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New to analog photo, what to buy?

nkbitsch

Member
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Joined
Jan 18, 2010
Messages
58
Location
Denmark
Format
Medium Format
Hi everybody.

I just bought a Hasselblad 500C/M yesterday, with a 80mm f.2.8 zeiss lens.

I'm 21 years old, and this is my first analog camera.

I really have no idea which 120 films to buy, so any help is appreciated!

I'm not going to use it for everyday photos, so I'm willing to pay for a good film.

Niels from Denmark
 
I'm assuming that you're thinking of B&W film since you posted here. Can't go wrong with Tri-X 400. It's one of the most forgiving B&W emulsions available and will deliver reasonably good negatives with less than ideal exposure and development. Nail the exposure and development just right and the results are stunning. There are other good films out there and I've used most of them. After 40+ years of doing this, I keep coming back to Tri-X as my main "go to" film.
 
B&W is what i'm looking for. Thank you for the quick reply! I've heard that Ilford HP5 should be good to, how is HP5 compared to Tri-X?
 
Tri-X 400 is a very forgiving film. You can screw up a lot of things and still get decent results. Since this is your first attempt, that would be my suggestion. By all means, PLEASE use your camera for everyday photos. How else would you learn when opportunity presents itself for you to take great photos?

I'm guessing your next question is what developer to use. For that, I suggest D-76. Yet, another classic tried-and-true product.
 
a bit more unflexible, go for the trix and concentrate mainly in taking pictures, that´s the real deal!
 
Okay. i'll go for the Tri-X then. Do you guys know a good place to buy films online in europe? The tri-x are 35dkkr = £4 at my local photoshop. Are they cheaper anywhere else, or is it a good price?
 
Not sure on prices but I'm aware of Fotoimpex in Germany www.fotoimpex.de . Also, some UK suppliers (e.g. Silverprint www.silverprint.co.uk, and possibly Ag Photographic www.ag-photographic.co.uk) will ship certain items to the continent. In my experience Kodak pricing can be rather unpredictable. Price per roll @ Ag Photographic is £3.39 for 120 format Tri-X or £2.39 for ILFORD HP5 Plus (another good option).

Tom
 
Welcome to the film world! I agree with tkamiya, you should use your film camera for "everyday" shots.

I love Tri-X but my personal favorite is Kodak Plus-X, again in D76. It's capable of stunning results in medium format; I have medium-format negatives from this film that when printed to 8x10 have been mistaken by photography professors for 8x10 contact prints.
 
Nice camera you bought there. It might be the one I considered buying at Photographica during their sale. Did you buy it there?

On-topic: I can surely recommend the Tri-X as well as the HP5. Both are great all-purpose film with a decent speed. Consider buying lots of rolls at the same time. I buy film from a local shop and they give me great discount if I buy 25 rolls or more.

Skyd løs og hav det sjovt! Du vil komme til at elske det kvadratiske format
 
Ilford HP5+ and FP4+ are also very lovely films. 4£ seems a little bit too much but I recommend to buy from the local supplier first and look which film(s) you like most. Then you can mail order if you need larger quantities. Silverprint in the UK gives 30% rebate on Ilford films if you order at least 10. I have never bought from them but I plan to do so because I could save 30-40% on all materials compared to what it is in Germany. Fotoimpex is also a well know dealer were you can buy with confidence. They also offer to develop the film. That´s the next point: Do you plan to self process?

Regards, Benjamin
 
I would get one developer and one film combo and stick with it for at least 10 to 15 rolls.

digitaltruth.com just became your second most visited website.

Are you shooting daylight, flash or a mix?

For a conventional grain film i'd say fp4+
otherwise i'd say delta 100.

develop with id11.
 
Hello- Welcome to the world of film Kodak Plus-X and Tri-X are both great films to give a try.
 
