Your favourite 400

[mikemgb]

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I have figured out my favourite ISO 100 film is Ilford Delta 100. Kodak T-max 100 was a very close second but the Ilford won out because it is easier to load on Paterson reels.

 

I'm about to start testing 400 films to find the one I prefer. 

 

What is your favourite 400?

 

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[harryzet]

tri-x. a classic if there ever was one. hc110 1+6, 20 degree C, 2,5 min. or d-76 1:1, 12 min

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[honcho]

I rarely use films faster than 100iso, but my preferences are fairly straightforward and are equally applicable to 400iso films if and when I would choose to use 400iso:

 

Ilford Delta 400 for it's ease of scanning, tonal range, accutance and fine grain. Same applies to Kodak TM 400.

 

It's been a good while since I last used Tri-X, the tonal range can sometimes appear a little too crushed for my taste but it is satisfying when the good qualities are extracted. KeithM recently posted a Tri-X image of a demolition site on 'I Like Film' with a beautiful, delicate quality to the tonal range as a perfect example of what can be done with Tr-X beyond it's more traditional use in social documentary work.

 

That's about it. I 'm not sure what can be gained from that, if anything. I find films slower than 400iso more interesting and there are more options to experiment with.

 

I look forward to seeing your images and your conclusions, though.

Edited February 19, 2017 by honcho

[TomB_tx]

While TriX developed in UFG or Acufine was my standby in the 1960s & 70s, with PnatomicX in UFG for quality, now I much prefer Ilford films. I mainly use PanF, and for my a-roll-now-and-then processing switched to Rodinal for its shelf life and easy mix-a-bit-and-discard use. I also really like the tonality.

I also use HP5+ for 400 speed, and while Rodinal doesn't hide the grain, I still like the tones it gives with HP5+. My try with TriX these days made me move th HP5.

I've even tried Delta 3200 in Rodinal, and while the result was better than I expected, I just got a developer better suited to Delta and will be trying it with Delta 100 & 400.

Hopefully I'll have the time to shoot more, and if so I'll again try Acufine with replenisher to see if it's as good as I remember. Too bad UFG is gone.

[Doc Henry]

Hi Mike , the best you shoot one roll of each brand and look after each type of film.

My preference : TX  (deep black) HP5 (less black) and Delta 400. I don't know

Fomapan

Rg

Henry

[friedeye]

TX curls - although now that I have a new scanner, I'll try it again. Love Delta - but I keep coming back to HP-5 400. I usually push it a stop and get excellent results.

[cobbu2]

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Been using TMax 400 (Tri-X before that) since the late 90s and never had any reason to switch to anything else. Fine grain, sharpness, tonality and pushability.

[SilentShutter]

Took me a long journey to come to the "classic itself" but I found and started loving the Kodak Tri-X 400 !

[wlaidlaw]

I think my favourite 400 film is Delta 400. I find the grittiness of Tri-X a bit too much 1950's Magnum for my taste. Delta 400 strikes a happy medium between the oily smoothness of the chromogenic films, XP2 and BW400CN and the grain of HP5 and Tri-X. I have just loaded a 70mm cassette with Rollei 400S Panchromatic Extended IR film because that is the sole choice of film currently available in 70mm Perf. Type II. Ilford did a run two years ago of HP5 but it was over double the cost of the Rollei (€88 for 30.5M). 

 

Wilson

[philipus]

Kodak Double-X at EI 400 is very nice. TMax 400 is virtually grainless. Both scan well, which is important to me. TMax requires a lot longer fixing but that's a minor annoyance.

 

I've shot a lot of Tri-X and have both the current version and several bulk rolls of the previous version (5063) in the freezer. But I find Tri-X overrated and hyped up. The tonality is quite poor and the grain often excessive. I accept that that makes the film useful for certain purposes but for me that prevents it from being a general-use type of film. Also, the curl is just horrible and very difficult to get rid of, which affects the scanning.

 

 

Harry, 2,5min in HC-110 sounds much too short to me. 

 

tri-x. a classic if there ever was one. hc110 1+6, 20 degree C, 2,5 min. or d-76 1:1, 12 min

[philipus]

How do you shoot the 70mm perf, Wilson? 

 

I think my favourite 400 film is Delta 400. I find the grittiness of Tri-X a bit too much 1950's Magnum for my taste. Delta 400 strikes a happy medium between the oily smoothness of the chromogenic films, XP2 and BW400CN and the grain of HP5 and Tri-X. I have just loaded a 70mm cassette with Rollei 400S Panchromatic Extended IR film because that is the sole choice of film currently available in 70mm Perf. Type II. Ilford did a run two years ago of HP5 but it was over double the cost of the Rollei (€88 for 30.5M). 

 

Wilson

[wlaidlaw]

How do you shoot the 70mm perf, Wilson? 

 

In a Graflex Combat Graphic giant rangefinder camera. It is just going off to have a CLA but must have film in it before you run the clockwork motor drive film advance and shutter cocking system, or you will break the shutter and clockwork motor. I had put a roll of Ektachrome 64 in the camera but as that is my sole roll of this and no more being made, I wanted to keep it for future use, so have taken that out and put in a cassette of the Rollei 400S.

 

Wilson

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[Martin B]

But I find Tri-X overrated and hyped up. The tonality is quite poor and the grain often excessive. I accept that that makes the film useful for certain purposes but for me that prevents it from being a general-use type of film.

 

Exactly my observation, too. No matter which developers I was using, the actual Tri-X 400 always came out more grainy than HP5+ 400 in comparison. My favorite 400 films therefore are HP5+ 400 and Kodak T-Max 400.

 

But I was able to push Tri-X 400 up to ISO 3600 with very good results. But in this case I used Xtol as developer to avoid excessive grain formation.

[philipus]

Thank you Martin. I will have to try out HP5+

 

I'm intrigued by your results pushing Tri-X that high. Would you mind posting an example or two?

 

Exactly my observation, too. No matter which developers I was using, the actual Tri-X 400 always came out more grainy than HP5+ 400 in comparison. My favorite 400 films therefore are HP5+ 400 and Kodak T-Max 400.

 

But I was able to push Tri-X 400 up to ISO 3600 with very good results. But in this case I used Xtol as developer to avoid excessive grain formation.

[mikemgb]

Interesting seeing the different opinions, what one person loves, another hates.

 

Of course, once I have my favourite films then I have to figure out my preferred developer.  

[Martin B]

Thank you Martin. I will have to try out HP5+

 

I'm intrigued by your results pushing Tri-X that high. Would you mind posting an example or two?

 

 

[wlaidlaw]

For those who it might affect, XTOL is a very useful developer, in being hydroquinone free. I have only used this since becoming sensitised to HQ many years ago. 

 

Wilson

[mikemgb]

 

 

Very nice, I've used Ilford Delta 3200 a couple of times recently, rating it at 1600 and 6400, these images are much better than even the 1600 version. However, so far I have only developed it in Ilfosol-3, I have Perceptol and HC-110 but I want to stick to the one developer until I'm sure I'm being consistent in my technique.

[philipus]

Very nice results Martin. Seems I will have to add Xtol to my cabinet.

 

 

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[philipus]

Now that's what I call a camera. Very impressive indeed. 

 

In a Graflex Combat Graphic giant rangefinder camera. It is just going off to have a CLA but must have film in it before you run the clockwork motor drive film advance and shutter cocking system, or you will break the shutter and clockwork motor. I had put a roll of Ektachrome 64 in the camera but as that is my sole roll of this and no more being made, I wanted to keep it for future use, so have taken that out and put in a cassette of the Rollei 400S.

 

Wilson