Ilford XP2 Super

[David Charlwood]

Does anyone have any experience with this film, comparing it with TriX?
Thanks.

 

[thegman]

Excellent film, of course it's C41 colour process, not regular BW.

Very fine grain, forgiving of under/over exposure. Very little to dislike, in my opinion.

 

[LazyHammock]

Does anyone have any experience with this film, comparing it with TriX? Thanks.

It is quite a different film from TriX being a C41 rather than silver film. They are apples and oranges. I really like XP2, it has a lot of latitude but most of all it scans really well especially if you use dust removal technology. I have a roll in my Contax and another in my M3.

 

[LazyHammock]

It is quite a different film from TriX being a C41 rather than silver film. They are apples and oranges. I really like XP2, it has a lot of latitude but most of all it scans really well especially if you use dust removal technology. I have a roll in my Contax and another in my M3.

I should add it is not a film I like to wet print given the base tint.

 

[kshapero]

One of my favs. Can tolerate a lot of exposure miscues.

 

[Pablito]

tolerant of over exposure, but not underexposure. The more you overexpose, the flatter it is and the finer the grain. Scans well.

I personally dislike the film. It has a very smooth, flat, digital look. Very different tonally from the traditional B&W films.

Used to be convenient if you needed negatives right away because one hour labs were everywhere. It was a different time....

 

[Monochrom]

Hi i love xp2, my preferred film when i used film.

Fine grain fine detail capability
GReat tolerance to highlights
Scans very well

C41 process in case of you can develop it at any store.

...also 400 iso quite fast

I used it on my t3 and on my iiif with elmar 5cm f3.5


Tri-X is another kind of film not much to do with xp2...test both so you can see ow different they are.

 

[funkydog]

FWIW XP2 can be developed at home like regular BW film using DDX, HC110,etc. Pulls ok but doesn't push.
More tolerant of over rather than under exposure when C41 lab processed.
Its pretty much the same price as Tri-X in 100ft rolls.

 

[craygc]

Its tolerance of under or over exposure is nothing to do with it being XP2. Its is just another C41 emulsion and behaves accordingly...

 

[Sparrow]

... yes but it's still pretty impressive in strong sunlight


No 33 par Sparrow ... Stewart Mcbride, on ipernity


No 31 par Sparrow ... Stewart Mcbride, on ipernity

 

[funkydog]

Its tolerance of under or over exposure is nothing to do with it being XP2. Its is just another C41 emulsion and behaves accordingly...

And the point of this pedantry is...?

 

[Pablito]

Its tolerance of under or over exposure is nothing to do with it being XP2. Its is just another C41 emulsion and behaves accordingly...

Except that with color C41 you have color shift issues that are not relevant in a b&w film so actually it's more tolerant to overexposure than color C41.

Yeah, in terms of grain structure it is like color C41.

I still dislike the look of it, personally.

 

[froyd]

One thing to keep in mind is that XP2 will show most grain in the shadow areas, and have smooth highlights, whereas Tri-X will show the opposite characteristic. You can always try burn in underexposed shadows but as recommended above, better to overexpose.

 

[Godfrey]

XP2 Super is my standard B&W film. Very fine grain, very high acutance, very smooth tonal character. Almost too flat for darkroom printing, perfect for scanning. Expose with EI from 250 to 800 ... lower EI flattens contrast, adds detail to dark areas, does not block up; higher EI deepens contrasts, adds grain and keeps highlights detailed. C-41 process and a dye instead of silver final image, so works great with IR dust and noise removal.

Compared to TriX ... chalk and cheese. Tri-X is opposite on most characteristics. It's harder edged, always, and always grainier, etc.

You can sometimes force one to look like the other, but they're natural rendering qualities are at a distance on the scales...

G