A Journey into Darkness and Light – In Search of a “Go To” Black & White film stock

By Scott Ferguson

8 May, 2025

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Since picking up film still cameras again in July, 2024 I’ve sampled a range of film stocks with wildly varying results, particularly in black & white.  My earliest forays were plagued by technical problems with the cameras I was using, which had been sitting in a basement unused for 25+ years.  Between my beginner’s enthusiasm to get out and shoot and slow lab turnaround where I was up in Canada, I ended up shooting a lot of film before I figured out I needed to service the cameras.  The Hasselblad shots that actually came out looked great, but there were many blank frames because the Zeiss lenses, while optically brilliant, were mechanically unreliable with their in-lens shutters that hadn’t been fired this millenium. The shutter and frame advance mechanics of the M2 were also inconsistent, with some shots coming out quite underexposed, along with some random partial double exposures. Sadly this impacted some very interesting ‘you had to be there’ shoots early on, such as a day when a couple of hundred Canadian Hell’s Angels showed up at Elbow Falls, and the once-a-year Tsuut’ina Pow Wow.

Police Photographers and Hell’s Angels at Elbow Falls, July, 2024, Leica M2, Leitz Summicron 50mm f2, Tri-X 
Young Tsuut’ina Man, 07/28/24, Leica M2, Leitz Summicron 50mm f2, Tri-X

After seeing the results of my first wave of shooting, I realized that something was wrong and I needed to get all of my gear serviced.  However, even after the CLA’s, my results were uneven at best.  I had to troubleshoot how to get better looking photos.  Most importantly, I had to learn to shoot better!

At first I assumed that Tri-X would be my reliable default b&w stock, based in part on my recollections of loving Tri-X 16mm reversal film when I was doing student films in the early 80’s.  I also have to confess, I love the name “Tri-X”, which has a bit of 1950’s Sci Fi or Cold War spy movie vibe, but my early results were quite a bit grainier than I anticipated, and I wasn’t getting the nice contrast and deep blacks I remembered from university.

Bow River, Banff, 8/17/24, Hasselblad 500 CM, Zeiss 60mm Distagon f3.5, Tri-X

With the cameras in good nick and knowing I had some of the best lenses ever made, it was time to look at other parts of the workflow.  The quest for getting better results on black & white have led me down many rabbit holes, including conversations about developer chemicals and tabular vs. non-tabular film — all well beyond where I was at that time (and still am) as a photographer.  But I wasn’t shy about trying out different film stocks, so I decided to do a bit of a ‘grand tour’ to see if I could find the top color and black & white stocks that fit my emerging aesthetic as a photographer.  Sorry I know that sounds pretentious — I was trying to figure out what kind of film I like.  It was kind of fun to order a bit of a “pu pu platter” of single rolls of 120 film to test run the different lines offered by Kodak & Ilford, and some less well known (to me, at least) brands like Cinestill, Phoenix, Rollei & Agfa and featuring terminology that I knew very little about, like “Ortho” or “RPX”.

I also picked up an old Pentax Spotmeter V and started to teach myself how to calculate exposure.  This shot is from a favorite ‘insiders’ vantage point of Canmore’s signature mountains that requires crossing the highway on foot, scrambling down a rocky culvert and then under a railroad bridge.  What makes that particular spot popular for photographers is the strategically placed reflecting pool that perfectly mirrors The Three Sisters.  I spent about 4 hours there one Sunday afternoon chatting with other hikers and photographers who happened by, watching the light pass over the mountains and shooting them in a ‘light study’ series like Monet’s Haystacks.  In practice, the light shifted pretty slowly during the mid afternoon, and then things started to move pretty quickly toward the end of the afternoon.  There was a bit of a ‘rush’ toward the part of the day where the last bits of sunlight were still hitting the granite peaks and four or five other photographers, clearly hip to the best timing for beautiful dramatic light, showed up for about 5-10 minutes to catch the peak moments.

The Three Sisters, 08/25/24, Hasselblad 500CM, Zeiss Planar 80mm f 2.8, Ilford Pan F Plus 50

This was one of my better black & white shots from that time of day, shot on Ilford Pan F Plus 50.  I really like the fine grain and deep blacks, but this shot feels a touch soft compared to some of my other shots that day.  It’s hard to miss focus on a granite mountain at infinity, so I think there may be a little motion blur (even from a tripod) perhaps caused by the Hasselblad ‘mirror slap’ while shooting a slow stock with a red filter.

My lab options were pretty limited in that part of Canada, so I migrated all of my film photos from the native Apple “Photos” program to Lightroom to fine tune the scans as best I could.  I spent a lot of time on the sliders on this shot taken on Delta 100, trying to find the sweet spot balancing the drama of the bright clouds against a dark sky while still preserving a bit of detail in the shadows of the large granite mountain face.

