I didn't even know they still made IR film, and after years of being bummed that IR digital seemed so elusive for me (and disappointing when I used it), I decided to finally give the film stuff a go. I developed mine in HC-110 and loved it. Then I got the idea to do tri-chromatic photos with it ... filtering 3 different shots to combine into a color photo via PS. Kinda like reviving Aerochrome. My process is on a YouTube video if you want to search for my name and infrared. Anyway, I've included one B&W shot, and one trichrome. Still need to try this with 120 and 4x5!
This was my first time using the Tesla II film, so I had no idea how it would turn out. The results were a pleasant surprise! Love the colours, and the effect it gives. It worked really well in both bright sunshine and low light, and made for some interesting portraits.
This film was lovely, lots of great images and pleasantly surprised. Bought this as a spare roll but will definitely be using again.
I enjoyed this film although I expected the tones to be a little more warm - great fun and lovely results.
I have very much enjoyed shooting with this film. As a beginner I do not have much technical vocabulary to be able to describe but I have found that it works well in both low level and daylight. It is great for both portraits and landscapes.
It is one of those films that has the special "something" to it. It is not only technically good but at the same time it gives a nice, grainy, soft look to your photos. It has a slightly lower contrast so might not be the best if you are after more punchy images.
It is definitely a decent black and white negative with plenty of latitude, good sharpness and a fine grain. It will allow you to achieve what you want but for my taste it lacks a distinctive character a bit. It will do the job but probably will not get you excited about the results. Its selling point is you can develop it along with regular C-41 colour films but if you do not need that feature, I would suggest go for Delta or HP5.
If you are planning to take photos in a well lit environment or using camera mounted on a tripod, Ilford FP4 Plus is a great choice. It has a really fine grain, amazing sharpness and latitude. It just does its job and serves well for all kind of shooting scenarios, portraits, landscapes, you name it.
if you want high iso with color films, you don't have a lot of opportunities. Really like the colors (blue and green), a little bit grainy, but it's fine. I didn't shoot skin tones so I don't have an opinion about that but for outdoor, nature, wildlife, it was a great choice, you've got to give it a try.
Need to shoot some more of this but I'm not sure what to make of it after my test roll. In some situations/exposures it ends up really warm, to the point where the classic Kodak yellow/orange tint takes away from the clarity of the shot, and in others the blacks on this are really intense and can make darker blues look a bit strange. It doesn't seem particularly sharp on my test roll, even with my Nikkor-S 50mm 1.4 which can normally cut sheet metal. However there is also a 'goldilocks zone' where this film really excells.
I think the bottom line is it prefers to be slightly overexposed, but never when facing harsh light.
So what to make of it? It deserves to be given more of a chance, but for now I've pigeonholed it as less versatile/more expensive/easier to get hold of than ColorPlus(my yardstick against which all other film is measured), BUT can give results similar to Portra for much less money in certain situations.
I'd put off trying Portra for as long as possible as I'd heard so many people talking about how wonderful it was I wanted to really see the difference when I did try it- I didn't want it to be one of the first/only films I'd tried and then be saying nice things about it without knowing any better.
That said, having now tried and tested all the other big name emulsions, I'm still blown over by how good this stuff is(the 160 version at least- I understand all three versions are a little different...). The warm, pastel colours and very fine grain bring the best of what makes shooting film special- rather than coldly reflecting reality like a RAW image from a good DSLR, Portra subtly enhances that same reality with a warm and pleasant tint- a bit like Super 8, Portra has the ability to render images how the mind recalls them rather than how the eye sees them. Perhaps that doesn't make much sense... try this film and you'll see what I mean for yourself!
Wasn't sure what to expect from this as it expired so long ago and I decided to break all the rules and NOT cross-process this, but it delivered! Shooting on a sunny day at the beach it gave some glorious warm tones with striking blues and a lovely warmth to it.
Just one shot on the roll had a nice purple colour shift to it(the one of the sign in my sample shots on this review) but the rest just looked a bit like the best aspects of Kodak ColorPlus pumped up to the max but with none of the grain- warm, retro looking colours and very little grain. Would love to experiment more with this under different conditions.
AGFA need to bring this stuff back!
