which film for landscape

[johnjoseph]

I' m intending to get into large format photography - black and white landscape . It seems important that you become very familiar with the film you use . Best choices seem to be Ilford FP4 or Kodak TMax 100 . Which would you recommend ? I will want to teach myself to develop and print it .

[jeroldharter]

You don't mention where you live which could affect availability. You will get many answers to this question. I do mostly landscape photography or abstract nature shots. I suggest you start with TMAX 400. Its curve is pretty linear so it tolerates some overexposure. Reciprocity compensation is straightforward and less often needed due to the higher film speed. For a developer I suggest Xtol which is cheap, easy, versatile, and readily available.

[John Kasaian]

Which format? TMY is brutally expensive for learning on if you're shooting 8x10. It is a lovely film though. FP-4+ is what most of the people I know shoot and the results speak for themselves---beautifully!

[Vaughn]

FP4 if your exposure times are generally 1 second or two or less. TMax if your exposure times are likely to be 5 seconds or more. Just based on ease of use.

But not TMax 100 if you plan on using your negs directly for alternative processes requiring UV light -- TMax100 has a UV blocking layer (FP4+ and TMax400 does not.)

[A49]

Which format?

...and I ask too which negative format and which intended print format? The film choice depends on how much enlargement in the end is needed and how much grain in your print you are ready to accept.

Andreas

[Oren Grad]

You don't need just a film that you're happy with - you need a film/paper combination that you're happy with, because it's the interaction between the film and paper curves that determines the tonal scale of your prints.

Anyway, just about every B&W sheet film on the market has its partisans. FWIW I prefer HP5 Plus, developed in D-76 and usually contact printed on Ilford Multigrade FB Warmtone, sometimes on Multigrade IV FB, once in a while on something else.

[Peter Gomena]

I'm really liking FP4+ these days. If you're a beginner, it's a bit easier to deal with than T-Max 100, which demands good process control and consistency. (Good habits for any film.)

I've used both, and I prefer FP4+. I like to process it in Pyrocat HD, but if you are a beginner, Xtol or D-76 are good choices.

Peter Gomena

[sanking]

I' m intending to get into large format photography - black and white landscape . It seems important that you become very familiar with the film you use . Best choices seem to be Ilford FP4 or Kodak TMax 100 . Which would you recommend ? I will want to teach myself to develop and print it .

If you do a lot of work in low light conditions films that have low reciprocity failure are worth their weight in gold. In the category of films that have *very* low reciprocity failure, and very fine grain and very high resolution, Fuji Acros is the best. And by a lot, even compared to Tmax-100, which is also a great film.

Sandy King

[Oren Grad]

In the category of films that have *very* low reciprocity failure, and very fine grain and very high resolution, Fuji Acros is the best. And by a lot, even compared to Tmax-100, which is also a great film.

Speaking of reciprocity failure: at what point, if any, does Acros's effective speed cross over that of TMY2?

[John NYC]

If you do a lot of work in low light conditions films that have low reciprocity failure are worth their weight in gold. In the category of films that have *very* low reciprocity failure, and very fine grain and very high resolution, Fuji Acros is the best. And by a lot, even compared to Tmax-100, which is also a great film.

Sandy King

Yes, it is really too bad you can't get it in 8x10 (at least I haven't found it in the U.S.).