Mount Lawrence Grassi, 9/1/24, Hasselblad 500CM Zeiss Distagon 60mm f3.5, Delta 100 with a red filter

Looking beyond Tri-X for a 400 ISO b&w, I’ve done a fair amount of shooting with Ilford HP5, such as this one I grabbed of a model on the back of a NYC ferry boat.  She was posing for another photographer who was shooting with a Rolleiflex (which was kind of cool.)  That day I was trying out a recently acquired 1949 Leitz Summitar f2 and things got off to a faster start than I anticipated as this little scene unfolded in front of me just as the ferry got underway.   I kind of ‘hitchhiked’ along with their small professional shoot and managed to grab a couple of quick shots with my M3 during the 10 minutes it took to cross from Fulton Landing in Brooklyn to Pier 11/Wall Street.

Model on NYC Waterways Ferry, 3/10/25, Leica M3, Leitz Summitar f2, Ilford HP5

I’m happy that I’m getting better results on the fly than I was back in July at the Pow Wow or when the Hell’s Angels showed up unexpectedly, but I do sometimes find myself wishing for a 400 speed film that has a finer grain structure. On a side note, I’ve also found that I am almost always disappointed the first time I look at scans coming back from the lab.  Often, I’ve built up my expectations based on what I remember from looking through the viewfinder and what I imagined the shot was going to look like.   But after I start to get past my expectations and see whatever is really there on the negative,  I can even learn to like or love the things I wasn’t quite expecting — like a bit of grain, the wide range of tones on the model, from the deep black shadows on her dress to the slightly blown out highlights on her hair and face, and the energy of the boats crossing paths with the Manhattan bank of the East River beckoning in the background.

Every once in a great while, something comes back that exceeds even my idealized imagination of what the shot was going to look like.

Lake Louise, 12/15/24, Hasselblad 500CM, Zeiss Planar 80mm f2.8, Ilford XP2 with an orange filter.

When this roll of XP2 (a stop on my ‘grand tour’) came back from the lab, I was wow’ed by the fine grain and the dynamic range, from deep black to brightest white, all on a 400 ISO film.  That day on Lake Louise was magic — the light was beautiful all day and the sky and clouds added drama to the monumental landscape of the Canadian Rockies rising out of a frozen lake, where I was standing to take this shot.  I was shooting with an orange filter that day and the sky in the upper right hand corner is such a deep dark color it feels like a window into outer space.  XP2 was instantly a strong contender for a ‘go to’ black and white stock, but I still had a large batch of single rolls of different stock in the fridge, and I wanted to shoot them to see what I might discover along the way.

Johnston Canyon, 01/28/25, Hasselblad 500CM, Zeiss Distagon 60mm f3.5, Rollei RPX 25

This shot of the High Falls of Johnston Canyon frozen into cascading icicles was taken on one of my last outings in Canada.  I had come a long way from my early efforts of the summer, not the least of which was having the desire, energy and fitness to strap on some crampons and tote my full Hasselblad kit with a tripod up and down a 3 mile round trip of icy single track hiking path on uneven terrain.  Since I had the tripod and was doing a literally frozen landscape, I decided to try out the slowest stock I had,  Rollei RPX 25.  I thought the results on that day were great and this might be one of my best overall technical shots in black & white.  (I had also figured out that it was useful to retract the mirror and barn doors before tripping the shutter when shooting at such slow shutter speeds.)  I would happily shoot RPX 25 again for landscapes, but wouldn’t attempt running around NYC doing handheld ‘street’ shots on a film that slow.

Tesla Protest, Gowanus, Brooklyn, 3/8/25; Leica M3, Voigtlander Color Skopar 28mm f3.5, Tri X

Speaking of NYC street shooting, I was doing a medium format photo walk with a friend of mine taking shots on the semi-neglected industrial waterways of Brooklyn when we happened onto this anti-Elon Musk protest at a Brooklyn Tesla dealership.  I decided to grab my Leica instead of the Hasselblad for more of a quick-shooting documentary/photo journalist mode.  I was trying out a ‘new’ lens that Hamish had posted about — an early aughts Voigtlander 28mm f3.5 that seemed like a good option for zone-focusing in situations just like this.   For testing newly acquired gear, I’ve been ‘using up’ film I’ve had on hand for a while, and that day I happened to have some Tri-X loaded in the M3 for testing the Voigtlander on black and white.  After going through the usual anger, denial, bargaining, depression and acceptance phases that happen when I get a roll back from the lab, I have to say I’m feeling like I might have been a bit hasty to move past Tri-X and that the problems with the shots I was getting in my first weeks/months of shooting may have been due to other factors.  (I was also pretty happy with the the 28mm lens and zone focusing as a way to shoot in situations like this; the  Color Skopar, true to its name, is also a great lens for shooting in color.  Thanks for the tip, Hamish!)