This is absolutely bulletproof film from Ilford. Pretty much any conditions will work for this film and it can be pushed and pulled as much as you want, you'll get something. Really strong Ilford quality, develops and scans well. A rival to Tri-X, with Tri-X being the one to go for if you want more grain and harsher contrast direct from the negative. HP5 is maybe more versatile if you want to see how you image turns out later.
This film has the colour that many other films aspire to be and which digital can never replicate. Warm and sbudued, it has kodak tones that you can float in. Works great indoors and outdoors, with natural or manmade light. Very forgiving but if handled well will be incredibly rewarding.
This film might be my favourite. Perfect to have stashed away for when you only have evenings to photograph in and the nights are coming in early. I keep a MjuII loaded with this film (Mju-II's ISO automatically goes to 3200, so no push/pulling required either) and it is a total dream pair. Nice fine grain (although don't forget what you're doing, there will still be lots of that grain) and with inky blacks.
This film can be outstanding, but make sure that you have tons of bright sunlight and a scene packed with highlights if you want to get the most from it. You get a really nice subtle red hue around the highlights which piles on the cinematic look you are probably after if you using this film.
I was hoping for a few more off-kilter images than I came out with, possibly down to my exposure or choice or subject. But easy to use nonetheless, and had me looking for different subjects to try out this different film with.
A really nice film that takes all the stress of shooting in low light away. My only comment is that I find the grain and contrast a little nicer on TMAX 3200, but if it's grain you want without pushing something else, this is the one.
This film is pretty nice to have, but I Porta 400 is definitely more versatile. I found that as much as the colours have that nice muted tone, if you're shooting in low light it can hard to keep interesting contrast in your image. This is probably better with some additional light, but then if you have that why not use 400?
This is a go-to film for most conditions. I find it very forgiving both when exposing and developing it. Like most Ilford films, it handles very nicely in the darkroom and it scans nicely too. Maybe not a film to use every time if you want your images to be grain free, but nonetheless it has a distinct and nice look. Less grainy than the equally lovely Tri-X but still fast enough to cope with lower light situations.
What attracted me to this film was the price, you just cant go wrong.
However I did get mixed results the black were not the best but get it in the right light you get some amazing results.
Had a little walk around London near Tower Bridge and beyond. The day went from bright sunlight to very overcast a good test for any film.
I developed the film in Rodinal 1+50 for 8.5 mins
I think this is an ideal film to try out and one to try if you are looking to develop film at home for the first time.
Good results. I used the film to flat copy collages. I hand dyed the black and white prints. @studio_orme
When I want to use a colour film and have no specific idea of what or where I’ll be shooting, I grab X-tra 400. This is because it’s such a versatile film stock, in my opinion 400 is the best default ISO as it can deal with most lighting situations with plenty of grace. I have used this in everything from blinding sun right through to the pitch dark and I’m always pleased with the results.
Many people mention a greenish tint to this film, I personally haven’t experienced it that much with my scans but I would say the colours are subdued. Not to the extent where they aren’t lively but they don’t pop out as much as on some other brands. I personally like this but that just me, it always captures plenty of detail and offers some very nice grain in all the right ways.
It’s brilliant for landscapes, general shots and street. It’s not my favourite for portraits due to the softer colours but I have had some really nice results.
I definitely would recommend this film to people who have just mastered the basics and seasoned pros alike, it always gets the shot. So long as you take the lens cap off your rangefinder!
I've only ever shot one roll of Infrared film before, that was around twenty years ago. I didn't manage to get a single decent image. I stumbled upon my infrared filter recently and thought I would have another go with it. I ordered two rolls of Rollei Infrared 400 to see what I could do with it. Our local cemetary seemed like a choice spot for a lockdown walk one sunny afternoon. Equipped with my old Chinon CP-7m, Infrared film, filter and a sturdy tripod I spent a couple of quiet hours shooting the scenery. I was thrilled with the results. Creepy white trees and black skies, wonderful stuff. With an infrared filter on I needed to add an extra 5 stops of exposure, so I basically metered at ISO 12, aperture set to f11 or f16 made for some long exposures; tripod is a must!
It was a little tricky to shoot. The filter is so dark its like looking through a lens cap. Framing the shot before screwing on the filter is essential. Well worth the effort is you want some imagines that look a little different from the norm.
This film is great for on the go street photography and overall is very well suited to most environments
