WHICH FILM FOR BLACK & WHITE PHOTO

WHICH FILM FOR
BLACK & WHITE?
The choice of black & white film is wider
now than ever before. In practice, however,
there isn’t a massive difference between
one brand or another, so unless you want to
get very technical the main decision you
need to make is which speed to use.
As with colour, the slower the film is,
generally, the finer the grain and the
greater the resolving power, so having
decided what you want the film for, you can
then choose a suitable speed.

Slow films
If you require the best image quality, and intend
making big enlargements, choose a slow speed
film such as Agfa Agfapan APX 25 (ISO 25),
Kodak Technical Pan (ISO 32) or Ilford Pan F Plus
(ISO 50). All three produce incredibly sharp
negatives with amazing detail and almost
invisible grain. The downside is you will need to
use a tripod in all but the brightest conditions.

Medium-speed films
Films in the ISO 100-125 range are a good choice
if you require high image quality without
compromising speed too much. Ilford’s Delta 100
and FP4 Plus, Kodak T-Max 100 and Agfa
Agfapan APX 100, among others, all provide fine
grain and sharpness, and at enlargements up to
16x12in will produce excellent image quality,
while still allowing you to take handheld pictures.

Fast films
Today’s crops of ISO 400 films are capable of
amazing quality, making them the most popular
speed for general use. The more modern films
have the edge – Ilford Delta 400 and HP5 Plus,
Kodak T-Max 400 and Agfa Agfapan APX 400.
The older emulsions such as Kodak Tri-X and Fuji
Neopan 400 aren’t as fine-grained, but still
produce excellent results and are much-loved.
On prints up to 10x8in, grain is fine, but any
bigger and grain becomes more obvious.

Ultra-fast films
If you need to take handheld pictures in lowlight,
then an ultra-fast film will be more suitable.
There are three to choose from – Fuji Neopan
1600, Kodak T-Max 3200 and Ilford Delta 3200,
with speeds of ISO 1600 and ISO 3200. Although
these films offer high quality, they are very
grainy. Many photographers see this as a
creative benefit, however, and use these films
specifically for their coarse grain.