My First Sheet Film

So, I'm at a loss of what I should actually get...I mean, all I really use with 35mm is Tech Pan and HP5+. 4x5" Tech Pan is...a lot. And with LF I have no need for fast film.

So, uh, what film should I get? There is just so much B&W sheet film...I don't really know where to start.

Having too many options is bittersweet. I can't afford to try them all so I have no idea what to get...

AutumnJazz said:

So, I'm at a loss of what I should actually get...I mean, all I really use with 35mm is Tech Pan and HP5+. 4x5" Tech Pan is...a lot. And with LF I have no need for fast film.

So, uh, what film should I get? There is just so much B&W sheet film...I don't really know where to start.

Having too many options is bittersweet. I can't afford to try them all so I have no idea what to get...

Click to expand...

Since you are familiar with HP5+ and it is a robust and reliable film, why not start there? You'll have enough other things to deal with at first, without learning a new emulsion as well. When you are comfortable with the camera and workflow, try some new emulsions.

Why not HP5, I live in a region where my light-meter is rarely indicating less than 2-3 stops less than it's highest setting yet HP5 is very practical for hand held use.

I prefer Delta 100 for my main film for my Wista which is always tripod mounted, but Tmax100 or Fomapan 100 or 200 are almost equally as good.

Ian

I feel like I'm wasting res with HP5+ (due to more grain than with slower films), but why not?

My Gandolfi will be on a tripod all the time, by the way.

Regardless of it being less resolution, it will still blow you aware compared to a slower 35mm film.

Wow...My B&H cart is full of $120 worth of film and $30 of a gel filter.

Personally I like Ilford FP4+. The speed doesn't matter much with LF, but it's nice to have a slow enough film that you can choose from the whole aperture range and still get exposure times the shutter can handle. ISO400 is too fast for that, and you're limited to fastest speed and moderate apertures if you want a bit of background blur in daytime.

It will also let you compare 35mm HP5 with 5x4 HP5

The first 5x4 sheet film I ever shot was HP4 and the quality difference compared to 35mm was colossal, soit really isn't a problem, you can explore slower films as well.

Ian

Which Film

I am going to throw in a vote for Arista Edu ultra from Freestyle. Its nominal ASA is 200 I shoot it at 100 and develope in either D-23 1:1 or Rodinal 50:1.
I have used HP5+, FP4+, Efke 100, forte 200 and 400, and Tri-x 320. I really can't see a lot of differences except the quality control on the forte went in the toilet so I gave it up and Efke has an extremely soft emulsion which gives me some processing problems i.e. scratches. The Arista is actually FOMA 200, its very consistent has much finer grain than HP5 and I get a good one stop advantage over FP4. Best of all it runs about HALF to price of any of the others.

Well, already placed my order. Velvia, Provia, HP5+ oh my!

Ole, check your emails.

Ole said:

Personally I like Ilford FP4+. The speed doesn't matter much with LF, but it's nice to have a slow enough film that you can choose from the whole aperture range and still get exposure times the shutter can handle. ISO400 is too fast for that, and you're limited to fastest speed and moderate apertures if you want a bit of background blur in daytime.

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Ole, I am not familiar with that problem - LF + fast shutter speeds

I am very familiar with the T function of my shutters though

I have always wondered why Copal fitted shutters with speeds above 1/60th, I have never managed faster than 1/30th even on a sunny day in the hight of summer with HP5

I prefer FP4 but stuggle with the speed in overcast conditions during the winter months - so have sandardised on HP5

True, I am usualy giving away 2 stops with an orange filter but that does not explain such differences in experience

Martin

Martin while you struggle with the speed in overcast conditions I have just as much of a tussle with speeds in bright sunshine. Often I'm shooting with a Crown Graphic hand-held with very limited movements so I need all the depth of field I can get particularly as I was shooting with a lens that requires f16/f22 anway to get good edge sharpness. So 125th/300th @ f22 is fairly typical.

However when I'm in the UK I've always been able to use a tripod and so Delta 100 (previously Tmax 100) is fine, and I would guess I can almost count the number times of occasions I've shot LF faster than a 15th on one hand even in a good British summer

Personally I prefer longer shutter speeds as I like some slight movement in grasses trees, water etc so thats why I've always used a slower film.

Ian

AutumnJazz said:

So, I'm at a loss of what I should actually get...I mean, all I really use with 35mm is Tech Pan and HP5+. 4x5" Tech Pan is...a lot. And with LF I have no need for fast film.

Click to expand...

I've been shooting 5x4 for over six years now. I think you are wrong about not needing fast film. What you don't need, is slow film.

Graininess ceases to be a consideration with LF. After all, a 10x enlargement from 5 x 4 film results in a print that's about 125 x 100 cm (about 50 x 40 inches). Few people make prints this big, so graininess is of little concern.

What is of concern is the considerably smaller f/stops you'll be using to control depth of field. You will seldom be shooting with an aperture as large as f/16, f/22 and f/32 are the most used apertures in 5x4. This results in very slow shutter speeds. Many LFers seldom see shutter speeds above 1/15.

In the field, motion blur from the breeze is a problem at these low shutter speeds. In portraiture subject motion is a similar problem.

I'm must sayin' that you'll probably learn that you want as much real speed as you can get with LF. That's one of the reasons I use 400Tmax and develop in XTOL 1:3. Gives me a real personal EI of 500. And 400Tmax has excellent reciprocity characteristics also. This is important in maintaining shadow detail when shooting at small apertures and long shutter speeds.

I agree with Ole's comments. Sunny 16 rule says you can't open your lens up any more than f16 on a sunny day with a 400 iso film (unless you have a working specimen of either a Kodak or Graflex "800" shutter). Slower speed film (iso 100) will allow you to shoot at f8 for limited depth of field. I often shoot lith film at iso 5 to allow really slow shutter speeds to intentionally blur moving objects.

Lots of good advice here. To each his own.