How to expose ISO 400 HP5 Plus at High ISO's?

If one is using an older camera that has a maximum ASA setting of 800 or 1600, what procedures & or techniques

are necessary to expose & push the film to very high ISO settings?..My Pentax MX has a max ASA setting of

1600..Assuming I reach a level of proficiency where I would feel comfortable pushing HP5 to 6400 or higher, would

someone please explain briefly how this would be accomplished?..

 

Forgive me if this is an elementary question..I had planned to be shooting 120 B&W film at this time using a

Pentax 67II camera..For a variety of reasons, this has not & will not happen any time soon..As a result I will be

taking my Pentax MX out of mothballs to use instead..

 

Adorama seems to have a spotty online reputation as regards to customer service..They do have the best pricing

that I've been able to find as regards to B&W film..Their price for the 50-pack of Ilford HP5 Plus 35mm x 36exp

is $199.95 with free shipping..This is substantially less than most other places..Do any of the members here

purchase their film from Adorama?..If so, how was the service..

 

Thank you..

 

Bruce

If your camera meter only goes to 1600, and you want to expose the film at 3200, meter @ 1600 and underexpose by one stop from the meter reading. For EI 6400, underexpose by two stops from the EI 1600 meter reading. Compensate for the underexposure by overdeveloping---the Ilford data sheet for HP5+ might have recommended times (I forget) for these higher speeds. Some developer data sheets also have some recommended times, and there's also the Massive Dev Chart.

 

But if you're planning on shooting at those speeds, it's a bit of a stretch for an ISO 400 film. You'll lose a ton of shadow detail. Better is to start with a faster film, like Delta 3200 or TMZ.

First, you should try what you wish to do with a film to see if the results are to your liking before spending a lot on a brick of film. HP5+ can be exposed at higher speeds that 400, but the results are different (not worse, just different) than when it is exposed at 400. Depending on the developer used you can control the results, but there is no guarantee that you will like those results until you see them first hand. Descriptions online are not sufficient for more than getting an idea for what to try because everyone has different expectation, and therefore everyone has a different idea of what is 'good' or 'acceptable'.

 

To expose past the ISO setting on your camera, you simply open the aperture past what your meter reading is. So if you want to expose at 3200 and your camera setting only goes to 1600, you would open up one stop more than the meter reading. For 6400 you would open up two stops more than the meter reading.

 

As far as Adorama goes, I personally order from them regularly and find them no different than any other large online retail shop. I have never had to return anything though, so I might be missing soothing, but in the last 8 years I've never had a problem with them.

 

- Randy

I'd go with Fuji Neopan 1600 at EI 800, and Ilford Delta 3200 if I neeed EI 1600. Beyond that and you'll lose shadow detail.

Another possibility is HP5+ in Diafine. It will be rated at ISO 800. And Diafine is good without regard to temp or time.

The technique you're referring to - underexposure followed by overdevelopment to compensate (not to be confused with compensating development) - is commonly referred to as "push processing" or just pushing film.

 

Here's the best place to start:

 

http://www.ilfordphoto.com/applications/page.asp?n=88&t=Developing+Black+and+white+film

 

After reading the Ilford info to get a better understanding of what's going on when we push film, we can offer some specific suggestions that will make better sense in context.

If you are going to do fifty rolls, bulk load.

each 100 foot does 18, so you would need three, and they come at around 40-45 if you know where to get them.

 

Or, try Fortepan 400, I think freestyle has some they are trying to get rid of, it might be a bit old, but this is B&W.

Well, this is a shot of HP5+ at 1250ISO, done in Diafine... but I have no experience with other developers myself.

What I do know though, is that HP5+ is extraordinarily forgiving and flexible. I'm only starting to understand what it

can do:

 

http://members.chello.nl/~r.hogenboom/temp/sarah.jpg<div></div>

Thanks for all the answers..

 

Galen--Does HP5 Plus come in 100 ft. lengths?..If so, can you name a source?..How difficult is it to bulk load film?..

 

Bruce

Yes, HP5+ comes in 100ft. rolls. There are several suppliers. B&H, Adorama, and Freestyle come immediately to mind. I'm sure if you Google for film supplies, you 'll turn up more. It's not hard to bulk load film. It is the ONLY way I buy 35mm B&W film these days. You'll need some re-loadable 35mm cassettes, available at the same suppliers as the film, a pair of scissors, and some masking tape. A daylight bulk film loader is, IMO, indispensable. You can do without one, but then you're working 100% in the dark. Search ebay for "bulk film loader." Alden 74's are top notch. Lloyds, the next best. I have one Watson, and it's ok, but I prefer the Alden 74's.