popular B/W film?

[speanut]

Hi!

I'm pretty new for medium format world. I just bought Rolleiflex MX from here.
What I'd like to do with it is mainly B/W in my mind.
Can you tell me which one is common for beginner like me?

Another thing, What lab do you guys go for developing ( especially local ) ?

Thanks.

 

[tedwhite]

Do my own processing so I can't help you there, but Kodak TriX ISO 400 is a great all-round black and white film.

 

[Bryce]

Developing, what's that? You just do it yourelf, right?
Seriously, that is how I deal with the issue. I limit myself to B+W and develop at home. If I had access to a really good medium format scanner, I might go looking for a reliable E-6 processor, but as things are I can't afford the one and haven't tried to seek out the other since my local labs all stopped handling it.
Good B+W film? Clearly a matter of taste, but to get the most out of those nice big negatives you'll want slowish film. Until, that is, you realize just how much more you need that speed with a 75mm lens. So 400 speed stuff is a good start point, or maybe the 100- 125 speed films if you can live with tripods and limited DOF.
I use FP4 more than anything, but also end up using a tripod. Not street shooting as you may have guessed...

 

[speanut]

Well, Thanks for your advice.
It makes me feel that it is time to get my hands on doing myself at home, alone.
I'm just tired with digital which is too clean to look at. I'll try with 400.

thanks again.

 

[mfogiel]

speanut,
Keep it simple to start with, if you do not develop yourself, for B&W use Ilford XP2 (if you scan and print yourself) or Kodak BW 400 CN (if you do the printing in a lab), expose both at ISO 200.

If you do your own darkroom work, I suggest HP5+ to start with, expose at 200 and develop according to tips ypu will find around.

 

[colincooperphoto]

Spea -

Try Superior color lab:

http://local.yahoo.com/details?id=21617785

They do Black and white processing also.

-C

 

[Rayt]

Aside from saving money it is faster and easier to process it at home. I can shoot two rolls of 120 Tri-X in the morning, process and hang them up in 30 minutes and start scanning by 4pm, and print them out in the eveing. The PS'ing part takes the longest.

 

[Rob.B]

I use either Ilford FP4 Plus (125 ASA), or Fuji Arcos 100 (100 ASA), the Arcos is great for really long exposures due to its forgiving reprocity characteristics. If I have to go for a fast film then it’s the 400 ASA Tri-X mentioned in a previous post.

Rob.

 

[rolleistef]

RayT : that's why you need to buy an extra bottle of paper developper and wet print your pictures 😀