Delta 400, the bastard stepchild?

Roger Cole said:

... never see grain in any print I make from 4x5 regardless of the film so I choose 4x5 film on other criteria ...

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Yeah, I have simply not gotten grain that stands out visually in prints from any 4x5 negs, pert near invisible. Sure whip out an 8x loupe and I can find it, but with an unaided eye, it just hasn't been an issue with any film I've tried.

Format makes a huge difference and 35mm is for me a different animal, because to get to a 16 by 20 it is at least 16 times enlargement plus any cropping. Compare that with a 4 x 5 negative that's only a 4x enlargement.

kintatsu said:

I've managed to get FP-4+ tested. With my meter and camera, it comes in at box speed. HP-5+ needs some testing for EI and development. It's interesting to me, that I started out liking HP-5+ better, but now I prefer FP-4+. Something about the images. Maybe it's just that I've learned more and need to go back to the HP-5+, as I haven't shot it in about 9 months.

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I have found that each time I settle down and work on testing to get one film right for a while it raises my whole game. I learn stuff that I can then carry back to other films. That focus on a single film is important IMO to be able to see the difference between method and material.

markbarendt said:

I have found that each time I settle down and work on testing to get one film right for a while it raises my whole game. I learn stuff that I can then carry back to other films. That focus on a single film is important IMO to be able to see the difference between method and material.

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At some point every darkroom worker owes it to themselves to do the one film approach, and really sink their teeth into it.
I am with you, Mark, and find that it isn't until I shoot with a single film for a long time (a few hundred rolls and a couple of years), that I really start to intuitively understand it. If you don't go there you simply don't know what you're missing.

Thomas Bertilsson said:

At some point every darkroom worker owes it to themselves to do the one film approach, and really sink their teeth into it.
I am with you, Mark, and find that it isn't until I shoot with a single film for a long time (a few hundred rolls and a couple of years), that I really start to intuitively understand it. If you don't go there you simply don't know what you're missing.

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FWIW, I did just this in the last 18 months after the discontinuance of Kodachrome was announced. I concentrated and really worked at getting out and shooting as much of the one film, Kodachrome 64, as I could, and by the end I really felt that I "knew" a film for the first time ever....I found that I could judge most exposures without a meter and have confidence in the results I could anticipate in particular light and weather. One of my most satisfying periods of picture-taking.

I've found that FP-4+ gives me what I want, so will stick to it. I'll try to get good with HP-5+, just to have something else to work with. My plan is to use those almost exclusively for the stuff I like to do.

Like Thomas and Mark pointed out, I'm learning what I can do with it. I know how to adjust my development and exposure for what I want now with this film. This has really improved my work! I know my contact prints generally come out the way I had hoped, even though there are Newton rings and it's quite difficult to dodge and burn accurately. Once I have a 4x5 enlarger, then I'll be one step closer to bringing it all together!

Things aren't as daunting when sticking to one film, chemical, or process. Learning another becomes easier because you know the process and are more comfortable with it. Each new film or process becomes easier to figure out that way. Before you know it, everything comes together to round out your skills and body of work.