Good Black and White Film?

OverlordXenu · Feb 17, 2008

What is some good B&W film? Is there slide B&W film?

I prefer B&W to color, and I would like to be able to just scan it in directly.

Thank you.

(On a side note, what is some good color slide film? I like to shoot almost everything, so somewhat accurate colors would be nice.)

Early · Feb 17, 2008

OverlordXenu said:
What is some good B&W film? Is there slide B&W film?

I prefer B&W to color, and I would like to be able to just scan it in directly.

Thank you.

(On a side note, what is some good color slide film? I like to shoot almost everything, so somewhat accurate colors would be nice.)

It's hard to get a bad film today, but do try Fuji's neopan films and Ilford's delta films in b&w.

Kodachrome is still my all time favorite slide film.

McManniss · Feb 17, 2008

Well, to answer your first question. There is a B&W slide film, but only one. Its called Agfa Scala. Its getting harder and harder to find, but its well worth it. However, there are not many places in the country that develop it. You will more than likely have to send it out somewhere to get processed.

Other good B&W films, or ones that I like at least are Ilford PanF 50 (superfine grain, low ISO), Kodak TMAX or T400CN (Panchromatic), or older b&W films like Kodak TechPan, or Agfa APX25, but both of those are no longer made and hard to find.

As for a good slide film....Kodachrome (only one place in US that develops it thou), Fuji Velvia 50 or 100, Fuji Provia, or try some of the Kodak E100 series.

There are many good film stocks still available today, just try them out and find which one you like. Each one has different characteristics.

OverlordXenu · Feb 17, 2008

ISO 50 sounds kind-of low...I don't have a tri/monopod, but my camera is an F100 and I have a 24-120mm VR lens on the way.

I'll keep that in mind. I saw ISO 200 Scala at BH photo video, it's $12 a roll, but that's not too bad.

Is Scala still made? How much does it cost to get developed?

Thank you both for your replies. I'll be sure to stop buy Ritz camera or the last remaining local photo studio to get a few different rolls of film and see which I like.

nealjpage · Feb 17, 2008

I like the Efke films, and Kodak's Tri-x is a great high-speed black and white.

I'll add a vote for Kodachrome. Kodak's Elite Chrome is pretty good stuff, too.

As far as low ISOs go, 50 is doable if your subject is well-lit and you use a reasonable f-stop and shutter speed. Set your camera for ISO 50 and just go outside and meter a few things. See what kind of settings you'll have to deal with. It shouldn't be too bad.

Helen B · Feb 17, 2008

I still use Scala, and get most of it from Germany. I recently bought 200 rolls of 120 at $4 per roll. This set was taken on medium format Scala.

I get it developed at Main, in Santa Ana.

http://www.mainphoto.com/services/agfa_scala_film_processing.htm

It is $8 per roll, and the results are good.

You can also get it developed at dr5: www.dr5.com They also do reversal development of other B&W films.

To the best of my knowledge these are the only two labs in the USA that actually develop Scala as reversal film.

Best,
Helen

OverlordXenu · Feb 17, 2008

Thanks, how do you get it from Germany, and do they have 35mm?

f8lranger4x4 · Feb 17, 2008

Ilford

bhop · Feb 17, 2008

I use Ilford HP5+. I like it, it's got good grain for the speed, nice contrast, I guess I should mention that I only use 400iso because I handhold most film camera shots and take a lot of shots later in the evening.

doobs · Feb 18, 2008

Fomapan R100 is "the ideal replacement for Agfa Scala," says Freestyle Photo's catalog. Only $3.99 a 36 exposure roll.

dr5.com does the processing, and I do believe they can reverse process normal B+W films.

OverlordXenu · Feb 18, 2008

What ISO is it, and is Freestyle a good store? I'm guessing ISO 100?

Edit: Well, the six ratings on ressellerratings.com say it's good.

Helen B · Feb 18, 2008

Foma R100 is indeed ISO 100. I would use more of it if it was available in medium format.

I search eBay for Scala. German sellers often seem to have more available at good buy-it-now prices.

If you use 35 mm then go for the R100 instead. dr5 processing is $14.85 unmounted. You can reverse process it yourself.

Do you want projectable slides or are you only scanning? B&W slides can be more difficult to scan than B&W negs, because of the higher density. On the other hand, if your scanner can cope with the density, reversal film may have an advantage.

Best,
Helen

OverlordXenu · Feb 18, 2008

I don't have a scanner yet, but I'm thinking of picking up an A750 in the summer. (I do plan to eventually get into medium format and beyond, so I want a somewhat future-proof scanner.)

As of right now, I don't plan on getting a slide projector.