Finding a favorite B&W film...

RattyMouse · Oct 9, 2014

Pioneer said:
I love my TMax and am not interested in trying to work without it.

However, as others have said, I came to that decision by working with it, and others for awhile. But not at the same time.

Eventually I settled on TMX100 because it did what I wanted. Delta 100 was close, but not the same. However I can probably learn to work with it if Kodak ever does discontinue TMX.

The only other film I like as much is Delta 3200, but for different reasons of course.

There are so many TriX lovers out there I should probably put mine up for sale. It or HP5+ will likely be the last film standing.

No way Kodak is the last man standing. I'd be my house on that!

Simon R Galley · Oct 10, 2014

Dear APUGuser19

Whilst you are of course entitled to your opinion... and things have most certainly changed I think those users in the monochrome world at least still have a very, very fine range of film options
from :

ILFORD / KODAK Alaris / FUJI / FOMA / ROLLEI / FOTOIMPEX / ADOX and others.

Whilst people may have seen a loved or chosen monochrome film go I do not think many analog mono film users feel that they have to 'make do' in 2014 .....I think our brothers and sisters using colour have had a much, much tougher time.

I actually think in monochrome analog photography... we are in an especially fine phase and those who are using film and silver gelatin printing are producing consistently some of the best work I have seen in a lifetime in photography......

Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited :

Xmas · Oct 10, 2014

I still miss HP3.

L Gebhardt · Oct 10, 2014

ic-racer said:
You should be able to make good prints from any available film. They are all pretty similar. The easiest to print negatives have enough exposure to give some density to the shadows, and are process for a gamma between 0.6 and 0.8.

I agree, though with the modification to process for a gamma between .5 to .6, especially if printing on variable contrast paper. I find most VC papers have a smoother curve at the higher grades, so a less contrasty negative is best. Plus you get a little more sharpness and less grain with a less contrasty negative. You also get a bit less film speed, so I usually end up shooting films at half box speed, pretty much across the board.

Newt_on_Swings · Oct 10, 2014

Both of ops films he's experimenting on are great. I really like fp4+ and tmax 100 both in 35mm and 120. I have yet to shoot any of it on 4x5. You can't go wrong with those two nice modern films. I think it's just a matter of lighting, where midday sun is a bit harsh and can make any negative harder to print or an image less appealing to the eye. Keep trying!

L Gebhardt · Oct 10, 2014

Simon R Galley said:
Dear APUGuser19

Whilst you are of course entitled to your opinion... and things have most certainly changed I think those users in the monochrome world at least still have a very, very fine range of film options
from :

ILFORD / KODAK Alaris / FUJI / FOMA / ROLLEI / FOTOIMPEX / ADOX and others.

Whilst people may have seen a loved or chosen monochrome film go I do not think many analog mono film users feel that they have to 'make do' in 2014 .....I think our brothers and sisters using colour have had a much, much tougher time.

I actually think in monochrome analog photography... we are in an especially fine phase and those who are using film and silver gelatin printing are producing consistently some of the best work I have seen in a lifetime in photography......

Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited :

Simon, I agree entirely. General purpose black and white film, as I have used it, is as good as it has been at any time since I started photography in the early to mid eighties. In fact some films have gotten better over the years, e.g. TMax 400. But I haven't ever shot Verichrome Pan.

Richard S. (rich815) · Oct 10, 2014

Pioneer · Oct 10, 2014

APUGuser19 said:
Sorry about that, Simon. But I'm pretty much unfamiliar with any Ilford film. Back in the day when there was such thing as a camera store, there was never any Ilford film to be seen in them, at least not in my part of the US. They had some Ilford paper from time to time, but no film or anything else Ilford. I do recall when one popular camera store would occasionally have a "bargain bin" of it, but that was only a time or 2 as I recall.

...and based on your reply I assume they had Foma, Rollei, Adox, etc.?