Bow River, Banff, 01/29/25, Hasselblad Planar 80mm f2.8, Rollei RPX 100

Back to that very cold final weekend photo outing in Canada, I tried out a roll of Rollei RPX 100 (and a new lab in NYC) and was pretty happy with those results.  This shot has a very nice range from deep black to bright white, and I like the detail in the evergreens that often has gone full black for me on other stocks.  There is also a sense of perspective that I feel looking at the large rocks on top of the ice receding toward the far shoreline.   I am liking the Rollei RPX stocks quite a bit, and still have a roll of RPX 400 to try out that I’m very interested to see in action.

Red Hook Grain Terminal, 03/10/25, Hasselblad 500CM (645 format), Zeiss Planar 80mm f2.8, Cinestill XX

Now back in New York, the landscapes are different but my photographic adventures continue.  This shot was of the derelict Red Hook Grain Terminal, a big monolithic structure on the Brooklyn waterfront that has fascinated me for years as a small piece of New York that seems invulnerable to gentrification.  I was trying out a roll of Cinestill XX.   I like the contrasting landscapes of the Canadian Rockies versus the urban industrial landscape of Brooklyn in vaguely similar compositions with mid-ground boulders and soccer balls providing a sense of scale, perspective and depth. I think the XX performs well.

Even now after 7-8 months of learning curve, from time to time, I will get a ‘bad roll’ back from the lab where there is a problem that can be hard to diagnose, especially when it’s using the same equipment, lab and techniques that I use on everything else I shoot.

The East River from Brooklyn, Hasselblad 500CM, Zeiss Sonnnar 150mm, f4, Rollei Retro 80S

This roll of Rollei Retro 80S came back from the lab looking so retro that it felt like the negatives had been stored in some dusty desk drawer for 40 or 50 years and not cleaned prior to scanning.  I’m not sure where, when or what went wrong on that roll, as most everything else I’ve been shooting since I got back to NYC has been pretty consistent and acceptable, if not good.  I won’t judge the stock based on this one roll without trying to troubleshoot a bit, but I’m not sure when I’ll get around to shooting another roll of Rollei Retro 80.

Pre-school outing, DUMBO, Brooklyn, 03/25/25, Hasselblad 500CM, Zeiss Planar 80mm f2.8, Ilford Delta 100

This is from one of my most recent outings in Brooklyn, and there’s a quality to this shot on Delta 100 that feels kind of ‘classic’ like it could have been taken when I was the age of those kids, despite their dayglo traffic vests and modern cars lining the cobblestone street.  I immediately took to this photo, and a lot of the shots that I took that day on that roll of Delta 100 have a bit of that timeless quality.

The Statue of Liberty, 03/25/25, Hasselblad 500CM, Zeiss Sonnar 250mm f5.6, Ilford Delta 100

When I sat down to write this, I was thinking/hoping I would come out of this post with a firm idea on a black and white stock to use as a ‘when in doubt’ as Portra 400 has become my ‘go to’ color film stock.  I want to choose wisely, as I still have a fair amount of 35mm Pan F Plus 50 I bought in an early blush of enthusiasm thinking it would be perfect for those Canadian landscapes. I find I don’t load it much on the Leica because I often shoot a single roll over multiple days and locations, and a 50 ISO doesn’t lend itself to much beyond a nice bright sunny day exterior.  I like to be at the ready to grab the Leica and shoot something handheld without a lot of set up in case the Hell’s Angels or a fashion model show up unexpectedly.

I’d love to hear from the community about what stocks you like to shoot, and which shots of mine feel more or less strong, and if you have a main ‘go to’ stock, or if it’s more ‘horses for courses’.

The cover image for this post of ice crystals on Bow Lake north of Lake Louise, along the aptly named Icefields Parkway, was shot handheld, wide open on a bright sunny day using the Hasselblad 60mm Distagon f3.5 on Pan F Plus with an orange filter.

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About The Author

By Scott Ferguson
Scott Ferguson is an independent film and television producer known for such films as Brokeback Mountain, Only Lovers Left Alive and The People vs. Larry Flynt, and the television shows The Night Of and Succession. While working around cameras and recorded images for his entire career, shooting still photography with vintage all manual cameras is a new and very stimulating passion.
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Comments

Bill Watts on A Journey into Darkness and Light – In Search of a “Go To” Black & White film stock

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Nice images. My go to black and white film is Ilford FP4 plus or Ilford Delta 100, self processed in 70 year old Johnson and Johnson Essex and Kent daylight loading developing tanks. I process FP4 plus in either HC-110 dilution b or Ilford Ilfotec DD-X 1+4, and delta 100 in Ilfotec DD-X 1+4. all at box times and temperatures. Grain is minimal and the tonal range is excellent.

