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what's a the ideal film for a newbie

jaimeb82

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I am trying to stick to a b&w film to learn the process of developing my own negatives and printing my own pictures. I would like to stick to one type of film that sells in iso 100 and iso 400 so I can get a hang of it. I am thinking either TMax/Tri-X/Delta? Others types recommendations are welcome.

Are there any films out there that work better for newbies? To be honest, to my eyes all this films look good, so I guess I could just flip a coin and go for one or the other and start taking pictures. I just wanted to know if someone has any recommendations for a beginner.

Thanks.
 
If I'd start again I guess that instead of trying every possible el-cheapo film and some very exotic developers I'd stick with Kodak TriX and Kodak D-76 for some time.
 
I have used TMax for a couple of years now and prefer it to the others. Have used 135, 120, and 3X5 and have been pleased with all. It is forgiving has good detail, and has small grain. Tri-X has larger grain so if you are doing 35mm the grain will be more noticeable in the prints. I have not used Delta enough to have a good feel for it. If you use TMax, the best developer for it (IMO) is TMax-RS. I know people who shoot TMax and use other developers but the TMax-RS seems to help keep the grain size in check.
 
Tri-X in D-76. It may be the only film / dev you 'll ever really need.
 
Kodak Tri-X is a great all-round film that can be exposed at box speed (400), and experimented with from EI 200 to 1600. There are so many developers out there with just as many differing characteristics. For a beginner, my guess is, that many people here would recommend using Kodak D-76 or Ilford ID-11 (both have similar make-up) -- are excellent developers, and easy to use.
 
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hallo

i vote for hp5 (in d-76)
 
All good choices. I have used all and there is little difference. I have used Delta 400 and 100 with ID11 developer diluted 1:1 in the 120size for many years with the nod going to the 400. Also HP5 with the same dev. in 4x5 as well as with pyro pmk. The best thing to do is to select one combo and become VERY familiar with it and how it works in your hands.
Jeff
 

TMax/Tri-X/Delta is a great place to start.

Enjoy

Steve
 
Like many others, I shot nothing but 35mm TriX and developed in D-76 1:1 for the first 2 years of using b/w film. I really got a good feel for what that combo could do.

Whatever you choose, make sure its a film from either Kodak, Ilford or Fuji so you won't have to worry about QC issues.
 
Buy Arista Premium from Freestyle. It is repackaged Tri X and Plus X.


24 exp Arista Premium 100 $1.89/ Kodak Plus X $3.99 (At B&H, Freestyle doesn't carry Plus X anymore)
24 exp Arista Premium 400 $1.99/ Kodak Tri X $3.49.

It is the same film. I have made test shots with both Arista and Kodak, developed together in the same batch and printed on the same paper. Exactly the same prints, exactly the same film.

If you are just starting out this is the most economical way to go. In addition since these are really Kodak films you can be assured of consistency with every batch. Freestyle is also an APUG sponsor and one of the few vendors supporting traditional photography.

For a developer start with D-76 or XTOL. Personally I would use XTOL at 1-1 but D76 is perfectly fine. To make things simpler, Ilford makes a few developers already in liquid form one a basic clone of D-76 although I don't recall what that one is called.
 
Arista Premium 100 and 400, A.K.A. Kodak standard-grained films (non-T-Max/Delta/Acros type). D-76/ID-11, or HC-110/Ilfotec HC. Yer basic stuff. Nice and cheap. Good quality. Aesthetically gorgeous (subjective, I know...) Just pliable enough without being too easily pliable like T-grained stuff. Therefore easy enough to get good normal results your first time, yet also easy to manipulate if desired later.

When you want to go to medium format, you can get both Tri-X emulsions (320 and 400), and Plus-X, which is the same stuff as Arista Premium. For large format, there is no Plus-X, so you will probably need to use FP4 instead. Tri-X 320 is available in large format, though.

My two cents.
 
To start, I would definately follow others in recommending Tri-X. D-76 is good, as is HC-110. It is much more forgiving than TMax in terms of processing, and because it has a nice shoulder in the characteristic curve, should be easier to print contrasty scenes. That being said, I now use TMY2 and Rodinal almost exclusively but would suggest going with a more classic combination at the beginning.
 
jaimeb82 said:
I will start with 35mm, but also own Medium Format and 4x5.
Click to expand...

If you are going to shoot all those formats - then I would use Ilford HP5+, as it's a traditional B&W ISO 400 film with lots of exposure latitude and is available in all 3 formats.

The developer choice is less critical but try to stick to one when you are starting out. Ilford DD-X might be a good choice because it gives good film speed and that's handy if you are not using a tripod.
 
Kodak Plus-X and Tri-X, or Ilford FP4 Plus and HP5 Plus, and developed in Kodak D-76 or Ilford ID-11. (These developers are the same, so you can use Kodak with Ilford film, or vice versa.) (In fact, you can use anybody's developer with anybody's film, pretty much, as long as you can establish an appropriate development time.)

Get some practice with processing, and you can "graduate" to the T-Max or Delta films later. They are finer-grained but more difficult to process (not really more difficult per se but less tolerant of timing and temperature errors). Don't feel, however, that these older films are less desirable. In fact, I shoot them in preference to the Delta and T-Max films much of the time because I like the results they give.

Plus-X and FP4 Plus are ISO 125; Tri-X and HP5 Plus are ISO 400. Pick one that suits the lighting in which you shoot, or use both if you shoot in variable conditions. They are similar enough in character that adapting between them will not take you long. They do have to be processed separately, though, because the development times are different. However, the process itself is identical otherwise.

2F/2F's idea to use the Arista Premium films is terrific since these films are so inexpensive. They are actually Plus-X and Tri-X.

Tinker later when you know more.
 
If you are in the US, I agree about the Freestyle Arista Premium. If not, or if you want to buy locally, I believe that you will find it best to start with a traditionally grained film, since they seem to take almost anything in terms of exposure or development irregularities and still produce nice negs. I would suggest probably either choosing Kodak and going with Tri-X and Plus-X or Ilford and going with HP5+ and FP4+. All four are really wonderful films. I agree that D76 is a good place to start with developer as well. Really, however, just getting what you can get and what interests you and sticking with it until you are really comfortable with it, is the best route, the specific film and developer will be far less important.
 
Whether 135 or 120, I've found Delta 100 or Acros to be easy to meter. Both develop well in super-economical Rodinal.
 
I'm a huge fan of tri-x and yes it may be the only film u need.
Most of my stuff are on tri-x, but of recent times, neopan 400 for portraits as i prefer a creamier look.
 
It's hard to go wrong with any of the films listed here. I would start with Ilford FP4+ and HP5+ as they are available in all the formats you own. But Tri-X (400) is my favorite 400 speed film. I just wish I could get it in 4x5.
 
Arista.EDU Ultra is available in 4x5, it's cheap, works good, and I think it's Foma. I have some 200 I shoot in my pinhole camera.
 
I like Delta 100 in D-76, never had an issue, good grain size, nice tonality. I would recommend as I'm sure you've heard is to just try a couple to find one you like. In my opinion most B&W film is relatively easy to get nice negatives out of. As time goes on, you will want a film that better suits your needs which you will learn through this process of trial and error.
 
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