Another Day With Ilford HP5

March has been a much better month weather wise for photography and I managed to complete my comparison of Kodak Tri-X and Ilford HP5 this week by shooting a roll of Ilford HP5 in my Nikon F801 and Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.8 plastic fantastic lens. I have enjoyed my look at perhaps the most popular and best selling films of the last few decades. I think I can safely say that the availability of Ilford and Kodak film has been a big part of keeping film photography alive for the film photography community in the teeth of the Digital Revolution. Both companies have had their rocky moments, but with Ilford and Kodak still in business, I reckon it gives confidence to other manufacturers that they too can have a viable film business in the 21st century.

I went back to Mesnes Park in Wigan to shoot my roll of HP5 (it is my favourite classroom), I like to be able to compare like for like as well as different compositions. The light is never the same, but it's not so dissimilar that it makes the exercise a waste of time. As it happened it was another 1/250th f/11 kind of day in Wigan on a bright Wednesday afternoon. I enjoyed a bit of exercise and explored a few old favourite's and tried some different ones to get a range of shots I could pixel peep at home. The Park was a bit busier than my previous visit and I had to wait around for a little while near to the statue of Sir Francis Sharp Powell whilst a steady stream of folk gave his foot a rub for luck. You have to respect local customs and, when in Rome... yep I gave his foot a rub too.

Time flies when you're having fun and before long I had just about finished my roll so I headed for home. I developed this weeks film in Kodak HC-110 dilution B for 5 minutes at 20 celcius and hung it to dry in my bathroom. I was quite pleased with the negatives, they seemed to be quite an even spread as I had been trying a couple at 1/500th f/16 and others at 1/200th f/8 for differences on light and shade etc. I did miss a few exposures, either a bit too much over or under, but that's the joy of learning isn't it? There was nothing I couldn't put right in Affinity Photo if I needed to do more than tidying the dust spots etc.

I have really enjoyed taking a look at these two films and learned a lot in the process. They are very similar and I can see why folk like to use them. Consistency, sharpness, grain that doesn't overpower the image and a great tonal range are the hallmarks of them both. It's been a formula for success for 6 decades and I hope it continues for another 6 decades and more for both companies.

I said in my first look at these films that the only real difference is the price, Ilford HP5 is a couple of bucks/quid cheaper than Tri-X but it certainly isn't inferior. I will happily shoot both again for as long as both companies still make them, but if I was pressed into making a choice my heart says Ilford. The factory is an hours drive from my home and during these troubled times I think it's important to buy local, but I can still have Tri-X on the side for a little garnish every now and then.

Here's a few of my images from this roll of HP5 and I have put an album on my Flickr account where you can see for yourself how I got on with both films over the course of this month. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did taking them.

Ilford HP5 - Nikon F801

Another day with Kodak Tri-X

 A couple of blogs ago I had a day out with my Olympus OM 1 and 2 and compared Ilford HP5 with Kodak Tri-X. It was a dead heat with just price separating them. I got thinking about the differences between my Olympus camera's and whether that had any bearing on the results, so I decided to shoot another roll of each film in my Nikon F801s with AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 plastic fantastic. First up is Kodak Tri-X 400. 

As I mentioned in my earlier blog, Kodak Tri-X has been in production for 60 years with a few improvements along the way. The current emulsion first sold in 2007 is the most recent iteration of this legendary film and the only one I have ever used. I know folk have older versions stashed away in their cold storage for a special occasion, but I like using fresh film and buy it from Analogue Wonderland here in the UK.  

After what seemed like a never ending deluge in February as storm after storm drowned the UK, March has been a definite improvement. I was beginning to think I would never get a nice day again, but by mid March I had enjoyed a few days of sunshine and shot a few rolls of film. I am currently taking part in the Frugal Film Project 2021 and shooting Fomapan 200 in my Olympus 35RC, so taking the F801 out too was a no brainer. I soon got into the swing of things and got half a dozen or so shots as I wandered around my favourite classroom, Mesnes Park in Wigan. My mind was definitely on the FFP as I soon rattled off my roll of Fomapan 200 for March.

Thankfully the next day was also bright and I headed out for a walk around the local farm roads and nature trails, determined to finish my roll of Tri-X. I really enjoyed the fresh air as lockdown has been getting me down of late. It's not been an easy time during the pandemic that we have been enduring for the last year, but the allowed exercise has been a big help for my mental well being. I tried several shots without filters, a couple with a yellow filter and a few more with an orange filter to put a little variety into my compositions and continue to learn the benefits of using filters for B&W photography.

