Finest grain film on HC 110

[MFstooges]

Sorry if this had been asked before. Which film will give finest grain with HC-110/L110?

Other developer is not an option.

 

[xkaes]

Usually the film with the lowest ISO.

 

[mshchem]

I would use T-Max 100

 

[Paul Howell]

Other than ortho and microfiche film Tmax 100 has the finest grain and highest resolution.

 

[koraks]

That's an interesting, seemingly backwards way of approaching it! Sorry to sound critical, but it seems kind of odd to me. What's the application @MFstooges ?

 

[MFstooges]

That's an interesting, seemingly backwards way of approaching it! Sorry to sound critical, but it seems kind of odd to me. What's the application @MFstooges ?

Outdoor in 35mm. I got OK grain with Ilford FP on my 24mm X 24mm frame printed to 8" X 8" so now I am trying to see what film allows me to print on 10" X 10" or even 12" X 12" with less grain on the same developer.
I was thinking about Tmax or Delta but from replies above maybe I will get finer grain with Rollei Ortho 25 or Ilford Pan 50?

 

[Alex Benjamin]

Outdoor in 35mm. I got OK grain with Ilford FP on my 24 X 24 frame printed to 8 X 8 so now I am trying to see what film allows me to print on 10 X 10 or even 12 X 12 with less grain on the same developer.
I was thinking about Tmax or Delta but from replies above maybe I will get finer grain with Rollei Ortho 25 or Ilford Pan 50?

Not sure you'll see much of a difference in grain between T-Max 100 and Ilford Pan F, but you'll certain have one in terms of contrast.

 

[xkaes]

The differences in contrast can be controlled by changing the ISO and the development time.

 

[grain elevator]

I'd try Delta 100 first. More affordable than T-max 100 and easier to handle and faster than the alternatives like microfilms or Pan-F. If it gives you what you want, no need to look further.

 

[koraks]

I was thinking about Tmax or Delta

I'd go with either of those, yes.

 

[cptrios]

I've found both Delta 100 and TMax 100 to be pretty equally low-grain with HC-110. The lowest (bar super-low ISO stuff), though, would be Copex Rapid. Not as nice to work with, and HC-110 isn't the best developer for it, but it works really well and resolves a ton of detail.

 

[Chuck1]

What's the ideal developer for copex rapid (or pan f)?

 

[Ernst-Jan]

I'd go with either of those, yes.

Or Acros II. Delta is cheaper but I think Acros and Tmax are at the same now.

 

[Milpool]

Outdoor in 35mm. I got OK grain with Ilford FP on my 24 X 24 frame printed to 8 X 8 so now I am trying to see what film allows me to print on 10 X 10 or even 12 X 12 with less grain on the same developer.
I was thinking about Tmax or Delta but from replies above maybe I will get finer grain with Rollei Ortho 25 or Ilford Pan 50?

TMax 100 and Fuji Acros will be the finest grained general purpose films. Delta 100 is slightly grainier - about the same as Pan F+.

 

[MFstooges]

Thank you everyone. I'll try TMax & Delta first.

 

[xkaes]

What's the ideal developer for copex rapid (or pan f)?

As with normal film, there's isn't a perfect developer for low ISO film -- which are typically high contrast. Micro-films are very high contract, but like "normal" films, the contrast can be controlled by adjusting the ISO and the developer time. You can do that with HC-110. There are other methods too, such as wash-method developer.

When mixing your own developer (most developers) you can explore other methods of contrast reduction, such as split-development,

The point is that microfilm can produce acceptable C.I.s with a little testing -- usually very low ISO and very long development.

 

[dourbalistar]

If you're willing to experiment, here's a less conventional suggestion: Ilford XP2 Super, cross-processed. Check out @drmoss_ca's results on this thread:

Ilford XP2 Super in B&W chemicals

I don't think it will be any surprise to anyone here that Ilford XP2 Super, a chromogenic film normally processed in C-41 chemicals, can be developed in ordinary black and white chemicals too. If you don't do your own processing, this wouldn't make a lot of sense, but if you do, it saves money...

www.photrio.com

I have limited personal experience with this combination (and I used 6x7 in 120 format so definitely not an apples to apples comparison with 35mm), but I got some impressively grain-free results using LegacyPro L110. YMMV, so take the suggestion with an appropriately sized grain of salt.


2021.03.06 Roll #272-05989-Pano-positive.jpg by dourbalistar, on Flickr