B&W film favorite

Hey all,

I would like to ask, if you have to choose 1 or 2 B&W films for all the time, which one or 2 will you choose? for all formats [35mm up to large format]

I am sure many will favorite Tri-X, me too, but then i am not sure if i have to choose HP5+ or Acros 100 or something else[TMAX & Delta are top priority].

I would choose TMAX. If I could count a paper as my 2nd I would pick Harman Direct Positive Fibre paper. I got into photography shortly before TMAX came out. It was easy for me to make the switch. I was not to set in my ways and I liked the TMAX developer.

That's fine, in fact i started with TMAX films as well, and still i have them and will use them when necessary, it was nothing much easier than using TMAX film with TMAX developer and the results were always great for me, but now i am trying to give Tri-X more tests and i will use D-76/XTOL as my main dev for now.

I have been using Ilford Delta 100 and 400 for years and am really happy with it. I also use the Ilford chems, and happy with those as well.
Have you used these and how do they compare to TMAX?

thanks

I used Dleta 100 and 400 few times and liked the results, i was using Ilfosol 3 and TMAX developers with them until i changed to D-76 and again great results, i really prefer Ilford over Kodak films of same iso speed, i maybe prefer HP5+ over Delta 400, and i will try Microphen dev later with Ilford medium to fast speed films and see the results.

Good morning;

For 35mm, my old favorite was EKCo FX-32 Panatomic-X with Microdol-X. EKCo TX-400 Tri-X was my second choice, mainly for the greater range and speed it provided. I dunked it in Microdol-X also. After EKCo dropped FX-32, I went to TP-25 Technical Pan. Now that is gone also along with Microdol-X. Now I am trying XTOL as a developer and also beginning to work with Adox CMS-25 and CHS-20 with their developers. At least TX-400 is still here. With my old Honeywell-Heiland Strobonar flash, I could take a photograph out to 1000 feet with TX-400 at f/1.4 at night. I did that once, mainly to show that I could, but most often I just went out to about 250 to 300 feet.

The Adox CHS-20 slowed down to ASA 5 is what I have been using for lens testing. That way I can test a lens at f/1.4 outside in normal sunlight (a repeatable and reproduceable lighting condition) with a camera all of us can still buy.

Enjoy; Ralph, Latte Land, Washington

Cool Ralph, lucky you that you had used old films in the past, most of those films i don't now about unless you mention them, i came late to the film, started to shoot just this year, so definitely a lot of films were discontinued and i have to use what is available now [and slowly few are discont. as well], so great to hear your experience :-)

Thanks
Tareq

I use T-Max 100 almost exclusively for B/W. I send it to Dr5 and he makes it into B/W slides. It's a good crisp film.

Hi all, I started with T-Max, used Delta. But my favorite is Efke 25 and 50 I like that old formulation.

I like to try different B&W films, but I tend to use a lot of Ilford as far as tried and true goes.

I also use Efke for my SpeedGraphic--or I will, anyway, once I learn how to work it

Hi, I am new to this group but I just have to say that I like the Lucky HSD, I develop it in caffenol and I like the results. I use a Canon EOS 5 for my 35mm and a recently bought Kowa 6 for my 120, as a retired man of little means I have a lot of fun on a budget.

I have just added a scanned photo of a dragon, it was taken with a Canon EOS 5

Iantoz.

Hi all,

I, too, am new to this group but thought I would jump in. Like Ralph, I used Kodak Technical Pan. It was by far my film of choice for years. If I wanted "high speed" film I would use AgfaPan 100 in Rodinal--grainy but beautiful. I am about to order some Adox of some sort, not sure what to get yet. Did they simply buy most of the Agfa recipes?

Aubrey

I mainly use Fomapan 400, developed i Rodinal, beautiful results