Should I use Professional B&W or C41 B&W?

[Pkboi24]

I just finished shooting my first roll of Tmax black and white film. However, sadly, when I took it to CVS (a walgreens type of store) they told me that they could only process C41. I was just wondering:

Is true black and white film significantly better than the C41 type?

I'm just doing this as a hobby, so if the difference isn't noticeable on a 4X6 I wouldn't mind switching just for the convenience. Not to mention camera stores charge ridiculous prices for developing black and white film.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

--Peter

 

[ksmattfish]

The biggest difference is the ability to alter exposure and development with traditional BW films, but you need to either be developing it yourself, or go to a pro lab. If you aren't going to do this, then C41 BW should do you just fine. Many pros use the C41 BW film.

 

[DocFrankenstein]

I'm guessing you won't notice anything unless you enlarge more than 8*10.

C41 BW film is for developing in the color machine.
"usual" BW film is for mixing chemicals yourself.

 

[thebeginning]

From my experiences, C41 bw film has poor contrast. It all depends on how you want your image to look. I've heard bw film has more detail, and has a wider contrast range, but if you want to truly take a hold of that, you will have to go to a pro lab or develop yourself.

 

[KevinR]

For someone just wanting to shoot B&W. The C41 is fine. The contrast, as stated, is on the low side, but if you where to get into it and either print these yourself or have a pro do it, that contrast issue can be overcome in the darkroom. The mini lab prints may have a weird toned color to them if they have not done much of them before, but on the other hand, you may like that look. I would stick with the C41 for now.