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What 35mm Film?
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Hi
I?m intending to devote a lot of 2007 to shooting black and white. Much of this will be done as conversions of digital colour photos. But I?m also hoping to do a little bit of film photography. To this end, I?m on the point of buying a Nikon F4. Can anyone who has been there, done that (and maybe still doing it) give me a run down on the better black and white 35mm film still widely available, and any details on where to get good A4 prints done? (I?m not into doing my own developing and printing. Shudder!)
Thanks in advance
BertieIt’ll cost ya! I don’t mean the advice, I mean the film and the prints and the developing and the enlargements etc. etc.
I decided to dabble in 120 Velvia and was horrified when I discovered the cost of prints from 120 slides. B+W isn’t far behind.
Hi,
I haven’t shot B&W film for about a year, but, when I did I used to use Fuji Neopan 400cn – this was a bit of a cheat as it is actually processed as C41 (standard colour processing), however, when used with a yellow filter I was never disappointed with the results. I also used Fuji Acros 100 ASA for landscapes, again used with either a yellow or orange filter to help contrast, and like the Neopan I was never let down. Another film which I found great for portraits was Kodak BWCN 400 ASA – another C41 process film.
Many photographers I knew sweared by the Ilford range – I used to swear at them !! I could never get the results I wanted, but this was probably just down to my technique.
My father was a professional for many years and he used nothing but Kodak Tri-X for nearly 20 years, his prints are still perfect, but he used to develop all his own stuff, and was a real craftsman.
7Dayshop has a huge range of film and it is all relatively cheap.
The beauty about the CN films (C41) is that they can be developed in many high street retailers, although I would recommend going to an established lab who know what they are doing.
For standard B*W prints and deleloping I use http://www.peak-imaging.co.uk.
They are not cheap, but they do give a really good service.
Hope this helps.
Rgds
Kevin
Wondering was that the F4 on EBAY i was looking at over the weekend.
I would suggest you pick one or two films and stick with them. I would recommend Ilford FP4 for still life and landscape and Ilford Neopan 400 for everything else. Never got a decent print out of the C41 processed B&W films, always found them difficult to print from.
Have a read through previous posts on this section as some of your questions were discussed in detail previously.
Looking forward to seeing some work from this Nikon.
Hi At present I am using Ilford HP5 and like the results. You have the option to push if required for low light.
I would agree with the Peak Imaging recommendation they do a great job worth the little extra
John
oops, I missed this thread. Can you tell us what you are thinking of shooting with this film, portraits, scenery, studio etc.
Whats a good B&W film? You will get lots of different suggestions but its really down to personal preferences. You need to try out a few and see which you like best. Kodak, Ilford & Fuji should be readily available and there are the online films like Efke, Maco, Rollei, Adox, Foma, etc.
Also what developer you use will have an influence on the final negative as well. I mainly use Ilford Panf film with Agfa Rodinal developer and Kodak TriX with Tmax developer. I like the way they look but the next person may prefer some other combination.
Will you be using a tripod or handheld? Do you like fine grain or course grain? As Fintan suggested, let us know what type of subjects you will be photographing and we will be able to suggest some films to try.
Getting B&W prints done in a lab will be expensive and will not be like getting colour prints where they are either good or bad. A B&W print can be done a hundred different ways and yet still be good. Unless you are there instructing them all the way, you are going to get their interpretation of how the print should look. Why not find a darkroom in a college or club where you can try it yourself and save money. Who knows, you might get hooked.
Best of luck,
PeterKodak Tri-X is my personal favourite even though Kodak really p**s me off.
If you are photographing models and general portraits, I’d advise you give Kodak Plus-X a try.
Thanks again for the advice on this. I’ll probably try 2-3 of the recommended films and then settle for one of them.
BTW, I’m glad this Film section on the forum exists. I’ll be watching it more actively in future.
Hi Bertie-
I’m surprised nobody mentioned Agfa- it used to be my favourite- here’s a link to some more fans- http://photosig.pcphotoreview.com/cat/photographyreview/film/black-and-white-film/agfa/PRD_83262_3119crx.aspx
I’d definitely do my own processing if I were still doing b/w. Its actually quite easy, and the only way that you can absolutely consistently guarantee control of quality. Using a large Paterson tank you can process 7 x 35mm films or 4 x 120 at a time.
I f you’re starting off, perhaps you could try Ansel Adam’s Zone IV system; it involves setting up a linked exposure/ processing / printing system, but still allows the flexibility to snap away. Don’t be surprised if the film speed turns out to be not what it says on the can.
And do remember to add Agfa to your list-
joseph
“I’m surprised nobody mentioned Agfa” Thats because Agfa films are no longer available.
My recommendations:
In Studio:
Efke 50 – single layer emulsion B&W film, responds well to push/pull, pretty “earthy”, great for 1940-50s style glamour B&W portraits (think Audrey Hepburn).
Fuji Across ISO 100 – excellent all-round low ISO, low grain film.
Outdoors
Fuji Across
Fuji Neopan 400
Normally people will pick 2 or 3 films and get to know them. They have contrast curves in different places etc. Very glad to see that you’re getting into this Bertie, I would urge you to reconsider the self-developing. Once you get to the negative stage, you can have them scanned and then play in PS. The development is a key part of the picture making process with B&W.
Good luck
Si
thefizz wrote:
“I’m surprised nobody mentioned Agfa” Thats because Agfa films are no longer available.
I just had to check… one quick google & ebay search later and it seems that fresh batches of APX100 & 400 are available (example). Granted though they all seem to be Stateside.
Good ol’ interweb.
I should have said Agfa films are no longer being manufactured. Yes I’m sure there are people selling off their stock on ebay and such places but I don’t see any point in Bertie trying this film for the first time when it is soon to be extinct.
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