difference will be small.
If you use something else, I am sure, your results will not suffer that much.

But basically, this is my opinion, you need some grain in b&w. This search for grainless pics is often guided through what you see in the internet. But in reality, a b/w silverprint needs to show more or less grain to look good.
So if you come to the same conclusion, take a more traditional film from Ilford, FP4.
 
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coriana6jp

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Personally I use Acros and Ilford Pan-F most of the time in 120 for fine grain prints. With FP4 and Neopan 400 also being used from time to time. Acros 120 is great in Rodinal semistand, the tones are incredible.

Pan-F is a little bit tricky and it build contrast quickly. Though rating it at EI25 and developing in Perceptol 1:3, I get virtually grainless prints up to 11x14 that are very sharp.

Hope it helps.

Gary
 

Thomas Bertilsson

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Anything from Ilford will look amazing and are very easy to live with. Kodak ditto, except the TMax is finicky to develop. Fuji's monochrome films are outstanding too. Those are from the big guns, you can get exotic and experiment with Foma, Efke/Adox, Rollei, Lucky, ERA, Shanghai, there are all sorts of films out there.

If you're looking for fine grain, how you develop your negatives will also have a large impact. It also depends on the subject matter how sensitive to large grain the final print will be. I have 35mm Tri-X negs printed to 11x14 that look almost grain-less because the subject matter is very detailed. If I had a large expansive sky in the scene, the grain would be very readily apparent. If you're shooting medium format, FP4 from Ilford is about as versatile a film as they come in medium speed. Check it out. Looks great in a plethora of developers.

For what it's worth, I don't think grain should be the deciding factor to whether your prints are suitable for display or not. Subject matter, message, texture and contrast control, as well as tone and mood are much more important factors. That's my opinion, by the way. Good luck, and have fun.

- Thomas
 

dpurdy

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One consideration is if you are planning on using a tripod. For the size you are saying hand held you might want to go with a higher speed film like tmax 400 or delta 400. For myself I shoot ACROS mostly except when I want to process in a high acutance devleoper then I use Tmax 100. ACROS in a studio with strobe and processed in XTOL is beautiful and I don't know why one person has a curling problem. Lays flat for me.
 

Roger Hicks

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Fleath said:
Grab 2 rolls of everything and just experiment. One roll to shoot around, another roll to learn from the first roll.
Click to expand...

YES!

And ignore the 'pick one film' rule, until you've played with a fair few. One (or more) will stand out for you. THAT'S the time to stick with one film.

Cheers,

R.
 

MattKing

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Kodak Plus-X for me.

Each film has its own character and inherent contrast. If you are shooting multiple formats, you may even find that the differing contrast and other characteristics of the various cameras (and lenses) may lead you to prefer different films for different cameras (and lenses).

Alternatively, your development regime may vary from camera to camera.

Try one of the suggestions here, and see if you like it. If not, post your impressions, and we may be able to give further guidance.

Matt
 
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Black Dog

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Sacre bleu!No!
 
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