120 Film Recommendations

[ww2photog]

Getting back into film. Just purchased a Zeiss Ikonta A, RF, 6x4.5, uncoated Tessar lens from the 1930s. Camera looks to be in excellent condition though it still hasn't arrived yet from Japan.
I'll be shooting mostly handheld, Black and White. Street photography, abandoned buildings, vintagey looking close ups, old machine parts, motorcycles. Also shooting atmospheric moody Brassai like stuff off the tripod at night. A lot of shadow.
I plan on stand developing in Rodenol 1+100 for 1 hour. I'm picking up a 4x5 enlarger from a friend and plan on scanning my negs also.

Looking for the best vintage looking film, lots of latatitude, enough speed for low light and hand held, but good enough for long exposures also.

Guess I don't mind some grain, since I'm going for that 1930s vibe.

I've used 4x5 tri x 320 in the past, but now I only see it in 400 for 120.

any help appreciated

 

[Fixcinater]

Foma looks old, bad reciprocity though for your night work compared to others and I don't like any of the speed variants at anything higher than 1/2 their box rating (ie: I shoot the 400 at 200, the 100 at 50).

The vintage lens will help it look old no matter what film you choose.

Go with what is cheap and most available to you.

Tri-X 320 is only available in sheets now, AFAIK.

 

[ww2photog]

Thanks, I'm thinking Acros for the night stuff, not much reciprocity failure.( don't know if I'm stating that correctly)
Foma looks attractive, maybe Classic 200 ?
What are your thoughts on Rollei Retro

 

[jim_jm]

I like Acros for night photography, no reciprocity correction needed up to 3 mins. To my eye it has a more "modern" look, though. I've developed it in Rodinal 1+50, D76 1+1 and HC110 1+14, and I can't say I've noticed a huge difference between developers. It's 100 ISO, so this may not be fast enough for your needs. I've never pushed Acros, so I can't comment on it's performance in that regard.

For a grittier look, I'd go with TriX 400, seeing as you can push it if you want to. Ilford HP5 Plus might give you similar results.

I've been shooting with a '38 Super Ikonta B which has an uncoated 80/2.8 Tessar, and it's got surprisingly good contrast and no problems with flare. So depending on the situation, your lens may perform better than you expect.

 

[ww2photog]

Thanks Jim, good to hear

 

[Hatchetman]

Go with Tri-X. Lots of exposure latitude. Modest grain at that size negative.