Favourite Ilford Film?

duncanp · Aug 20, 2006

title says all,

ilford delta proffessional for me

Torus34 · Aug 20, 2006

Pan F in both 35mm and 120 roll.

santino · Aug 20, 2006

def. Hp5+ but I don't shoot Ilford anymore, Kodak all the way baby

raven4ns · Aug 20, 2006

Ilford XP2 super is my favorite. I can get 1 hour processing because it is a chromogenic and I can shoot from ISO100 up to ISO1600 on the same film. It has a very tight grain pattern and scans beautifully.

srobb · Aug 21, 2006

Well, I have only used Delta100 Pro so far. Looks like I might be trying the XP2 soon though. :wink:

santino · Aug 21, 2006

I've got one question, can I make prints on "real" b&w paper from chromogenic film like bw400cn ?

ksmattfish · Aug 21, 2006

santino said:
I've got one question, can I make prints on "real" b&w paper from chromogenic film like bw400cn ?

Sure. You could stick a color neg in the enlarger and make a "real" BW print.

I like FP4 and HP5, particularly when you could get it relabled as Arista Pro for half price. But they don't sell that since Ilford's financial troubles. When my stock of Arista Pro film runs out, I'll probably go to Tri-X as my choice for ISO 400. I like how it works with Diafine better than HP5. As far as a slower film I'm thinking about Tmax 100, but if that doesn't work out I may stick with FP4.

santino · Aug 21, 2006

ksmattfish said:
Sure. You could stick a color neg in the enlarger and make a "real" BW print.

I know, but is going to work (I mean the "orange" layer of chromogenic film could work as some kind of filter, doesn't it?).

ksmattfish · Aug 21, 2006

santino said:
I know, but is going to work (I mean the "orange" layer of chromogenic film could work as some kind of filter, doesn't it?).

That can be problematic with multi-graded paper, but it can still be done. They used to sell some C-41 BW with a clear film base for printing in the BW darkroom. I'm not sure what the brands were. I thought XP2 had the clear base? Checkout the Kodak or Ilford website; I'm sure they would mention it there.

santino · Aug 21, 2006

I haven't ever used the Ilford stuff, only the Kodak one but didn't ever try to print. good hint, just have to look at Kodak's site

Jeff Canes · Aug 21, 2006

santino said:
I know, but is going to work (I mean the "orange" layer of chromogenic film could work as some kind of filter, doesn't it?).

From what I have read & experiences Ilford XP2 don’t have the "orange" layer and is intend to be printed on B&W paper, the Kodak has the "orange" layer for printing on color paper.

As for printing chromogenic films on B&W papers I think you need an adjustable color head or filters.

santino · Aug 21, 2006

I'm pretty sure that it will work with my fomabrom paper and documol developer, I'll see. thanks

ksmattfish · Aug 21, 2006

In my Color Photography class one of the assignments was to print a color neg on color paper and on BW paper. Getting the contrast up was tricky, and exposure times were longer, but it was definately doable. When I was 100% film I occasionally used to get people asking me to do it for their wedding pics. They wanted hand printed gelatin silver prints, but prefered a shot I made with color film. Usually I wasn't thrilled with the results, but they liked them. Eventually I did switch my policy to gelatin silver prints only available from BW film.

Luke_H · Aug 22, 2006

I like Ilford film just fine, but since Kodak film is cheaper, I use it. I could go either way on the whole range and still be satisfied. I do prefer Tri-X to HP5+ though.

And the Arista 50 outdated from Freestyle for 12 bucks is PanF+. So cheap wins my heart.. We'll Say PanF+ since it's the cheapest Ilford film I have.

Ilford is easier to wash the purple antihalation dye out of than Kodak. I also like some of their chemicals, like the rapid fix compared to anything Kodak makes.

Mostly it's hard to say what Ilford film I like best, because it varies by what I'm taking photos of.