I am never disappointed when I shoot this film. Every roll only reinforces why it remains one of my favourite film stocks. The images come out exactly as I think black and white photography should: rich, inky blacks paired with beautifully controlled highlights.
The negatives respond exceptionally well to editing. In my experience, the dynamic range is excellent, allowing for plenty of flexibility without the image falling apart. The results are consistently sharp, and I've never found myself wishing for more detail, or feeling that too much information has been lost in the shadows. Instead, shadow areas retain depth and texture while still producing the strong contrast I enjoy.
If I could only shoot one black and white film for the rest of my life, this would be it.
There has long been speculation that Ilford Delta 100 and Fuji Acros 100ii share the same emulsion. Whether that's true or not, my own experience has been that Acros 100ii has a slight edge. It seems to produce images with marginally richer tonality and a little more character. I certainly wouldn't complain if someone handed me a roll of Delta 100, but given the choice, I think Fuji Acros 100ii justifies its higher price.
I enjoy this film so much that I often find myself saving it for photographs that really matter. For projects where I want the highest possible image quality and know I'll be making fine-art prints, this is almost always the film I reach for.
