Good B&W film for street / documentary photography

lewis-richards · Feb 26, 2011

Hi, I'm hoping to start doing some serious street / documentary photography (in the street) and I was hoping to read any suggestions in good film that I can use for this from people that have had experience with different types of film?

Thanks.

Obtong · Feb 26, 2011

I like Tri-X developed in D-76 (1:1). Others will have their own favourites.

Colin Corneau · Feb 26, 2011

I've been doing this for years. Almost any 400 speed film is both slow and fast enough for varying conditions. You can also push it a stop or two, also, in case you are in especially low light.

I've used a few on my long-running project (reservedatalltimes.com) -- I really like Neopan 400 but that's a personal preference for razor sharp, pleasing grain. Many thing Tri-X has that as well.
Also have used TMY which is great, in terms of grain, tones, etc. Much will depend on your personal preference for grain and tones, as well as the developer you choose, also.

Which is why I'm keeping my recommendation to a 400 speed B&W film.

brian steinberger · Feb 26, 2011

400 speed film definitely, and something forgiving. Neopan 400 if shooting 35mm, HP5 or Tri-x are your choices. I personally like Tri-x when shot around 250 or 400, and HP5 if I need to push to 800 or more. I develop in ID-11.

Wade D · Feb 26, 2011

Tri-X and D-76 for me. I've been using that combo for 40+ years with excellent results.

Athiril · Feb 26, 2011

These are from yesterday.

I really love GP3, but it isn't available in 35mm:

OCAU Melb Photowalk Week 2 #14 by athiril, on Flickr

OCAU Melb Photowalk Week 2 #16 by athiril, on Flickr

Also for B&W here is some BW400CN of another shooter which I processed for them.. it has serious snap (this is 35mm).

BW400CN015 by alnhoo, on Flickr

cjbecker · Feb 27, 2011

The main ones are hp5, tri-x, and neopan. pick your poison.

What format are you going to be shooting in?

Jeff Kubach · Feb 27, 2011

Like the others mention most of your 400's are good choices. T-Max 400 is another good choice.

Jeff

lewis-richards · Feb 27, 2011

Thanks for the replies, it seems that 400 would be a good choice for both colour and b&w from this thread and my other thread. I should probably before I go serious into taking photographs take photos with different types of film and try them with different developers..

@ cjbecker's - I will be using 35mm I'm thinking, not 100% sure yet, I personally think that with a 35mm camera I can get up close without too much attention from people which I don't want. As with a medium format camera it stands out much more.

JamesMorris · Feb 27, 2011

lewis-richards said:
@ cjbecker's - I will be using 35mm I'm thinking, not 100% sure yet, I personally think that with a 35mm camera I can get up close without too much attention from people which I don't want. As with a medium format camera it stands out much more.

IMHO, the real problem with MF on the street is loss of depth of field, and loss of agility. (unless you're using a super-wide rangefinder, or an SWC hyperfocally).

I think people are in fact more accepting of a larger camera than a small one...

Aurum · Feb 27, 2011

JamesMorris said:
IMHO, the real problem with MF on the street is loss of depth of field, and loss of agility. (unless you're using a super-wide rangefinder, or an SWC hyperfocally).

I think people are in fact more accepting of a larger camera than a small one...

A pro-looking SLR IME gets more attention and suspicion in a non tourist environment. Something really big or unusual just gets you marked up as a harmless "wannabe David Bailey" type so people relax.
If you don't mind the fiddle of setting up a shot a TLR has a lot of advantages. You shoot from belt height and nobody will notice. I also use stuff like 1930's folders which are quick and easy which only gets comments from pensioners (my grandad had one of those) and insecure pixel shooters.

Or if you want to follow in the footsteps of the greats, a 35mm rangefinder is the original street shooters weapon of choice

(I use an Olympus XA2 for 35mm street grab stuff. Tiny and very quick to shoot)

5stringdeath · Feb 27, 2011

Don't overlook Plus-X ... I enjoy using it on the brightest of full-sun summer days. But yes, my go-to films for street shooting are still mostly 400asa types ... although over the years I've shot Tri-X @ 200asa anyhow, so the loss of speed is negligible since I shoot Plus-X at box speed. Depends on my mood(s)

I own this book and its a good read for different approaches and styles of street:

http://www.amazon.com/Bystander-His...7262/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1298828699&sr=8-2

2F/2F · Feb 27, 2011

I'd use a film that is ISO 100 or faster and that is made by a reputable maker. I usually use Arista Premium 400 or Delta 3200. Before Arista Premium 400 was introduced, I used HP5.

nickrapak · Feb 27, 2011

Aurum said:
A pro-looking SLR IME gets more attention and suspicion in a non tourist environment. Something really big or unusual just gets you marked up as a harmless "wannabe David Bailey" type so people relax.

That's the absolute truth. The only time I got stopped by police was when I was shooting with a borrowed 80-200 f/2.8. Of course, I accidentally stepped on police property, so that could have been it...

removed account4 · Feb 27, 2011

i have shot a bunch of street work
and neopan, tmy and foma 400 have been
my favorites.

Harry Lime · Feb 28, 2011

Another vote for Tri-X 400, which seams to have been made for this very field of photography.

I use a 2-bath developer like DD76 or Barry Thornton's 2-Bath. I shoot street photography and the compensating nature of these developers really help cover my tail in regards to any exposure errors I may have made in the rush to get the shot. For pushing to 1250asa I recommend Diafine, another 2-bath developer. XTOL if you are more sure about the exposure being right.

Obviously you can use any film for this type of work, but Tri-X seems to have been the benchmark for photojournalism and street shooting for a few decades...

Leigh Youdale · Mar 1, 2011

You're in the UK so start with HP5+ and ID-11 and get on top of that. I personally don't like Rodinal on HP5+ in 35mm but as it's not always easy to get you should probably forget about it. If you want a one-shot liquid developer then use Ilford's DDX.
I personally like using my Bessa R4A for street. It's small, unobtrusive, the AE feature makes for fast shooting and is pretty accurate, it has a shutter lock and easy exposure compensation. I use a 35mm or 28mm lens generally. The R3A has a great viewfinder but the widest frame is 40mm which is OK for a one-lens kit but you really need something wider for street. But don't discount the Minolta you have. With ISO400 film you can use a smaller aperture and get adequate depth of field and my experience is that people seem to find a TLR much less threatening than any eye-level camera and especially an SLR!

Good B&W film for street / documentary photography

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