I shoot both 35mm and medium format versions of these films in a number of Olympus, Zenza Bronica and Kiev 88 cameras. Exposure is taken care of by the camera where it has metering, and by a Gossen MasterSix light meter for cameras without metering. All my cameras are between 20 and 60 years old with minimal servicing. It is unusual to get a dud frame except when I do something stupid! Usually get 36/36, 12/12, 15/15 printable negatives on every film.
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Bill Watts replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Additional comments. Possible reasons for the graininess is that the film naturally is more grainy being ISO 400, I rarely use anything but ISO 100 or 200 at a pinch for that very reason. Shooting in poor light can also influence the visibility of the grain. It could have been overdeveloped (unlikely) or a non fine grain developer was used or the developer required replenishment or replacement. I have always processed my own black and white films using one shot developer. I have two Leicas as well, an M3 and a IIIf. Both have been consigned to the shelf as despite spending several hundred euros on having them serviced by Leica in Wetzlar, they continue to perform poorly bit like NTSC television, Never The Same Colour twice! Exposure varied a lot. I only keep them for sentimental value, they belonged to my Dad.

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Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Hey Bill, Thanks for the comments and I look forward to seeing more of your photography! I think the worst of the graininess in the first couple of images on TRi-X was probably due to underexposure, partially caused by an unreliable shutter on the Leica M2 that had been sitting unused for 25ish years. That was enough to turn me off Tri X for a long time until I ran and old roll through my M3, which I got to replace the M2 when I gave it back to my son. I was reasonably happy with the amount of grain on the photo of the anti-Tesla protestors, which was better exposed and also went through a different lab. All that being said, I am liking the 'slower' ISO films, including Delta 100 and Rollei RPX 100 and even Rollei RPX 25. I think those look beautiful. I'm continuing to sample lots of B&W stocks and am aiming for a sequel to this post at some point soon to look at those.

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Ibraar Hussain on A Journey into Darkness and Light – In Search of a “Go To” Black & White film stock

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Thanks for the intriguing write up Scott.
Lovely compositions but it seems the films should be much finer with more detail and smoother contrast.
Out of curiosity which developer are you using please?
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Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Hi Ibraar, Thanks. Unfortunately, I haven't reached the point of doing my own processing so I've sent these films to a variety of labs. The first three very grainy images were processed at The Darkroom a US based mail order lab in California. I think they are the worst offenders in terms of grain, and I'm pretty sure the first two 35mm photos were underexposed by a couple of stops due to an unreliable shutter on a Leica M2 that had been sitting unused for 25ish years and needed to be serviced. Shots 4, 6 & 7 were processed by a friend through a home lab kit in Canada, and all of the rest were processed at Photolife, a storefront lab in Brooklyn which is the favorite for students, because the rates are quite reasonable. Other than shot 12, the Manhattan Bridge shot on Rollei Retro 80 S, which I think had some other technical problem, I am not unhappy with them and feel like my results are improving. But there is certainly always room for more improvement, so I'd be interested in tips from someone much more experienced like yourself and eventually I may 'graduate' to doing my own processing. Thanks!

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Ibraar Hussain replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Well I think there’s nothing wrong with your technique nor any of the films and cameras at all. The problem is with the Lab. their processing is not good. Buy an AP set of a tank reels and squeegee from Amazon - plus Bellini Duo Step (Diafine) easiest developer to use which you can store for years and then see your results shine as they deserve !

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Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Thanks Ibraar! That sounds like an interesting next step. Sorry to ask what may be an uninformed question, but I'm not finding "AP Tank" in Amazon -- is that a brand?? If I go down that road, do you have thoughts/recommendations on scanning? I'm interested in doing home scanning eventually, and might revisit some of my older negatives to see if I can improve on them, and talked to Hamish about some options for using a digital camera to scan, but probably standing by on bigger gear purchases/investment until my next gig starts. Thanks again...

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Gus replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

The Darkroom is well regarded and well used, I'd hesitate to blame their processing as "not good" based on the limited information we have (which includes a slow shutter). I'd suggest to Scott that, if he has questions or concerns, he reach out to the Darkroom by email. Or, as you've said, start home developing! Scott, I particularly love the photo of the Johnston Canyon ice fall! I think you've got a lot of variables going on which can make for fun experimenting and challenging conclusions. My approach has been to stick with the same developer (Rodinal, or "Blazinal" in Canada) and dilution (1:50) and experiment. So far I've been enjoying Ilford FP4+ but I'm excited to try some Pan F 50. I haven't had great results with Delta 100 + 400 but T-grain films might not be a good match for Rodinal. You could ask your local lab what developer they use and try and pick a film to match!

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Ibraar Hussain replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Those photos show obvious development issues.

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Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Hey Gus, I agree that there are multiple issues with the first images, including unreliable shutter speeds, so I wouldn't jump to say that the Darkroom is at fault. That being said, I haven't been knocked out by my results that went through the Darkroom, but I think that work is front loaded with the early learning curve of shooting on film when I wasn't as consistent in shooting in good light or calculating exposure. Since returning from Canada, I've been processing at a small storefront lab in NYC favored by students and their prices are very reasonable for high res TIFF's, so I've been using them and generally pretty happy with the results, at least until I 'level up' and start doing my own lab work. I'll be looking at FP4 and Delta 400 in the next installment of my B&W survey, and look forward to sharing those results.

