best film to capture New York

[pablodetorres]

I'm going to New York on a holiday at the end of this week and I'm looking

forward to taking b&w pics. Any suggestions as to which film will help me

capture the best pics daytime and evenings this time of year?

[ellis_vener_photography]

Tri-X or Tmax 3200.

[asher]

I shot Tri-X in NYC in April and while it was perfect for the jazz club scene, I wished I had

Plus X for the daytime. The skies were blown out. Ideally, I should have loaded Tri-X in one

camera and Plus X in the other. Next time...

[frank.schifano]

Don't know why Asher thinks that skies won't be blown out with any film in NYC - especially in Manhattan. With so many tall buildings and narrow streets, there is a huge contrast range between the streets, which are mostly in shadow for a good part of the day, and the sky. Meter for the shadows and the skies are grossly overexposed. Do the opposite and the shadows loose too much detail. Trying to capture that much dynamic range is difficult and often impossible. TMax 3200 is too much for daytime use, though it can work well for night scenes if you know what you're doing. Plus-X is lovely stuff, but ill suited for the very low light conditions you might find even during the midday hours in some locations. Tri-X is the best all around film you can get for the job. If you like Ilford's HP5+, that's ok too. Bur for my money, I still think that Tri-X is the better choice. Why do I know this? I'm a lifelong resident and have been watching the light and photographing this town for years.

[mikeb380]

Regardless of what film you use, you will have the same problem of either loss of shadow or blown out skies. To counteract this, expose for the shadow detail and then process for the highlights. Shadow is most affected by exposure and highlights are most affected by development time. I used tri-x or plus x in NYC and got good results. Of course the ultimate is to have two bodies, one with Tri-x and the other with plus-x. In bars or waaaay off B'way theaters I used to shoot High speed recording film, 2475, (no longer made) at about 3200 or 4000. Tmax can do the same for you. But you can't use the high speed stuff in daylight. (f you only have one body, you might shoot all the exposures on the low speed film in daylight and then switch to higher speed at night.) This is a case of one film won't do the job for you.

 

Have fun

Michael

[larrydressler]

Tri-X in Diafine rated 1200.

[michael_oneill2]

I've been using HP5+ in DD-X with good results in NYC lately. Obviously, there's a lot more to shoot in NYC than tall buildings against bright skies. You didn't say when you're coming, but overcast Autumn days provide some very good lighting, and with DST ending soon, early light moves up an hour, which is a good thing because it makes it easier to get in some shots before things get too crowded.

[pablodetorres]

Thank you all guys, that's really helpful. I'm coming tomorrow night!

[jeffpolaski]

Be prepared for some serious contrast. (Digital image made 5 days ago with no post-procesing)

 

Try moules frites at night at Maison, on 7th Avenue at 53rd. Outdoor seating, of course, and Tri-X will be very sufficient.<div></div>

[v._b.]

I had the same question before going there in August. I used Ilford HP5 and FP4. I'd say HP5 was better suited, but there was a lot of sun those days, so FP4 was also fine in many situations.<div></div>

[v._b.]

And yes, one more thing - you don't want to blow out the sky, why not to use some filters?

[asher]

<p><i>"Don't know why Asher thinks that skies won't be blown out with any film in NYC"

</i><p>

 

You're correct- I should have added that the choice of film is largely dependent on the

individual's shooting style. Often, I like to meter off the highlights and block up the

shadows, which is difficult for me to do woth ASA 400 film and a camera system with a

max shutter speed of 1/1000 and lenses that stop down to f/16 only. When I was in NYC I

often shot at 1/1000, f/16 and often could not get any detail in the highlights. I had no

filters with me as well. Perhaps none of this is an issue for the OP. Thank you for the

correction.

[kwsmith]

I shot NYC earlier this year and got great results with TXP-320 (for both afternoon and night pushed to 800 in Tmax developer) and tmax-100 during the day.

 

TXP-320:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1412/540436170_ebe54783ae_m.jpg

 

Tmax 100:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1368/542324491_9bd4f2328a_m.jpg

[juergen_fassbender1]

Just use Tri-X and in develop in Rodinal (or in Diafine when rated at a higher EI).

[marko_kovacevic]

Tri-x

 

Try to use a wider lens.