Pioneer · Oct 10, 2014

For myself the black & white film supply has broadened considerably. At one time I was shooting only Fuji or Kodak, because that was what was typically available in the stores. Now I have a ton of choices.

ww12345 · Oct 10, 2014

I agree with Simon. When I first started shooting a year or two ago the B/W options were really almost overwhelming! Pretty much any speed or grain pattern you could think of! Contrast with the early days of photography or even the '40s and '50s when the variations could be counted on one or two hands.

MattKing · Oct 10, 2014

In the 1970s I used to work at a camera store with a couple of people who had worked with Ilford for a while (not sure if it was Ilford in Canada or in the UK). One in particular (Peter) looked and sounded like an archetypal English gentleman.

For that reason, whenever I see Simon post, I picture him looking and sounding like Peter.

With all that Ilford influence around, of course we sold a lot of Ilford product.

RattyMouse · Oct 10, 2014

APUGuser19 said:
Sorry about that, Simon. But I'm pretty much unfamiliar with any Ilford film. Back in the day when there was such thing as a camera store, there was never any Ilford film to be seen in them, at least not in my part of the US. They had some Ilford paper from time to time, but no film or anything else Ilford. I do recall when one popular camera store would occasionally have a "bargain bin" of it, but that was only a time or 2 as I recall.

You live in a dark corner of the world. I can find Ilford film EASILY here in China and have found it without any effort in Korea, Japan, and most recently Hong Kong.

I've been shooting Ilford black and white film since the late 1980's. Never have I found it difficult to find.

RattyMouse · Oct 11, 2014

APUGuser19 said:
Well I can find it too, now. But there was no internet then. Back then any camera store in Tennessee was stocked with Kodak. Occasionally there was some Agfa slide film, and a small "bargain" display of Ilford, but not much or often. There was absolutely no Adox or the other European makes. Lots of Kodak Film though. What few camera stores there are now have got doodley squat in the way of film.
I was sure crazy about that Ilford paper though. That came quite common by the end of the 70's. Times have sure changed, and I can't say it's for the better overall.

Neopan 400 is gone. That's about the only loss as far as I'm concerned. Kodak makes their monochrome films (except for the recently discontinued C41 film as well as their high speed 3200 one). Ilford makes all of theirs.

That's a whole world of riches.

alanrockwood · Oct 11, 2014

I miss plus-X. When I shot black and white that is what I mostly used to use. I still have a few unshot rolls somewhere.

palewin · Oct 11, 2014

I guess I'm from the old Keep It Simple S.. school, because I think the trick is to stick with one film and become totally comfortable with the processing. I use Ilford HP5+ in 35mm, 120, and 4x5, and use the same pyro developer for the 120 and 4x5 (for the 35mm, D76 1:1). I like the predictability - I've used the same film and chemicals for long enough that there are no surprises, other than "operator error" on my part.

ME Super · Oct 11, 2014

Simon R Galley said:
Dear APUGuser19

Whilst you are of course entitled to your opinion... and things have most certainly changed I think those users in the monochrome world at least still have a very, very fine range of film options
from :

ILFORD / KODAK Alaris / FUJI / FOMA / ROLLEI / FOTOIMPEX / ADOX and others.

Whilst people may have seen a loved or chosen monochrome film go I do not think many analog mono film users feel that they have to 'make do' in 2014 .....I think our brothers and sisters using colour have had a much, much tougher time.

I actually think in monochrome analog photography... we are in an especially fine phase and those who are using film and silver gelatin printing are producing consistently some of the best work I have seen in a lifetime in photography......

Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited :

I agree with Simon, in more than one way. There still seems to be a big variety of B&W films on the market. Color slide films, not so much. From Agfa-Gevaert there's Aviphot Chrome 200D, and from Fuji there's Velvia 50, Velvia 100, and Provia 100F. That's all right now. Ferrania is attempting to change that, and I applaud them for their effort.

If it's not fall or winter, and I'm shooting B&W, it's the Rollei IR400s that I shoot, because it's a good panchromatic film that also happens to do a decent job at IR (I love the look of B&W infrared for certain things). For fall or winter B&W shots, though, I tend to use the Ilford HP5+.

Long live film, regardless of who makes it.

Finding a favorite B&W film...

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