Black and White Film Guide
Posted by Caroline Janes on 5th Apr 2022
Sometimes it can be hard to distinguish the nuances between different black and white film stocks, especially as a beginner. Check out our guide below to get a better feel for what black and white film is right for your photography.
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Ilford’s HP5 Plus Black and White Negative Film is a traditional and versatile film great for general use and a plethora of shooting conditions. This film is often recommended for first-time shooters or applications where lighting cannot be controlled. HP5 has a wide dynamic range, therefore shadows/highlights can often be recovered when exposures are incorrectly taken. It responds well to push processing as well. HP5 has an acceptable amount of grain that is pleasing and non-intrusive.
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This is a high-speed black and white film that's fantastic for indoor/concert photography and fast-moving subjects. The tonality is rich and can balance deep blacks with pleasing highlights. It should be noted that stark whites cannot be achieved, as this is a tradeoff for preserving shadow detail, a common characteristic in high-speed film stocks. Grain is to be expected, as this is how sharpness is achieved. Delta 3200 responds well to slight over and underexposure, usually by .5 EV. When push/pull developing, Delta 3200 proves to be a quite versatile and quality film stock in a pinch.
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Ilford Pan F Plus is characterized by its slow ISO at 50 speed, high contrast, super sharp black & white film with very fine grain. This is phenomenal for large-scale inkjet or darkroom prints. Pan F Plus has a broad tonal range and has a quite stellar contrast, resolution and detail. When properly exposed, this film has great tonality with deep blacks and pleasing midtones. Process this film in a timely manner (within two months) in Rodinal or Illfosol for best results. Also available in 120mm.
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XP2 Super is a black and white film that can be developed in a C-41 process. That’s good for photographers who mainly shoot color film, so the films can be processed all at the same time with no difference in wait time, and no need for an extra set of chemicals. It should be noted that this film stock can also be processed as a true black and white film. Also available in 120mm.
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Designed as a high-resolution copy film for negatives, Ortho Plus offers superb photographic potential thanks to its fine grain and sharpness. This is a low-speed black and white orthochromatic film, meaning that it isn’t sensitive to red light. All shades in the red channel are rendered darker. It can be safely processed under a red lamp in the darkroom as well.
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Deep blacks and soft whites are prominent in this 35mm stock. Double-X is a classic black and white film stock left relatively unchanged since it's release in 1959 for still and motion picture use. Not unlike the other CineStill film stocks, highlights bloom in these photos due to the modified film base. Your images will look like films shot on Double X, such as The Lighthouse, Kill Bill Vol 1, and American Horror Story.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a high-speed panchromatic film that's a good choice for photographing dimly lighted subjects or fast action, for photographing subjects that require good depth of field and fast shutter speeds, and for extending the distance range for flash picture.
More B&W films here.