Ilford film/paper/chemistry

[graflite]

Hi, i'm getting back into processing & printing after a 10-year lapse

of doing any. I'm getting into mostly medium & large format and am

interested in trying out Ilford products for processing/printing,

which i haven't used since high school 25 years ago. I'm strictly an

amateur and derive no livelihood from this, but i enjoy it as a past-

time.

What can be recommended as good film/paper combos and developers for

each in the Ilford line? I'm looking for sharp images, good tonal &

contrast quality. I vaguely remember what i used to use in H.S., but

can't remember the names; i did get good results, judging from some

of the old yearbook/newspaper prints i recently uncovered. Does

Ilford put out variable contrast papers like Kodak does and, if so,

would it be worthwhile to give them a try? I would like to use

liquid, one-shot developers atleast for the films & paper.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[photobyalan.com]

I find Ilford FP4 and Ilfosol-S to be an excellent film/developer combination. It will give you excellent results in medium and large format. HP5 is also very nice, although a bit grainier. But in the larger formats, this is hardly a concern. The tonal range of both films is quite nice. Both these films do quite nicely in Perceptol, also, with some loss of film speed. Don't turn your back on Kodak films, though. Tri-X and Plus-X have been around forever with good reason: they are wonderful films. Also, don't overlook the C41 Black-and-White films from Kodak (T400CN and Portra 400BW) and Ilford (XP2). They save you the trouble of processing your own film, yet still allow you the fun and flexibility of doing your own darkroom printing. And they are quite capable of producing stunningly beautiful images. (Pay no attention to the nay-sayers who will try to tell you that you can't make a good print from Portra BW on conventional B&W paper - that's simply not true. <a href=http://www.photo.net/photo/1174191>Take a look.</a>)<p>

 

For printing, you can't go wrong with Ilford Multigrade in both the RC and Fiber versions. I particularly like the MGFB Warmtone. Beautiful. In my opinion, you are smart to use variable contrast paper. You'll have much more flexibility with no sacrifice in print quality.

[christian_harkness]

I strongly second Alan's input.

[eugene_singer]

George, take a look at the Ilford website. It has downloadable tech sheets and detailed information for all of the Ilford B&W products. Ilford has done more research and development of new B&W products in the last twenty years than most of the other major manufacturers, especially in large format film and printing paper. Ilford.com

[graflite]

Hi....

Thanks to those who have responded. The Ilford site will be my next stop as soon as i have time to sit & digest its contents! My question arose subsequent to a recent, albeit brief, conversation i had with a gentleman who has owned & operated a small photo shop near my work for the past 40 years. He said much the same thing that you mention, Eugene, in regards to Ilford's B&W products; he said he carries their products exclusively now. His shop is also right in the center of town near a State College whose photography students frequent his business and he started carrying Ilford line for this reason.

Thanks again.

[greg_smith4]

I too like the ilford films and multigrade papers. Although I'd try and find a liquid developer (easier to mix), try ID-11 (ilford) of HC-110 (Kodak).

[lex_jenkins]

I've been using mostly Ilford stuff for the past year. Here are a few favorites:

 

Film developers: Ilfosol-S and ID-11 (which is pretty much the same as D-76).

 

Films: In 35mm, HP5+ and FP4+. These are older style, traditional emulsions. HP5+ is comparable to Tri-X but with its own personality - and it seems to work better at 200 or 800 than at its rated speed of 400, tho' this is admittedly very subjective. FP4+ isn't really comparable to Plus-X because it's easier to work with and get good results from.

 

Papers: All Ilford Multigrade (their term for variable or polycontrast) RC, altho' I don't care for the Pearl finish, preferring their Satin and Glossy finishes for final prints. I use Pearl just to make up work prints. The Pearl is often packaged along with a couple of rolls of HP5+ at a discount price for students, so I'll buy it like that.

 

A particular favorite paper: their glossy precut RC postcard sized paper, preprinted on the reverse with the To/From address info, etc. Nifty stuff for promotions and gifts.

 

Paper developer: Multigrade or whatever else from Ilford is available; I don't see any difference in the finished print.

 

In film developers Kodak and Rodinal have advantages over Ilford liquid concentrates: shelf life. Once opened, Ilfosol-S concentrate (opened around September) is good for only about three months. My last container of concentrate is half full but has deteriorated to the point that I'll either have to make adjustments to dilution and/or development times, or just throw it out. Kodak HC-110 and Agfa Rodinal have much longer shelf life, even after opening. That's important if you don't process much film, take long breaks between processing, or use several developers.

 

Generally I'm very satisfied with Ilford products. Their customer support is outstanding - Ilford's David Carper is a regular on photo.net and offers help whenever possible.

 

Other films I've used and like are Delta 3200 (works best for me at 3200), Delta 100 and Pan F+. Pan F+ is an interesting slow film well worth exploring. It actually has pretty good exposure latitude so you can be a bit off in exposure and still get good results, tho' I think its true speed is closer to 25 than 50. In some of my more extreme tests outdoors it shows the ability to hold shadow and highlight detail in very contrasty scenes. I look forward to experimenting with it more.

 

Okay, if I'm going to recommend just one of each:

 

HP5+ in 35mm and medium format;

 

ID-11;

 

Multigrade RC paper in Satin finish.

[stuart_todd]

Here's my $0.02...

 

Ilford FP4 Plus film mated with ID-11 film developer is a lovely combination. I still struggle to find the grain in the focus finder at 8x10.

Also I tend to print my final university assignments in Ilford Mulitgrade IV fibre papers. The whites may not be quite white; the blacks are lovely and creamy.

 

Stu :)