What is your favorite B&W film and why?

[andym911]

thanks guys...might just check some of that out soon,

regards
andy

[fotohuis]

Instead of the CMS20/SPUR Orthopan UR (=orthochromatic micro film) I prefer the Rollei ATP-1.1 Tech Pan film. Instead of the iso 12-20 you can get iso 20-40 with the document developers of Rollei (RLC or SPUR, ATP-DC). Moersch has also a suitable developer for it.
Further this Tech Pan film has extended red sensitivity.

New film: Rollei ATP 1.1 (november 4, 2007) | Photography and image capture: the Leica technique and philosophy by Erwin Puts | Erwin Puts

and

Rollei ATP 1.1 in Spur and Moersch chemicals (May, 8, 2008) | Photography and image capture: the Leica technique and philosophy by Erwin Puts | Erwin Puts

All micro films have problems in high contrast light situations. The Tech Pan film is doing better.

Here a practical example in a contrast light situation of 7F stops, Rollei ATP-1.1 Tech Pan in the ATP-DC (Rollei developer), especially made by SPUR for this film. Leica M7 + Summarit 2,5/75mm.
Some practical hints for using these type of low contrast document developers: Always use demi-water due to the fact these developers are sensitive for metal ions in your tap water.
No pre-soak for these kind of films, you can use a stop and a very short fix time (1 minute) due to the fact there is very few silver in these type of films.



Talking about favorit films:
Fuji Acros 100, sigma technology, fewest grain in the iso 100 class and a reciprocity factor of 2 minutes. A very modern film which is doing fine in a lot of different developers.

High speed film: Neopan 1600, works fine within iso 800-1600 and can be combined with the same developing time together with the Neopan 400 from Fuji.

Old fashioned look, classical film: Fomapan 200 in Rodinal: E.I. 125-160. The interesting thing is that the film is a mixture of cubical and hexagonal crystals, very rare in photography.




and here the result in a para-amino phenol developer.
M7 + Elmarit 2,8/28mm + Y filter.

[andybarton]

Tri-X and DD-X. Rated at 320, developed for 7 minutes at 20 degC. 10 inversions per minute.

Lady on balcony.jpg

[thrid]

Kodak Tri-X. The best black and white film on the planet for the past +50 years.
;-)

Push it, pull it do as you like it will turn out a good picture. Dynamic range is huge, excellent tonality and grain is tight and beautiful.

I currently develop it in Divided D76 or Barry Thornton's 2 bath developer @ 400
and in Ilford DD-X @ 1600


I also shoot Delta3200 @ 1600. I've tried Neopan1600 and TMY3200 and believe that Ilford has the film to beat. Neopan1600 is very nice at 800 or 1600 on an overcast day, but I feel that it has too much contrast for shooting at night. TMY3200 can be very grainy, but has a really nice, gritty look that's very nice.


In the past I used to also shoot AGFA APX00 and developed in Rodinal. It was a magic combination with something like the 2/50 Summicron-DR.

[JBA]

Kodak BW400CN for the fineness of grain and the contrast.

girl with kitten.jpg

[bullis]

Originally Posted by darkstar2004

That's my question: What is your favorite black and white film and why? While we're at it -

What subject matter do you use it for?

Do you use different films for different subjects?

I'll go first. Presently I'm using Kodak Tri-X rated at ISO 400. I recently shot some Ilford HP5+ rated at ISO 800 and really liked the look of it, so I may go back to that.

All of my favorite films have been discontinued:

Super XX, Royal X pan (in windisch pyrocatechin compensating developer for night work), Kodak's 2475 recording film processed in MCM100 ppd/catechol super fine grain developer (holy cow, what a fabulous combination!) and also in Windisch pyrocat for night and performance images. Kodak's aerial infrared in 70mm, also in MCM100. This film, and its 35mm cousin HIE were the same as 2475 except for the infrared sensitivity as far as I could tell. I processed them identically, and the images looked the same in printed form. And a really oddball scientific or engineering film I got at Boeing Surplus (may it rest in peace), kodak's RAR, which I developed in Beutler's. I still have about 200 feet of this one, and probably about 100 feet of 2475. NOT ENOUGH!!!!!

I like rather gritty films; guess you figured that out already. And I use them almost in the opposite way from what most people probably think to be appropriate. You know, films designed for capturing bank robbers at night are developed in super fine grain formulas the fantastic speeds claimed neutralized to just like say, tri-x but the look is entirely different.