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Steve Cope on A Journey into Darkness and Light – In Search of a “Go To” Black & White film stock

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

My favourite film is Kodak Double-X which I shoot at 250. I'm also a fan of Agfa APX 100 and Ilford FP4. I have hundreds of cameras and I shoot a wide variety of film. I do miss being able to get Agfa Vista 200 from Poundland though
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Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Cool, Thanks Steve! Am I right that Kodak Double X and Cinestill XX are more or less the same stock? I don't see Kodak XX readily available in 35mm or 120 packaging -- maybe on a larger roll for bulk rollings. Same with Agfa APX 100. I have tried FP4 and it will probably be in the next installment of my B&W survey. Happy shooting!

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Ian replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Big up to the Poundland Massive! I too miss the Agfa Vista, happy days.

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Christopher Welch on A Journey into Darkness and Light – In Search of a “Go To” Black & White film stock

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Thanks for sharing your film journey. It is interesting how we arrive at our "go-to" brands. When I started shooting film again, I shot Tmaxx 100 and loved the look of it, but I hated the price per roll plus lab processing. So I tried HP5+ next, and by the fourth roll, I hated it. Then I tried out Tri-X and started developing in D-76 and scanning myself, and I've arrived at my happy place. Tri-X and D-76 has the "look" I had been trying to achieve. But everyone's different and finds their "look" and it's been fun finding it. I love the process of film.
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Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Thanks Christopher! It has been a really interesting journey. I've gone through similar journeys from hate to love and back and forth. My early forays turned me off to Tri-X for a long time until I decided to run a roll to test out some equipment and liked the results I got because I had gotten better at shooting in the 5-6 months that I hadn't been using it. I thought I was close to landing on a 'go to' stock and was kind of between XP2 and Delta 100, but then as I started looking at all the different stocks I'd tried and also trying out new ones for these posts, I'm finding that I like the variety and different looks and 'personalities' of a lot of different stocks and it feels like I might be going with more of a 'horses for courses' approach than having a single favorite -- but we'll see where things take me!

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CHRISTOF RAMPITSCH on A Journey into Darkness and Light – In Search of a “Go To” Black & White film stock

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

My go-to for MF is definitely Ilford Delta 400 paired with DD-X developer. For 35 mm I tend to use HP5 plus, also with DD-X. For sheets, it's Fomapan 400 usually paired with either DD-X, Rodinal, or D-23, since with sheets you have the luxury of fine tuning the developer-film pairing.
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Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Thanks Christof! I have some Delta 400 that I've tried since this post and I think its a good stock. And I have a roll of Fomapan 400 that is about to to go the lab -- I look forward to seeing the results. I also like HP5. Some day I may move into doing my own processing, so thanks for the tips on your favored developer. Best, s

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Neal Wellons on A Journey into Darkness and Light – In Search of a “Go To” Black & White film stock

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

You are not the only one to have trouble with Rollei Retro 80S. I bought 5 rolls and had results like yours on three of them. It seems to be a common problem related to the backing paper.
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Ibraar Hussain replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

weird, ive been using 80s for about 12 years almost exclusively and never had any issues.

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Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

That's all very interesting. Sorry you've had trouble Neal, and interesting that you haven't, Ibraar. That issue you see in the shot of the East River definitely impacted the entire roll of 120, but I liked the 'personality' of the shot otherwise. I'm tempted to try some Retro S 80 on 35mm, which might give some insight into the backing paper theory, but it may also just be a bit of a wild card, "bad batch" that hit both of us. We'll see -- I'm working through some other stocks in the mean time.

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Gerard on A Journey into Darkness and Light – In Search of a “Go To” Black & White film stock

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Hi Scott,
some real nice photo's you showed us.
I share Ibraar's opinion: nothing wrong with your gear (on the contrary) nothing wrong with the films, i's the lab's that let you down.
If you start developing your films your self, and when you, after a period of trying out what works best for you: stick to that combination.
This summer will be be my 60th photography birthday, when I got my Kodak instamatic and developed all my B&W films myself, as from the second cassette (the first got missing at the lab, but it was retrieved months later, fortunately).
You'll understand that I tried many dozens of combinations of film and developer, until I found my "ultimate" solution: Agfapan 100 (since many years Agfa APX) in Rodinal 1:75). Everything shot with Leicaflex SL, later also R4 and R6.
With the Rollei and Bronica, Tri-X is a favorite, also developed in Rodinal 1:75.
Hooe you'll find your real go-to combination.
Cheers,
Gerard
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Ibraar Hussain replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

It was my immediate reaction, that the developing is at fault. Scott has some fantastic kit which deserves a loving home development

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Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Thanks Gerard, And thanks again, Ibraar. I feel like 'leveling up' to doing my own processing at home is likely in my not to distant future, and it's really helpful to get all of these great tips from everyone's experience. Many thanks to you and the rest of the 35mmc community!

