Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
n/a |
| Disadvantages: |
n/a |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
Ilford - not an area in Essex, a photographic company, founded in 1879 and providing black and white photographic paraphernalia ever since.
This is an opinion on all Ilford's black and white still films, so, in iso film speed ascending order, let us begin:
*PAN F PLUS
This is a 50 iso film and my favorite of the lot. It has ultra fine grain, absolutely brilliant definition and a pretty good tonal range. I know it's not often that you find yourself using such a slow film, but this is such a charming film for still lifes, architecture and some punchy portraiture. A tripod is a must if you are using this in less than sparkling light, and enlarging from these negatives is so easy; The grain is tiny and shouldn't give you any problems up past 16x20 inches (do you need your pictures any bigger?). If you are looking for a cheap alternative to copying film, Pan F Plus will do the trick (remember though that the copying film is a little slower, so you might lose a tiny bit of definition). I once did a very silly thing and pushed this film (assuming your film is twice, three times etc. the normal iso rating, ie having a 50 iso film and setting your
camera to read it as 100 or 400) to 800 iso. Let's just say that the results were 'interesting'; This is not the best film to play around with unless you are after a very stark and bare
image.
Film speed: 50 iso
Suitable for: Still life or studio work.
*DELTA 100
This is a 'professional' film from Ilford, using their recently invented Core Shell Emulsion (absolutely no idea what that is), and it was developed to rival Kodak's T-Max series. This is probably the sharpest
black and white film in the 100 iso speed class on the market. It has exceptionally fine grain for a 100 speed film, and has lately been updated to give improved push processing (as before, except this time you treat the film as a higher rated iso when you develop it; Either by increasing the development time, increasing the developer's temperature, or by using a stronger developer than would normally be used for your film). I haven't had any major disappointments with this film, but my preferences go with the T-Max
technology purely for the tonal range.
Film speed: 100 iso
Suitable for: Still-life, portraiture, most things - as long as you have very good light.
*FP4 PLUS
125 iso, this is a bit of a no man's land. People tend not to use it as they either need faster or slower films. Saying that, it does have a wide
exposure latitude, so you can get away with under or over exposing (a bit), but it just doesn't have the clarity of a 50-100 speed film, and it doesn't have the convenience of a faster film. The most useful feature of this film is its marvelous tonal renditioning. I haven't used this film since my student days, and, I'm afraid, I can't remember anything else it did particularly well.
Film speed: 125 iso
Suitable for: ??????
*SFX
Now this is an interesting one:
Ilford bought this film out to compete with Kodak's infrared film, the biggest complaint on which was that it was too sensitive (you have to load it into your camera in complete darkness). So they produced a 'not so infrared' film, that could be boosted with a filter to give you an infrared result. If you use it with a yellow or orange filter, the effects are minimal (giving your pictures a slightly sparkly, surreal look), but if you use it with a red filter (the darker the better), the sky turns black, vegetation off-white and you get a stunning contrast on buildings. I suggest using a B&W D92 filter, but if you can't afford that then the Hoya R72 is pretty good.You can also (according to Ilford), push this film to 800 iso.
Film speed: 200 iso
Suitable for: Special effects.
*HP5 PLUS
The worst of the 400 iso films that Ilford provide, and the one that, unfortunately, most people buy. Do I have to write about this film? Its just SO middle of the road, not excelling in any particular region, except maybe its pushability (up to 1600), but this really isn't a redeeming feature. I know that at 400 iso its pretty suitable for anything, yet the detail is lost, the tones are just different shades of grey, and overall just a pointless film. If you need a 400 speed film then go with the Delta, every time.
Film speed: 400 iso
Suitable for: xxxx
* DELTA 400
Another film in the 'professional' range. This really does have fine grain for a 400 speed film, and is an opponent to be reckoned with against
Kodak's T-Max 400. The image is sharp, better tones than you would expect from a 400 film and can be push processed just as far as the HP5. This is an every day black and white film that you should have, just in case the occasion arises. A little more expensive than HP5, but you'll be glad you spent that extra bit when you get the piccies back.
Film speed: 400 iso
Suitable for: General use (light, semi low light, or low light situations if you push it).
*XP2
This isn't really a black and white film - the chemistry involved is
colour. This film CAN NOT be processed using black and white chemistry, only C41 colour processing can be used. The images can, however, be printed on either black and white OR colour paper: On colour paper you will get a 'sepia' print, on black and white, a normal, well defined print. This a great film to play around with as it can be pushed and pulled (the converse process of pushing), to your heart's content. Two warnings though: Take a record of exactly what you are doing, as the sepia colours wobble as you push and pull ( from blue/green to dark brown), and find a good printer, as the filters on machine prints don't seem to render the same colours twice.
Film speed: 400 iso
Suitable for: Experimenting, general use, oldie worldie effects.
*DELTA 3200
And last, but my no means least, the fastest film that Ilford provide, but don't be fooled, the real iso of this film is 1000, it is just push processed when it is developed. There shouldn't be that many occasions when you will need a film THIS fast, yet I have found it has come in handy when shooting at music venues, pubs and dark and dingy places. You can rate this film (therefore pushing or pulling), from 400 - 6400 iso, should you have the need, but don't even think of enlarging from it unless you want grain the size of footballs. This is a film that performs a function: Catching fast moving objects and shooting in next to no light. It is not a pretty film, its grainy, grey and dull, but if needs must...
Film speed: 3200(1000) iso
Suitable for: Fast action and low light.
I hope this hasn't been too 'speaky' for you. Enjoy your photography.
This product has not yet been reviewed. 