Tri x is good, I like to develop it in d76 straight.

Of late (and you are not going to believe this!) I've been developing Ilford's delta 3200 in Beutler's - which gives a quality similar to Rodinal; that is, extremely sharp grains which are extremely visible, with enhanced edges. I develop my wife's Zone Plate images in it. She shoots in 6x6 format, in a Lubitel that when we got it for $40 brand new, we took out to the shop and cracked the lens right out of it. I got a 75 mm Zone Plate (made by the legendary Sam Wang) and by eliminating the lens we were able to use the shutter. Since ZP is extremely soft, the sharp grain really does a number on the eyeballs.

Here's a link: janealynn's Photo Galleries at pbase.com

Right now I am testing Kodak's cine film, XX, in Germain's fine grain developer. I am extremely optimistic. Looks fantastic!

Larry Bullis

[innerimager]

Ilford XP2 Super. At least for now, my workflow is scanning with my coolscan 5000. I've never developed my own film and probably won't get to it any time soon. I find XP2 very flexible, shooting from Iso 200 to 1600, lovely smooth tonality, very fine grain in normal range but a coarse grain when pushed that I like as well. I prefer it to Kodak BW400CN.
best...Peter

[j. white]

Tri-X, because I'm not very imaginative.

[NZDavid]

Ilford Pan F @ 32 ISO in Perceptol. Haven;t used it for ages but tonality and grain are brilliant. Well worth trying.

[Photoskeptic]

Delta 100 because it scans so well. I also have a special fondness for Efke 25, but have had problems finding it lately.

[sthan]

Originally Posted by Photoskeptic

Delta 100 because it scans so well. I also have a special fondness for Efke 25, but have had problems finding it lately.

Here you'll find it :
Retro Photographic Ltd - Black & White Specialist Photographic Products

or here :
Fotoimpex Berlin | alles für die analoge Fotografie

[radfilm]

My new favorite film is Adox CHS100 I love the gray scale and the tones.
My other favorite I have been shooting a lot of is Tri-X as it always seems to be a good overall film to have in my M3 for street photography.
I am also sad that Kodak HIE is discontinued as I found it late and fell in love with it. Now I have 12 boxes in fridge waiting for the right occasion.

[garyp]

Agfa's Scala....expose it just like I do Kodachrome, put it in the slide tray or check with the loupe and enjoy.

[andym911]

JBA

Very nice shot with lovely tones.

andy

[rob_x2004]

APX100, APX400. Poor mans Scala.
Well, I can afford the film...but what, where, do I do with it?

[thomasw_]

TriX 400 @ 250 + Rodinal 50+1 -----> all round, use in Fall/Winter

Delta 100 @ 100/80 + Rodinal 50+1 -----> all round, use Spring/Summer/early Fall

Pan F+ 50@50 + Rodinal 50+1 ------> Summertime, Sunny days in Spring

Adox CMS 20 @ 20 + Adotech 24+1------> anytime there is enough light....such interesting tones....for example:>

[Chrizzlie]

• Kodak T-Max 100 @ 100 in Ultrafin or XTol - for fine tonalities, smooth and clean subject matter like landscape (little grain), scans good
  
• Kodak T-Max 400 New @ 400 in XTol - same as above with higher speed. Can be pushed up to 2 stops without too much trouble.
  
• Agfa APX 100 @ 80 in Rodinal 1+50 - for creamy grain and punchy edges - think street, expressive subject matter in good light or wide open. scans ok if you know how to.
  
• Kodak Tri-X @ 400 in Rodinal 1+50 - pure rock & roll - a classic for expressive subject matter, creates a distinct "look". Scans good

I run film through my "bathroom-lab", scan stripes on an Epson 4490 flatbed and use a Nikon V & Silverfast for fine scans. I also tried several Ilfords (FP4+, HP5+, Deltas) but was not impressed either by the way they render or how they behave in the scanner. The HP5+ has it's own "old school press photo" look, though.
I also tried what in the German forum section is referred to as "girly-film" - B&Ws in C41 like BW400CN and XP2. Results are quite ok with the Kodak while the XP2 yields funny results from lab to lab. However, I have to admit, that I use these only occasionally with the intent to drop them at the next 1hr-lab to get my negs fast.

/ Christian