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Mark Ellerby on A Journey into Darkness and Light – In Search of a “Go To” Black & White film stock

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

In my experience you can't beat XP2 for fine grain at ISO 400. You might try Delta 400 also.

I like the shot of the East River; with the strange blotches and the motion blur it has an atmosphere about it. I'd call it a happy accident if it was my shot.
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Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Hey Mark, If it didn't have all the little 'dust' blotches, I would probably love that shot because of the atmosphere. It kind of has a vintage chemistry feel to me, and I like the deep 'inky' blacks. As noted above, I'm intrigued enough by Rollei 80S that I might want to try a roll of 35. It definitely has personality to spare. I think XP2 is really strong and I was kind of on the verge of going all in on it, but now that I've sampled all these different stocks, I think I like mixing it up.

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Steve Scarlett on A Journey into Darkness and Light – In Search of a “Go To” Black & White film stock

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Hello Scott,
Yes, horses for courses is definitely the way to go. Though there are a lot of courses...You will need to find the right film/developer combinations for various subjects...e.g. one for Street, another for Portraits/Nudes, then for Landscape, for Still Life/Flowers, for Architecture, etc. It is a lifetime's project. Good luck.
Be that as it may (or may not...) I just want to say you have taken some very fine photos and I reckon Johnston Canyon is utterly fabulous. Keep at it !
Best,
Steve
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Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Thanks Steve, Your comment is about as perfect a distillation of what I think I'm learning, feeling and thinking from this informal survey of B&W films. Johnston Canyon was epic and I took a bunch of photos of those amazing ice formations that day and met some lovely Canadian Ice Climbers who were to my right as I was taking that shot of the frozen waterfall. One of my favorite outings since I starting shooting these old school all manual cameras.

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Jeffery Luhn on A Journey into Darkness and Light – In Search of a “Go To” Black & White film stock

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Scott,
Doing your own film processing is cheap and easy. Once you get that step dialed in, you'll gain more control and consistancy. All of the responses you got are fine. I throw mine in. Nikkor stainless steel reels and tanks are easy to load and last forever. They are available used on eBay. I'd get the size that accomodates 2 35mm reels or one 120 roll. Next purchase should be the one that hold two 120 reels or four 35mm. I like using Kodak HC-110 developer because at 1:31 dilution it's cheap and the stock solution lasts about a year. I've used lots of film stocks but rely on Ilford HP5+ for general purposes.
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Ibraar Hussain replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

i mentioned the AP ones as they're very easy to reel the film on - easiest I've tried and less of a hassle than the Patterson ones. I remember struggling loading a film with those again and again before eventually giving up! :D

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Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Thanks Jeffrey, I will keep all of this in mind and revisit this post when I'm ready to step up to doing my own developing. Really useful informaiton!

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Geoff Chaplin on A Journey into Darkness and Light – In Search of a “Go To” Black & White film stock

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Some great shots and write up, please contine! Bear in mind trawling through different film stocks often names only are different. For example RPX25 and Retro 80S are both Agfa Aviphot 80. And there are many other similar examples. Aviphot 80 in MF I'm my experience is also prone to production and storage problems.
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Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Hey Geoff, Utterly fascinating! Interesting that the results on the RPX 25 and Retro 80 S are so different! But there are other variables, including using different labs and that the Retro 80S had been on the shelf a little longer and had gone on at least one more airplane than the RPX 25. I will look over the rest of the roll of RPX 25 and Retro 80 S with this in mind.

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Gary Smith on A Journey into Darkness and Light – In Search of a “Go To” Black & White film stock

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Hi Scott,
I really like your compositions but the developing on some of the film stocks leaves me cold. I guess the shot using Delta 100 and a red filter had the most pleasing tonality to my old eyes. Many of the other shots had murky/dark shadows that needed pulling.
I currently have 48 sheets of Fomapan 100 to shoot in my 4 x 5 camera and I'll be developing those in D76. I have had good results with Tri-X and HP5+ at 400. I'm not opposed to fiddling with the scanned results using my digital tools including Silver efex. So, in that sense I guess I'm not a "film purist".
Thanks for your article, I mostly shoot Tri-X and would have for sheets however this is my first foray into sheet film and Tri-X was pretty expensive compared to the Fomapan. It was interesting seeing your panoply of results!
Thanks!
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Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

Thanks Gary, I agree that the shot of the Mountain on Delta 100 has a nice overall feel and better detail in the shadows. I also thought the shot on RPX 100 of the frozen river had some nice detail in the darker parts of the frame with the evergreens on the base of the mountain. Some of what you are reacting to may be a bit of my personal taste and where I end up setting things on the exposure sliders of Light Room -- I tend to lean a little more dark than light, which might be dropping some parts of some of the frames into a deeper black. But I do like the shots where there is still some detail in the shadows, like the one you mention. Thanks!

