Black And White Films

I do not think that you should pick one film and developer and stick with it. That would be like eating the same kind of candy every single time, right? Please note that I print on Ilford MultiGrade IV paper. If the results are pleasing with that paper, the combo is moved to my good list.

Here are my favourites so far. I have a couple now, so the itch to test new ones is not as strong as it used to be (thank god for that).

Ilford Delta 100 (D76 1:1)

Sharp as hell with fine grain. Forget about that Rodinal stuff! Soup this baby in good old D76. Similar tonality to HP5 Plus, I would describe it as a technical black and white look. Does not have the best range of grays.

Ilford FP4 Plus (D76 1:1)

Very good slow film. Tonality is more like Tri-X than HP5 Plus or Delta 100. Good range of grays. The grain is about the same size as Delta 100 but not as sharp. The grain structure can be quite pleasing and fluffy.

Ilford HP5 Plus (D76 1:1)

Favourite fast film. The grain is a little soft but really tight and nice. Rounder grain than Tri-X. Tonality is about the same as Delta 100 but with a greater range of grays.

Kodak Plus-X (Rodinal 1:25)

Grain galore combo. Really pleasing grain at up to 6 times enlargement. I like Plus-X better this way than with D76. See comment on APX-100 regarding Rodinal and its effect on grain.

Agfa APX-100 (Rodinal 1:25)

Grain galore combo. Really pleasing grain at up to 6 times enlargement. Even better than Plus-X in Rodinal (but lower EI). Rodinal at this dilution is really nasty to the grains but with some films you get a nice look. Fine details really look etched. Try a higher dilution for less grain (but it might change the look).

Agfa APX-100 (D76 1:1)

Really great range of grays. I have not tried this one much so I can not say more about it (yet).

Other tested combos (some of them good):

• Ilford PanF Plus (D76 1:1)
• Efke KB50 (Acutol 1:14)
• Kodak Plus-X (D76 1:1)
• Agfa APX-400 (Rodinal 1:50)
• Fuji NeoPan 400 (D76 1:1)
• Ilford HP5 Plus (Rodinal 1:25)
• Ilford Delta 400 (D76 1:1)
• Kodak Tri-X (Acutol 1:9)
• Kodak Tri-X (D76 1:1)