Examples of Black & White Film

Ilford PANF Plus (ISO 50 / 18°) – This film has an extremely fine grain and is ideal for images where fine detail is required. The resulting images should have high resolution and sharpness and is therefore especially suited for large enlargements. Due to the high speed of the film, it is necessary to use a tripod in lowlight situations.

Ilford FP4 Plus (ISO 125 / 22°) – This is a medium speed film that has fine grain but not as fine as the Ilford PANF Plus. It is more suited for situations where film speed is more important than the lack of grain of the image and can be used for indoor and outdoor photography.

Ilford HP5 Plus (ISO 400 / 27°) – This is a fast speed film that is suited to general purpose and action photography. The resulting images are more grainy than the previous two films mentioned but in particular circumstances this can enhance the mood of the image. It is probably not advisable to use this film if large enlargements will be necessary due to the larger grain content of the film.

The above films use a conventional technology, but Ilford also produce the following films using alternative technologies:

Ilford XP2 (ISO 400 / 27°) – This is a fine grain film with a wide tonal range. The main benefit of this film is that it can be developed using the C41 colour process and is therefore more convenient. This is achieved by chromogenic technology. The resulting images do not always appear to have the black – grey – white tones and may have a hint of colour. Depending on the aim this may enhance the image or detract from it.

Ilford Delta (ISO 100 / 21° & ISO 400 / 27°) – These films use New Crystal technology and are reputed to have sharp image quality with high tonal ranges. As I have not used these films I am unable to comment on the standard of these films.