Grainy Ilford

Hi guys,

I am looking for a medium format film for low shutter speed cameras.
Why Ilford? Because it's the cheapest film here comparing to Kodak and the store where I get film now on a constant basis has always Ilford film at stock.
My only dilemma here is, what film ISO should I stick to, since I like grainy images.
I have used HP5+ on 35mm, but it's 400 ISO, and using with Sunny 16, it would be hard since these are old cameras.
The film is for two cameras with the max shutter speed of 1/30th~1/50th and 1/250th.

For grainy and to use with Sunny 16 rule, what film you guys would recommend?

Thank you!

HP5+ would be the grainiest (except for Delta 3200), then (already quite rather fine grained) FP4+. OTOH, with old medium format cameras it is usually possible (if not necessary for good image quality) to stop down to f11 or f16 or even f22. In sunny conditions, if you rate HP5+ at 200 (pulling it a bit in development) you could photograph at 1/250th with f16. In overcast conditions you could rate HP5+ higher (EI 400) and shoot 1/250 at f8 or so. You do want to keep the shutter speed up as high as possible with these old cameras.

Concerning your request for grain, in that case a medium format camera is not the best choice. From a 6x6 negative it is difficult to get grain at modest enlargement ratios, even with the grainiest Ilford film (HP5+). If you want visible, clearly defined grain without going to big enlargements, you have to use a smaller format camera!

addition:
Other films you might consider (if available) are Delta 3200 (huge grain, real ISO is around 1000, could be usable in overcast conditions when stopped down or in sunny conditions with an orange filter) or Fomapan 400 (realistic speed more like 200), which also has rather coarse grain.

And of course you could emphasize grain with a developer like Rodinal. It is said to not work very well with HP5+, but maybe in 120 size you get results with the right amount of grain for your taste?

Use a neutral density filter?

faberryman said:

Use a neutral density filter?

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Didn't think of that... newbie issues

Go with Delta 3200...it has a nice, grainy quality.

Run a roll through your camera as a test...overexpose some...underexpose some...filter, etc.

You'll get more grain if you overdevelop a bit and printing won't be that much harder.

I did a lot of testing on this film with an old Zeiss 6 x 9 as I was going to be in a place where there would only be kerosene lamps for light. It worked out really well.

Have fun with it and good luck!

FP4 in HC110b can have grain, likely not enough for your needs. Was just wishing yesterday that there was a yellow filter that also had 2 stops of ND built in (and this with a 100 speed film!).

sepiareverb said:

FP4 in HC110b can have grain, likely not enough for your needs. Was just wishing yesterday that there was a yellow filter that also had 2 stops of ND built in (and this with a 100 speed film!).

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That would be neat.. grainy landscapes.

Have to find some square ND filters..

You can explore the grain of printing paper. This 4x5 negative has no visible grain at this magnification. All the grain in this image is from the paper being incompletely developed in dilute lithography developer.

ic-racer said:

You can explore the grain of printing paper. This 4x5 negative has no visible grain at this magnification. All the grain in this image is from the paper being incompletely developed in dilute lithography developer.

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Unfortunately, it will be months before I start printing anything by myself. I'm still collecting things to convert my parents attic into a darkroom.

Rather than a plain neutral-density filter, consider yellow-green perhaps? Of course, this isn't going to be very helpful if you will use the same filters for colour film occasionally . . ..

MartinP said:

Rather than a plain neutral-density filter, consider yellow-green perhaps? Of course, this isn't going to be very helpful if you will use the same filters for colour film occasionally . . ..

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Stopped using color film.. got bored of it...

Develop it in in a paper developer such as Dectol.

If you like and want real, visible grain, move up, up and away. Try Ilford's Delta P3200 pushed +1 to EI12500. Great stuff for abstracts.

I did the Delta 3200 pushed out 2 stops. I was never sure of an exact EI number...12,800?...I think NOT!

I had an old but beautiful Zeiss 6 x 9 (see post #5 above) and I was about to go on a winter trip to Canada and a place where kerosene lamps would be the only light.

The Zeiss 6x 9 was like having a pocket 4 x 5...point and shoot.

I figured on mild underexposure but chemistry to mine the details...PUSH!

I did a lot of testing in advance...film, camera, chemistry, light meter.

It worked and the grain was acceptable in a big print (printed with a filed out neg carrier on 11" x 14" paper). Actually the grain was like a light fog and worked well as it accentuated the glow of the lamplight. Very atmospheric; like someone had thrown a handful of flour in the air just before the shutter release. I wasn't intent on grain for this subject.

I used to do blow out grain with T-Max 400 and Delta 3200 in 35mm, overdeveloped and printed BIG so the abstract qualities related in the post above were right on the table. My favorite subject was fishing crews in heavy fog for that kind of thing.

You could try Ilford SFX, for normal light it's rated at 200, and is quite grainy compared to either HP5 or FP4. But, it's also more expensive and might be harder to find.

Gerald C Koch said:

Develop it in in a paper developer such as Dectol.

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i develop film in paper developers ...
ansco 130 for 14+ years
and dektol for about 2 years
it won't necessarily give grainy negatives..

the op should attempt to under expose his film a little bit
and over develop it a little bit, so rather than iso 400 maybe iso 125 ..
he'd have to run a test roll over and under exposing and over developing ..

Many options around here!
Going to buy some types of film and study the best aperture-shutterspeed combos (begginer) to makes the best out of them.

Dinis Figueira said:

Many options around here!
Going to buy some types of film and study the best aperture-shutterspeed combos (begginer) to makes the best out of them.

Click to expand...

Seriously - keep using HP5+. You're used to it, so you have one less variable. Get the ND filter. Use a developer like ADOX FX-39, or mix FX-37 on your own. Beautiful, sharp grain.

For ND on old cameras like Brownies - get a series adapter that fits the lens - you might need to bend the "fingers" in or out to make it fit. It should be able to pop on and off.

Then find a step-up ring that will work - the threads won't match so you have to sort of force-thread them (it'll be permanent). Then get screw-in filters to match the "up" of the step ring. (I think I used something like a series V to a 43mm-52mm step ring. I use 52mm for stuff like this so I only need one filter size. Then go nuts with ND polas, skies, or graduated filters).