Thank you everybody! It sounds like i just need to try out different films, and see what i personally like the best. Actually i live next to Photografica in copenhagen, and went there to look at their hasselblad's during their sale. Unfortunately they asked 7000kr = £820 which was a bit to much for me. But i found it on DBA.dk for 4000kr = £470 in perfect condition, so I'm a happy boy.
 
I'm an Ilford fan, and I would suggest hp5+ and fp4+, but tri-x and plus-x are good choices as well. you really cant go wrong either way.

I think the important thing is pick one film and developer, or maybe a fast and slow film and one developer. Also pick one paper and paper developer. Shoot and print enough with that combo until you're getting consistent predictable results. Then play around a bit. when I started out with film photography, I wanted to try every film/paper/developer combo in the world. The only thing I learned was I needed to pick something and stick with it. My choice of materials now is HP5 and FP4 films, Compard RO9 film developer (a Rodinal copy), Slavic Unibrom paper, and Dektol paper developer.

For stop bath, I use whatever I can get, but usually Arista. I'd suggest a rapid fixer of some sort to save you some time in the darkroom. doesnt really matter which. Rapid fixers are similar enough that it really doesnt matter, in my experience at least

Good luck with your photography. I cant think of a better camera to take pictures with (except for maybe a large format camera )
 
You can't go wrng with Tri-X or HP5 for an ISO 400 film or Plus-X or FP4 for an ISO 125 film - depending on the availability of Kodak and Ilford products in your area.

I don't think there are any bad films made in 120 now. However, there are some specialist films such as slow speed Pan F and infra red films from Ilford, Efke and Rollei.


Steve.
 
FP4+ and Rodinal 1:50. Great combination. Once you've gotten used to working with it and have an understanding of the benefits and frustrations, try switching to Pyrocat HD. You're not there yet, so don't worry about it, but keep it in the back of your mind. After you've made several hundred prints, you'll find yourself asking "how do I improve my print quality?". When you're ready to ask that question, come back and let's talk. But for now, enjoy the basics. I don't know why everyone is so hyped about Tri-X. It's still grainy for medium format, and oftentimes it's too fast- a nice slow film will let you have better control over your depth of field. Who wants to be stuck shooting at f16 or smaller all the time?
 
nkbitsch said:
I've heard that Ilford HP5 should be good to, how is HP5 compared to Tri-X?
Click to expand...

HP5 is very good and very flexible too.

You can't make a bad choice with these two.

In fact you would be hard pressed to make a bad choice with any of the modern films.
 
nkbitsch said:
Thank you everybody! It sounds like i just need to try out different films, and see what i personally like the best.
Click to expand...

Almost no one takes this advice but actually, pick one, any one, and stick with it.

If you pick tri-x, stick with tri-x. If you pick Delta 400, stick with Delta 400. You will learn faster and make better photos.

Sure films have differences, but they are minor (especially when you are just starting). In the end your skill will have a hundred times more effect on your photos than any film ever will.
 
markbarendt said:
Almost no one takes this advice but actually, pick one, any one, and stick with it.

If you pick tri-x, stick with tri-x. If you pick Delta 400, stick with Delta 400. You will learn faster and make better photos.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Almost nobody takes this advice, but it's really good advice. Exactly what film/dev combo you choose to start out with is considerably less important than how long of a trial you give it.

So many simple changes in your process can radically alter the look of your film that trying out different films when you haven't gotten any sense of your process doesn't really give you a sense of what the films are capable of. If you're not getting a sense of what the films are capable of, the you certainly can't make an informed decision about which one you like.

Pick something. Commit to using it for a while.
 
In that case, I think I will go for the tri-x. My mom is a dentist, and I know that she buy's all her photo developer and X-ray films from Kodak, so I might be able to get a good discount that way around.

Thank you everybody for giving me a good perspective on films, and their differences.
 
*******
Welcome, Niels. So, starting out with a 'Blad. Not bad, not bad!!
I will echo the responses about Tri-X: the only film you'll ever need (well, for quite some time, anyway.) And soup it in ID-11. You may as well establish the baseline for all your later work.
And, have fun.
 
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