Suggestions: faster film combination for travel alleyways etc at night time.

I just got into b/w photography and enjoy it. What would be your suggestion for a faster film combination to be used on travel. I don't mind the grain so much. Ie to be used in bright daytime and at night ie - alleyways of Tokyo, Hong Kong, Bangkok etc .. that kinda stuff. Railway station. I do have a F1.8 prime that I use. I have thought about Tri-X pushed to 1600 but not sure how that would stand, or how about Delta 400 pushed to 1600. No flash will be used. Handheld. I live in New Zealand so we probably cannot get as much film developers as you guys so just the more standard stuff please. I think with my store I have to hunt or preorder Kodak developers but they tend to hold Ilford stuff. Preferably if it is a powder developer since I don't shoot tons of them or a long life storage in a conc bottle but again I shoot maybe a roll a month. The easy stuff I can get I know is Ilford Microphen. It would be a bonus if it can develop 100 speed film at 100 speed due to my low volume shooting. Or maybe I need to collect my film up in batches and develop that way ... (?).

I shoot color slides too so I cannot have 2 different speeds of b/w by the way.

Cheers.

Ask this guy if he can get any Delta3200 to you without it getting xrayed too much. Works great in microphen too.
I just recently shot in a really dimly lit pub, m645 80mm f/1.9, 1/30ish, ei3200, devved in microphen 1+0 (these two were the first two rolls, but I did a full ten rolls at 1+0 reused with time compensation as per the instructions). Beautifully smooth and grain no worse than anything in rodinal.
Scans great and (from what I've heard) prints great too (I'm about to try some wet prints soon).
I'm not the biggest fan of Tri-X or Tmax 400 pushed to 1600 (most of my experience is in xtol though), there's absolutely no shadow detail so all I get are bright faces surrounded by black mush (I shoot a lot of poets on stages). Haven't tried hp5 past 800 or delta400 (ever), so can't comment on those two.

i've found shooting tri-x at 1600 and developing it in d76 1:1 for 12.5 minutes gives excellent and fine grain results, surprisingly so. I wouldn't shoot everything that way, of course -- label your film and keep the pushed film for dark times.

Tri-X in Diafine is a safe bet, especially if you're pushing the film. There's always Rodinal, or it's different clone derivatives, if you like grain. Since it's one shot, it would be easier to develop when traveling. The stuff will last forever, and it's actually designed for slower films, although I use it w/ HP-5 and Tri-X w/ great results.

I've been trying out Tri-X in TD-16 from Photographers' Formulary lately, and I must say I like what I see from the first roll. This is a powder (2 part) that is advertised as a D76 type developer that has a shelf life of 6 months after you mix up a stock solution. That will be a huge improvement over the 3 weeks I get from D76 before it gets strange. Perfectly useable after that, but it isn't like it was when it was fresh.

momus said:

Tri-X in Diafine is a safe bet, especially if you're pushing the film.

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Diafine is worth considering, but it is designed to give lower contrast results when extending development of under-exposed films, so I would be cautious about using it unless you first become familiar with it.

It also involves two solutions, and you have to be very careful that you do not contaminate the solution A with even a small amount of solution B.

And although it is relatively temperature independent in use it doesn't respond well to cool temperatures themselves - you want to work at 70F or warmer.

Because of its lack of reciprocity departure, Acros is the fastest film when long exposures are required.

FWIW - I just came back from skiing in Japan and @ Yodabashi in Shinjuku they had Ilford & Kodak 3200. I too usually shoot Tmax or Delta 3200 (I prefer Kodak for contrast) BUT I always process where ever I am. In other words I purchase the film in country and process and proof before coming home - scanners be damned. In Oz the TSA guys have been nice enough to hand inspect my raw stock on the way out but most everywhere else in North America, Europe and Asia they have not been so forthcoming. Hence I buy where I shoot. Also FWIW when I used to bring exposed film home to process and the exposed film did go thru the scanners I have NOT seen any fogging and such as a result.....I just don't like the heartache of the risk. A good idea is to do a web search before you leave to find local sellers and processors. One hint tho - many processors do machine work and NOT by hand. Some auto machines do NOT recognise the ISO codes for 3200 and I have had some film come back looking like they've been thru a wringer (mostly in Prague) so now I always look for "hand" processing. It costs a tad more more I have never been disappointed........... Good luck! cheers, Sam