Corrected.Originally Posted by Sal Santamaura
Corrected.
I am with Drew on older T Max 400. I am focused around T Max 400 as I have a load of it. Ilford FP4+, Delta 100, and Foma 200 (don't like the 100 and 400 ASA versions, but that may just be me) are my priority listing. I have an inventory of Efke 25 in 11x14 that will keep me busy for some time to round things out. I have found that as long as one can ensure you do not ask a film to do more than get on first base, HP5 works fine. Ask it to do anything else - good luck.
HP5 is great if the contrast is not extreme. But I didn't like it in smaller size than 8x10. Sometimes I'd counterintuitively both overexpose and overdevelop it to increase the shadow detail as well as edge acutance and midtone microtonality, and then add an unsharp mask to tame the thing for printing. Really lovely detail rendering. But in this day and age, throwing in an extra sheet of TMax or FP4 for the mask itself ups the cost to where I might as well have shot it on TMY to begin with. But it's fun to explore different looks.
Delta 100 is available in 8x10 But may not be different enough from FP4+ for you. I like it when there are lots of yellow and green scenery and it responds to an orange filter with slightly darker sky tones her in the south. I keep a box around and use it when waiting for FP4 delivery. Never have gotten along with HP5 at 400.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
http://www.searing.photography
If I shot 8x10 I’d probably end up using Delta 100 or more likely HP5 as 100 really would be too slow for me in that format. It’s expensive though, so I don’t know, maybe Foma? (I haven’t tried Foma films). Best would be TMY-2 or TXP (since I’d only be contact printing negatives that large) but I’d never be able to afford 8x10 Kodak film.
Aside from Kodak, Ilford and Foma I have no idea who makes what and have no interest in trying to keep up with all that branding crap.
Most rebranded films these days seem to be Foma (As Freestye's house brand, and CatLabs X80) or Gevaert's Aviphot aerial films (Lots of the Rollei stuff).
My only experience is with Foma 100 (under the Foma name) and I like it enough that I'm going to continue using it for all but Salted Paper printmaking (it has too much base density to be ideal for that). Foma 100 is a really nice film.
Once I have used up my Bergger stock, I will probably go back to HP5 in 8x10, as I tend to use Delta 100 and HP5 in 4x5 and may as well have a common emulsion. I do not expect to buy more 8x10 for a year, so I will have to see what is available and at what cost then.
I can work with anything as long as there aren’t quality issues like scratches, pinholes etc. That’s more or less why I still use Kodak film - ie I just find it to be the easiest to process.
I was just on the B+H website and noticed they have the Inkpress Media Regency Royal Hard Dot Camera film available now in 8x10 for $40 per box of 50 sheets. This film is similar to the Arista Ortho Litho 3.0 film, but about half the cost and slightly better quality. Film speed is very similar (I expose at ei 2 for both) but has fewer pinholes. Ortho Litho films processed for low contrast (I use D23 at 1:7 dilution for 2 min.) have a non-linear response very similar to so called alternate process contact printing processes like cyanotype, vandyke, kalitype, salt prints, etc. Super slow, but super sharp and alt process curvey. I use it mostly in the darkroom for enlarging smaller negatives but occasionally in my 4x5 camera. With the low contrast development and post exposure flashing to densities between 0.5 and 1.0, this film has normal contrast with density ranges as low as 1.2. Yes, contact print times would be 10x longer with that density. Without flashing, density range is about 1.8-2.0 with sunny outdoor use.
Alan Townsend
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