The GetDPI Photography Forum
Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!
B+W film suggestion
- Thread starter felix5616
- Start date
glenerrolrd
Workshop Member
FUJI ACROS 2 . ISO 100 ..Fine Grain . Superb Tonal Range . After testing a few rolls ...I like THEFINDLAB but the Darkroom Lab is also good . None of the Labs I tried were perfect and they were all almost the same . If I was near NYC I would use a NY lab as mail is really slow .
By the way, developing B&W is so much fun. Immediate fun. And really experimenting with time and strength of different developers. One film simply can't be said to represent something because developed in different developers can be worlds apart. And very special hi resolution technical ortho film can't be developed in normal developers.
Last edited:
What format are you planning to use; 120, 35mm, sheets? If it's 120 or 35mm, I'd suggest Ilford XP2. It's developed in the C41 (color negative) process so practically every lab can do it. It also scans easily and allows the scanner to use ICE for dust removal. That saves you a lot of hassle with cloning out dust in post. If you'd ever decide to do some darkroom printing, it prints well as it doesn't have an orange mask. My experience with XP2 was that I got the best results when exposed at 200 ISO.
On the other hand, as MartinN said, developing is not difficult and it gives you much more control over the end result. Kodak and Ilford films are of high quality and widely available. So if you decide to go that route, start with something that is easy to get in your area and develop it in the recommended developer of the same manufacturer. Liquid concentrate works easier than powder that you need to mix first yourself. Personally I use Ilford Delta 100 and 400 in 120 rolfilm, developed in Ilford DD-X. That works for me. I can buy it all at a local store, the developer keeps well and the film/dev combination gives me good results. I still print in the darkroom and (DSLR) negative scans are just for the web. I also use the scans for the catalogue and to determine what/how to print in the darkroom sessions.
On the other hand, as MartinN said, developing is not difficult and it gives you much more control over the end result. Kodak and Ilford films are of high quality and widely available. So if you decide to go that route, start with something that is easy to get in your area and develop it in the recommended developer of the same manufacturer. Liquid concentrate works easier than powder that you need to mix first yourself. Personally I use Ilford Delta 100 and 400 in 120 rolfilm, developed in Ilford DD-X. That works for me. I can buy it all at a local store, the developer keeps well and the film/dev combination gives me good results. I still print in the darkroom and (DSLR) negative scans are just for the web. I also use the scans for the catalogue and to determine what/how to print in the darkroom sessions.
Try Ilford's Pan F plus 50 ISO for really clean, high resolution photos. I also shoot with Kodak's Portra 400 rated at 200 iso and convert to B/W. It has a wide latitude and likes a slight bit of over exposure, hence, the 200 iso. It's a surprisingly good film for B/W. If you want more grain, go with a higher iso.
Last edited:
Alkibiades
Well-known member
For my experience Ilford Delta 100 is the best film if you want to get best sharpness, resolution, finest grain and very good tonality. And it is easy to develope.
the tonality is better and easier to use then T-max, and you get the film in all sizes.
Fuji acros is very, very sharp but with special tonality and hard to get, no large format sizes...
T max is sharp also but not easy to develope well, not an easy film.
all modern films are also good for scanning, better than the classic.
the tonality is better and easier to use then T-max, and you get the film in all sizes.
Fuji acros is very, very sharp but with special tonality and hard to get, no large format sizes...
T max is sharp also but not easy to develope well, not an easy film.
all modern films are also good for scanning, better than the classic.