Ilford - 35mm Black & White Print Film XP2 Plus ISO 400 24 Exposure Film - C41 Processing

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Film to Re-Discover B & W Photography!
Review: ILFORD of the United Kingdom, long known for its excellent black and white films is the company that in the early 1980s developed "chromogenic" black and white films. Rather than use silver halide crystals which was th traditional method of manufacturing B&W film, which then require the use of developer, stop bath and fixing chemicals, ILFORD engineered this film around the use of colored dyes, much as regular color film is manufactured.

Successful in this effort, chromogenic B&W films are then capable of being developed in color chemistry, specifically the C-41 process. This film, like the offerings from ILFORD's competitors, KODAK and KONICA MUST NOT be developed in traditional black and white chemicals.

All chromogenic black and white films currently available are rated at ISO 400. Despite the relatively fast speed, all of those on the marketed are very fine grained and offer varying degrees of contrast. This film is no exception.

Chromogenic B&W films offer the convenience and cost effectiveness of being able to be developed by any local 1 hour lab. The key to that is the C-41 processing and the fact that the user will get B&W images even when they are printed on color paper. Some folks ho have used this film and its competition have commented on the fact that they have notice "color" shifts toward sepia, magenta or blue/gray. Part of that is the result of the technology of the film, part is the use of color paper to develop the images and the final part is the level of time and effort expended by the lab technician when the film is processed.

To completely eliminate any possibility of color shift, ask the lab to print using black and white paper. Doing so eliminates any possibility of color shift and the user then receives fine grained, very sharp, contrasty "black & white" photos.

The direct competition from KODAK includes: Kodak Black and White + (the consumer grade film), T400CN (the professional film) and PORTRA 400 (a professional chromogenic B&W portrait film often used at weddings).

KONICA's offering is known as MONOCHROME VX.

These are interesting, useful and convenient films and they also serve as a new way to "re-discover" the elegance and drama of black and white photography.

I recommend ILFORD's XP-2 Super. Try it, experiment with different color and black and white paper(s) and you'll be able to explore new roads of photographic discovery.

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Film to Re-Discover B & W Photography!
Review: ILFORD of the United Kingdom, long known for its excellent black and white films is the company that in the early 1980s developed "chromogenic" black and white films. Rather than use silver halide crystals which was th traditional method of manufacturing B&W film, which then require the use of developer, stop bath and fixing chemicals, ILFORD engineered this film around the use of colored dyes, much as regular color film is manufactured.

Successful in this effort, chromogenic B&W films are then capable of being developed in color chemistry, specifically the C-41 process. This film, like the offerings from ILFORD's competitors, KODAK and KONICA MUST NOT be developed in traditional black and white chemicals.

All chromogenic black and white films currently available are rated at ISO 400. Despite the relatively fast speed, all of those on the marketed are very fine grained and offer varying degrees of contrast. This film is no exception.

Chromogenic B&W films offer the convenience and cost effectiveness of being able to be developed by any local 1 hour lab. The key to that is the C-41 processing and the fact that the user will get B&W images even when they are printed on color paper. Some folks ho have used this film and its competition have commented on the fact that they have notice "color" shifts toward sepia, magenta or blue/gray. Part of that is the result of the technology of the film, part is the use of color paper to develop the images and the final part is the level of time and effort expended by the lab technician when the film is processed.

To completely eliminate any possibility of color shift, ask the lab to print using black and white paper. Doing so eliminates any possibility of color shift and the user then receives fine grained, very sharp, contrasty "black & white" photos.

The direct competition from KODAK includes: Kodak Black and White + (the consumer grade film), T400CN (the professional film) and PORTRA 400 (a professional chromogenic B&W portrait film often used at weddings).

KONICA's offering is known as MONOCHROME VX.

These are interesting, useful and convenient films and they also serve as a new way to "re-discover" the elegance and drama of black and white photography.

I recommend ILFORD's XP-2 Super. Try it, experiment with different color and black and white paper(s) and you'll be able to explore new roads of photographic discovery.