C41

[Donald Boyd]

Hey ther boys and girls. What's the best C41 film? Thanks, and wish me a happy birthday.

 

[Ian Grant]

As you are in the Black & White trhread then the answer must be Ilford XP-2.

Ian

 

[MattKing]

Happy birthday Donald - Portra 160 NC or VC (depending on subject).

But you will have to look for some Panalure pater to print it properly in Black & White

 

[Alex Bishop-Thorpe]

I've used by Kodak 400CN and Ilford XP2, and they both serve the purpose well. The kodak seemed to have a slight blue tone to the lab prints, but I used 100ft of XP2 and it was a great and flexible film, so I recommended it. Actually XP2 was the first black and white film I used, so it has sentimental value.

 

[Donald Boyd]

Are there any test links? I've used both Kodak and Ilford (400 ASA) and I didn't notice a difference.

 

[film_guy]

I've used the Kodak and Ilford version of the C41 B&W film (BW400CN & XP2), and frankly I wasn't impressed. My test rolls lack the grain and sharpness of traditional B&W film like Tri-X. And they don't push too well either. I tried rating and push-developed both at iso 800 and they came back looking bland and lacking constrast. The lab might have messed up, but after the pricey test and letdown, I think I'm going to stick with traditional B&W like Tri-X or HP5+.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Hey ther boys and girls. What's the best C41 film? Thanks, and wish me a happy birthday.

Dear Donald,

Happy birthday.

Ilford XP2 Super -- vastly better highlight handling than the Kodak alternative, and 1/3 stop faster. Grainier, but also sharper.

Cheers,

R.