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Gary Smith replied:

Comment posted: 08/05/2025

I also liked the frozen waterfall, Scott. I tend to like contrast but I also like to see what's back there in the shadows.

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Andrew L on A Journey into Darkness and Light – In Search of a “Go To” Black & White film stock

Comment posted: 09/05/2025

Lots of interesting work here. I think (as others have said) the lab's B&W development is inconsistent, making it hard to truly evaluate your results. Let me encourage you to consider developing yourself! It is really not at all hard to do. And, if you don't have space that can be made into a darkroom (a bathroom with no windows works after sealing up the cracks around the door frame), you can get several different daylight developing tanks - I use one by Ars Imago and it works out quite well!

Developer choice makes almost as big a difference as film stock to the finished negative, so it might be nice for you to have a constant, and a point to work outwards from. For instance, I really like Fomapan films with Rodinal (especially 100 and 400), and have found Kentmere 400 to be quite pleasant and not overly grainy with Kodak TMAX dev. I've also seen great work done with Kentmere 400 and HC110 or a clone of that developer.
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Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 09/05/2025

Thanks Andrew, These were processed at multiple labs and my photography has definitely improved/evolved over the time frame that this post covers, but I very much appreciate all the advice and encouragement to do my own lab work. And thanks so much for the wisdom and tips!

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Art Meripol on A Journey into Darkness and Light – In Search of a “Go To” Black & White film stock

Comment posted: 09/05/2025

As an old journalist back in 'the day' I lived on Tri-X and D-76. It was the go-to for most of us in the 70's and 80's. But I did occasionally play with Plus-X and Panatomic X. Loved them both but it wasn't a good idea to have them loaded since the need for speed ASA 400 was always a thing. Having just started playing with film again after years of digital I'm in the early stages of discovering what films are out there and what combinations work for what I like. So far it's the slow, low grain films. So I will definitely be keeping your work here as a reference. Great stuff and glad you shared.
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Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 09/05/2025

Thanks so much Art! I feel super gratified that this post might be useful as you try out different stocks, including the slow low grain films. I have really liked the results when I'm in the right shooting situation(s) to use them. I'm working on at least one more, and maybe two more installments to cover a variety of other films, including some slower stocks not covered here, so keep an eye out or feel free to reach out directly if you need timely advice. I'll be excited to see your work and happy you are getting back into film!

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Ibraar Hussain on A Journey into Darkness and Light – In Search of a “Go To” Black & White film stock

Comment posted: 09/05/2025

Scott, regarding the developing tank I mentioned, No probs, amazon Canada have it

"Universal Compact Developing Tank 2 Spiral Reel for Processing 120 135 126 127 B/W Film Camera Film Processing Equipment"

As for a scanner, for Medium Format I recommend anything from an Epson 4990 V700 V750 V800 depending on budget. You can use these for 35mm with the V700 and V800 being quite good.
For dedicated 35mm on a budget get the Minolta Dual Scan Elite 5400 which has digital ICE
If you type BelliniFoto DF2 Duo-Step B&W Film Developer a Liquid Version of Diafine into a search engine you’ll see the results and maybe some online retailer in canada – or you can buy from https://ntphotoworks.com/ who ship.
Or failing that easiest way to test with good results is Ilfotec DDX with Delta100/400 etc Films. Easy to mix 1 shot. Gives great results every time.
Also Rodinal
You’ll need a bottle of stop and fix as well.

This: is an Excellent short guise from Ilford search for Ilford Photo beginners guide to processing film


Download Vuescan for scanning or if using an Epson try their own software which isn’t bad.
And of course Lightroom for post processing!
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Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 09/05/2025

Ibraar, Thank you so much again for your generous advice. I'll keep you posted when I 'graduate' to doing my own processing, and all of your guidance, along with the rest of the forum is amazing. What a terrific community of photographers! Thanks, s

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Ibraar Hussain replied:

Comment posted: 09/05/2025

You’re welcome If you consider my advice, I’d consider The art of Black and white photography by John garett (followed by his others after you finish this) - the best book on B&W - taught me everything I know. But if you have time of course. Processing takes me about 20 minutes all in. Far quicker than a journey to the lab. Processing your own film is an easy yet extremely satisfying thing. And the better your budget is the better scanner you can have! Type kenrockwell scanning for a quick summation Ive been looking at your previous posts - fantastic photography

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Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 09/05/2025

Thanks Ibraar, I've also enjoyed reading your posts and have been really impressed with your beautiful results! Inspiring.

