ISO 400 BW negative film recommendation?

[Erik van Straten]

Tmax400 developed in Perceptol.

gelatin silver print (summar 50mm f2 chrome/coated) leica IIIc wartime grey

 

[Erik van Straten]

A new scan.

gelatine silver print (elmar 50mm f3.5) leica 1a (1928)

Amsterdam, stormclouds, 2022

 

[Erik van Straten]

gelatin silver print (color skopar 50mm f2.5) leica m2 (all pictures Tmax400)

Amsterdam, NDSM, 2018

 

[Pioneer]

I shoot a lot of Arista EDU Ultra 400 because of cost but my preference is Ilford HP5+ which is a very flexible film.

 

[x-ray]

HP5 or Delta 400 depending on the look you’re after. HP5 is more like old TX and Delta is a new technology film with smooth tones, wide tonal scale, very sharp and fine grained. It’s a beautiful film.

TMax 400 if you’re looking for a film with very fine grain and high acutance with distinct tonal separation. It has a much more bold tonality than the two Ilford films.

 

[Erik van Straten]

recent shot on Tmax400

gelatin silver print (summar 50mm f2 coated) leica lllc wartime grey

 

[Andrew Sowerby]

I shot lots of Tri-X back in the 2000s with no concerns. Looks great. Still prints great.

But since 2020 or so, I've found Tri-X to be finicky to develop. When it works, it looks great. But I've had trouble with it in the last few years. No problems with HP5+. So I gave up on Tri-X. Seems something has changed in the formulation or QC or both.