Ilford Delta Film 35mm B&W ISO 400

Somehow, the Delta range by Ilford doesn't have the best of reputations: fans of classic emulsions don't like it because of the t-grain, while those who prefer a more modern look tend to find Tmax films sharper and more versatile. And even among the Delta films, the 400 version possibly gets the least attention - and I ignored it for quite some time too! But it is a beautiful and versatile film with its own character that takes a while to understand but ultimately delivers excellent results. It is on par with Tmax 400 when it comes to pushing (the dog shot is at EI 3200!) and you can make it look rather 'classic' by pulling a little (to EI 250-320) and developing in an acutance developer to bring out the grain a bit (the plant shot is at EI 320 and developed in Moersch Eco). And of course, it does really well at box speed with a fine-grain developer like Xtol - beautiful tonality, just the right amount of contrast for most situations, subtle grain. Just make sure to meter properly! You have to know what you are doing with this film and not hope to fix everything 'in post'.

Controversial statement maybe, but I always raise an eyebrow when I hear a lens or film (examples include Zeiss lenses and the Delta/TMax range of BnW films) described as "too clinical" – a phrase you hear quite often in the film-photography corner of the internet where I spend rather more time than is good for me. I understand that's not what many people look for when they shoot film, but "clinical" is not inherently bad, and for some subjects and photographic styles, such a look can work really well, and that's why we need films like Ilford's Delta 400. For most purposes, I personally prefer HP5+ for its higher latitude (given my slapdash approach to metering) and lovely grain, but I can see myself occasionally shooting Delta 400 if I want finer grain, or simply to experiment with a different look.

(Sample image shot with a Minolta SLR, developed at home in Ilford ID-11 1+1)

I was looking for a low grain 400 asa film for landscape photography (not a tripod fan) so decided to give delta 400 a try. I developed in Ilfotec DDX and scanned on my Epson v550 and I have to say, I'm extremely satisfied with the results. I reckon the grain is on par with many 100asa speed films I've shot, the tonality is beautiful and also very sharp. I think I've found my go to film for all handheld landscape photography.

I like to try new film although Delta is outside my usual comfort zone of films like HP5 and Tri-x which offer a nice latitude and are very forgiving. I've read that if you nail your exposures with Delta you can get very crisp detail in both your highlights and shadows. While I was happy with the final images - I like grain - it wasn't what I was expecting. I processed the images in Ilfotec D-DX and shot them on a Canon 7 with a Jupiter 8 lens. I metered with my Sekonic handheld - as I say, I liked the final images but they were not what I was expecting. I'd like to shoot this film again to see if I can achieve those finer results the film promises but I'm not in any rush as I'd rather have the latitude offered by other films which can be more forgiving and can produce just as fine results to my eyes.

I have used Delta 400 a lot now and I cannot fault it. This film is very good for portraits and is a very well rounded film