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Ibraar Hussain replied:

Comment posted: 09/05/2025

you're too kind! My stuff is pretty mundane and vanilla! Cannot compare to your work

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RichardH on A Journey into Darkness and Light – In Search of a “Go To” Black & White film stock

Comment posted: 10/05/2025

Hello Scott. I am pleased to see the encouragement you've received to develop your own film. When I returned to shooting B&W film three years ago, I was disappointed with the work of a local lab. I had faint memories of darkroom work from my distant past, but no darkroom in my current residence. Among the technical articles posted by our 35mmc members, I found the perfect one for my situation:
"How to Get Started Developing Black & White Film for £25 (or Less) – by Sroyon Mukherjee"
No darkroom is needed. I load my film into the tank in the dark of a bathroom, and then complete the development in daylight near a sink.. I have developed a large number of 35mm and 120 rolls of B&W since reading Sroyon's excellent tutorial. The process is a pleasure, and I feel that I have control over the outcome.
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Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 10/05/2025

Thanks Richard! I will be excited to 'level up' to doing my own processing some day. Factors on the timing will include figuring out the right work/life/money/time balance to gather all of the gear and supplies, including scanning, as well as having the time to go through the learning curve. I'm in a freelance profession that is very time intensive when I'm working, so often when I have time I don't have as much money to splash on gear and visa versa. But I am definitely getting a lot of inspiration and encouragement from the community here that makes me feel that I have to give it a shot when I can!

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Paul Quellin on A Journey into Darkness and Light – In Search of a “Go To” Black & White film stock

Comment posted: 10/05/2025

Really enjoyed the images and the whole article Scott. The Ilford Pan F has done a lovely job of the Three Sisters and I liked the look of the Delta images too. Your Tri-X photos certainly look better than mine, but I do need to give it another chance in some other cameras. For me the reasons I don't use much Tri-X and the main thrust of an article I am just finishing off for 35mmc, are cost and availability. I still have lots of different films in stock across three different formats, but Kentmere Pan 100 has become dominant for the regular use. Mainly because currently one of my suppliers is pricing it slightly lower even than Fomapan 100. It always seems to be in stock and I don't struggle getting it into developing reels, where I find Fomapan rather thin. For me, it's got to be available and practical too.
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Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 10/05/2025

Hey Paul, Thanks so much! I was more or less off of Tri-X when I was shooting with cameras that needed servicing, but after shooting some on CLA'd cameras, I'd be very happy to shoot with it again along with HP5 as a very good 400 ISO stock with a nice amount of character/grain. I was quite impressed with Delta 100 which has a kind of beautiful 'classic' look to me and feel like it will have a place in my fridge going forward. I also love XP2 as a more 'contemporary' look and fine grain for a 400 IS0 film. I have also been really pleasantly impressed by the Rollei film stocks across the range of ISO's from 25-400, which are currently available for pretty reasonable prices. I am planning one or more installments of my informal B&W survey and I've just loaded my first roll of Kentmere, and will be excited to see that along with some Fomapan, which is shot but not yet processed. Happy Shooting!

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Theodore Crispino on A Journey into Darkness and Light – In Search of a “Go To” Black & White film stock

Comment posted: 16/05/2025

I've struggled with the same disappointments when getting negatives/scans back from the lab, especially as of late. I was on a good roll (no pun intended) but somehow the last couple rolls of B&W came back terrible - including one with regular lines across the negs (which didn't appear on any of the other rolls so it couldn't have been the camera). I think I'm going to go back to developing B&W myself - esp as I picked up the Lomography Digitaliza max for scanning them with my phone. I have a darkroom for printing B&W so I don't need super high-quality scans.

On my go-to films. When i got back into film in 2018 I immediately went back to TriX and despite trying a few others periodically (HP5, a couple of Rollei ones), it still remains my workhorse. It does everything I want with the the best contrast I've found. Plus I shoot either a Leica IIIF or M3 and I particularly like the vintage feel that the combo gives me. For color, I've gone solely with Ektar 100. It's far and away the best color saturation I've found and again gives me that vintage-y feel when combined with the Leicas.
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Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 16/05/2025

Hey Theodore, Interesting that you had a bad run at the lab. I certainly had my share of disappointing results that took a fair amount of troubleshooting. I've been having more consistent results lately which I'd attribute both to improving my technique as well as finding a lab I'm happy with in NYC. But I've certainly gotten a lot of love for doing home developing on this thread and I'll be curious how you do with the Lomo set up. My early efforts on Tri-X after getting back into film were discouraging, but now I'm up for giving it a 2nd chance, but I also like HP5 very much along with a bunch of other stocks I've discovered on this journey. As for Color films, I've been shooting mostly Portra 400, which I find super reliable and a little more resilient for different situations than Ektar, which is great in the right conditions. I'm also liking Gold quite a bit, and am now trying out Ultramax, I have a feeling I'll end up doing more of a 'horses for courses' approach with color film as well as b&w. Happy shooting!

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