HP5 for a year!

Thomas Bertilsson said:

I am extremely happy that this is working out for you. There is so much to be had from a single emulsion, so many looks to be had from a single emulsion, just by varying how we expose and process it.

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Definitely, and HP5+ is a great film to focus all of those efforts onto. btw happy 20th anniversary of being a photrio member

I soup my HP5+ in HC-110 if I'm using medium or large format. With rotary development at a pretty high dilution, I get an EI of 250 for sufficient shadow detail. I think HC-110 gives a really nice look to the film. Very classic, a smooth and pleasing grain structure, and lots of highlight tone separation. In 120 and up, the grain won't be particularly visible anyway unless you're printing very large.

I have pushed HP5+ to ISO 3200 in HC-110 dilution A once. It had okay shadows but of course ridiculous grain and contrast.

However, I don't do push processing or make attempts to shoot HP5+ at higher than box speed in any format these days; I just use it for what it is. If I was going to try and get extra film speed out of it, I would probably use XTOL. In 35mm, I sometimes develop my HC-110 in Mytol at stock strength (which is a DIY clone of XTOL and gives essentially identical results). The grain is smaller but slightly less smooth, and I get full box speed of 400. Results are a bit sharper. Again, that's probably irrelevant in formats larger than 35mm.

If you're really serious about getting hyper fast film speeds, you would probably want something along the lines of Diafine, which is specifically for that purpose. I expect you'd be able to get ISO 1600 or thereabouts with usable contrast in Diafine, but that's a shot in the dark, as I have no firsthand experience with the combo. I've just heard that TriX at 1250 in Diafine is considered a tried-and-true recipe, so I'm extrapolating and thinking HP5+ is probably similar.

Rodinal stand development might get you up somewhere in the neighborhood of 1000 too. But stand development comes with its own set of risks (bromide drag, uneven development), especially in 120. And personally I've never much cared for HP5+ in Rodinal. It's grainy in a way that seems harsh and gritty to me, which isn't a look I'm really ever going for. The contrast and tonality just seem really "meh" to me as well.

Anyway, TL;DR:

Diafine if speed is your priority
XTOL for fine grain at box speed
HC-110 for flexibility and a really nice look

Those would be my recommendations.

Well this thread is from 2011, hp5 for a year….. its 2023 and still using hp5. Been a few different detours, but hp5 and hc110-b is the choice now.

cjbecker said:

Well this thread is from 2011, hp5 for a year….. its 2023 and still using hp5. Been a few different detours, but hp5 and hc110-b is the choice now.

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I came back here after a long time to find this wonderful post! How life carries on sometimes.

Since last time I wrote anything in this post, I am also shooting HP5+ or Kentmere 400 / Rollei RPX400 (same thing), in 135 and 120, but process with ADOX FX-39 for 135 and PMK Pyro for 120.

jmcd said:

I like HP5+ in Rodinal very much, where my most frequently used dilution is 1:25.

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I also like HP5 in Rodinal (actually its modern equivalent). I use 1:50, 16mins @20 degs C
Steve

Thomas Bertilsson said:

I came back here after a long time to find this wonderful post! How life carries on sometimes.

Since last time I wrote anything in this post, I am also shooting HP5+ or Kentmere 400 / Rollei RPX400 (same thing), in 135 and 120, but process with ADOX FX-39 for 135 and PMK Pyro for 120.

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I'm glad to see you back Thomas.

Shot this last week on 2007 dated 5x4 HP5+ in replenished Xtol. Also like it in 120, but haven't liked it so much in 35mm.

Tarlair Pool 4 by Northsnapper, on Flickr

Thomas,
I thought you got your feet frozen in Lake Gitchegumee and it finally thawed enough so you could walk out. Been a long time timeTom. Welcome back!

Thomas Bertilsson said:

I came back here after a long time to find this wonderful post! How life carries on sometimes.

Since last time I wrote anything in this post, I am also shooting HP5+ or Kentmere 400 / Rollei RPX400 (same thing), in 135 and 120, but process with ADOX FX-39 for 135 and PMK Pyro for 120.

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Welcome back, Thomas. HP5 has been my main B/W conventional film for 25 years! Kentmere 400 is another film that I started using about a year ago. Cheers!

Love this film at 1600. In Ilfotec HC or DD-X. Grainy, but yummy.

cjbecker said:

Well I am going to commit to using hp5 in 120 for a year, I hope for longer, but now all I need to do is decide on a developer. I am looking at liquid developers, the ones in running are rodinal, hc 110, Edwal fg7, and any others you might suggest.

I use to use acros 100 and rodinal for a very long time and I really liked the look. I am now moving up to a faster film that will be able to do anything with. Mainly shooting at 200 all the way to 3200.

So out of the liquid developers which one would you use to be the most versatile. I really like the look of rodinal for the sharpness and the grain in the higher dilutions but don’t want to develop for 1-3 hours.

What is your suggestions.

NOW I AM OPENING IT UP TO BOTH LIQUID AND POWDER DEVELOPERS.

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D76 will be hard to beat

MattKing said:

I'm glad to see you back Thomas.

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Yes! I also am glad to see you back.

Mark

HP5 is phenomenal. There's very little point of using anything else, even in 135 format. This film offers pretty damn good outcomes to beginners with little to no experience. But on top of that it serves you with a steep learning curve that allows anyone (who's willing) to elevate their results to the next level. The grain can be tamed. The range can be stretched to infinity. There's always a way. HP5+ is truly unique from the depth perspective. Your 3rd year with HP5+ is very different vs your 1st year with HP5+. I feel sorry for the films lingering in the HP5+ shadow, i.e. for all of them.

Thomas Bertilsson said:

I came back here after a long time to find this wonderful post! How life carries on sometimes.

Since last time I wrote anything in this post, I am also shooting HP5+ or Kentmere 400 / Rollei RPX400 (same thing), in 135 and 120, but process with ADOX FX-39 for 135 and PMK Pyro for 120.

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Nice to have you back. I believe that Minnesota is now safe for you to go back to since Marge Gunderson shot and arrested the psychopath

pentaxuser

It's very nice to be remembered by some of the folks I remember fondly!
@pentaxuser - That's pretty funny!

Here's a shot on 35mm HP5 that I shot on a walk in January 2022, recently scanned.

I kind of have a love-hate relationship with HP5. Most of what I get off it developed in Xtol is "meh", but the best ever photo I have taken was on HP5, in 35mm no less.

When it works it's wow!, but when it doesn't it's thoroughly mediocre. I can't figure it out.

Craig said:

I kind of have a love-hate relationship with HP5. Most of what I get off it developed in Xtol is "meh", but the best ever photo I have taken was on HP5, in 35mm no less.

When it works it's wow!, but when it doesn't it's thoroughly mediocre. I can't figure it out.

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I have to boost the HP5+ and FP4+ development time at 20 degrees C [68 degrees F] to avoid the "meh" in XTOL or replenished XTOL. The added development brings up the contrast to the proper range.