I try to get my shots right in camera in the hope it makes development a little easier as I am still a novice at developing film. Though I am close to the one hundred mark, it's a small number compared to the folks on the Negative Positives Podcast Facebook group who are mostly seasoned veterans and will happily share their knowledge. It's a great community and helps keep film photography alive and kicking. I shot my roll of Tri-X at box speed and developed it in Kodak HC-110 dilution B for 6 minutes and 45 seconds at 20 celcius, nice and simple to keep my consistency up to an ever increasing standard.

I am very pleased with my effort this week, I wanted consistency to really see if Tri-X lives up to its legendary status. I returned to a few compositions from my previous shoot, tried a few different angles and did indeed get good consistent results. This is why Tri-X has been the staple film of Kodak photographers for 6 decades as consistency is the key to getting published. Press photographers are all shooting Digital now, but there are still a few remaining dedicated Film Photograpy publications and of course the 'Zines that are readily available from some of the worlds best film photographers today. One day I hope to join their ranks, but until then here's a few of my photos from this weeks shoot, I hope you enjoy them.

 

Spring 2021 - New Life

 Spring has dawned here in the UK, (although you wouldn't know it by the sound of the huge storm we are enjoying as I write this blog entry), and new life is beginning to show itself. I am so happy to see it too. Having been in lockdown for just about a year due to existing health woes, my wife and I are always gladdened when we see the first flowers begin to open. Snowdrops, crocus and daffodils are always bright and early and this year have been a little bit earlier due to a warm spell we had that saw temperatures around 5 degrees warmer than what we normally expect at this time of year. I am not complaining, it's been a mixed year weather wise. I have been out only a few times thus far due to our microscopic nemesis, but I tried to make the most of it this week.

I took my Agfa Isolette 1 out and shot a roll of Fomapan 200 for the Frugal Film Project, I will be talking about that at the end of the month, and I also took my Nikon D700 out to play too. I have spoken quite a lot about my Nikon D700, it is without doubt one of the best DSLR's Nikon has ever made. Fair enough it is 13 years old now and doesn't do video, but it does produce great images, even on a dull day like this one.

I visited my favourite classroom, Mesnes Park here in Wigan to get back into the swing of digital photography with my now customary AF 24-120mm D walkabout lens. Whilst not particularly busy, Mesnes Park is a very popular place and used as a thoroughfare to provide a scenic route between the town centre and the north of the town. The park staff were busy preparing flower beds and finishing the winter maintenance that every public park needs. A few hardy daffodils and a couple of early blooms were also beginning the transformation from dormant winter to vibrant spring.

One addition I found was a Wishing Tree that has been designated in the park. The idea is you place a dream catcher or some bright ribbon on the tree and make a wish. This was done to commemorate International Womens Day 2021. Given the year we have endured since the Pandemic first hit back in March 2020 this nice bit of colour made a lot of people smile, something we have all needed to do for a long time. I hope the current lockdown is eased soon so more people can visit the Park and share the joy a simple decorated tree brings. I for one welcome it

Here's a few shots from a dull afternoon at Mesnes Park, Wigan. I hope you enjoy them.

Comparing Ilford HP5 and Kodak Tri-X

 2020 was a year for learning, the Covid-19 pandemic gave me plenty of time to learn a new skill whilst sat at home in lockdown. I took the opportunity during lockdown to shoot at least 2 films per week, develop them in my kitchen and write about them here in my blog. 2021 is a year for advancing that knowledge further and this week I chose to compare two of the most popular b&w films ever made, Ilford HP5 Plus and Kodak Tri-X. I also threw an orange filter into the equation for good measure.

Ilford HP5 Plus is the latest in a long series of 400 speed b&w film from Ilford, who are based here in the UK. It's a no nonesense all rounder that has incredible exposure latitude with folk regularly pushing it to 3200 or more. Kodak Tri-X is also the latest in a long running 400 speed b&w film from Kodak that has been the mainstay of many a photo journalist and street shooter for 60 years and counting. I have been wanting to compare the two since discovering my love of B&W film and as the sunshne made a re-appearance after 3 weeks of storms here in the UK, I loaded up my Olympus OM-1 and OM-2 and headed out for a walk.

Lets talk about some specifics here. I chose the OM cameras because I knew they are reliable enough to give me consistent exposures to make this comparison fair. I also chose not to use the auto function on my OM-2 so both cameras were being used in manual mode. The filter system I used is a Cokin A system and I used the same orange Cokin A filter on both camera's. My OM-1 had a Zuiko 28mm f/3.5 lens and my OM-2 had a 50mm f/1.4 lens. I also used a 75-150mm f/4 for a few images loking down the valley from the highest point on my route. I loaded Ilford HP5 Plus into my OM-1 and Kodak Tri-X into my OM-2 and let battle commence.

You will have seen a lot of these compositions several times in my blog over the last year. I try to look at different angles etc, but I also like to compare different films against each other at home. This was the first time I have deliberately used two similar films in similar cameras on the same walk and I was geninely curious to see how they faired against each other. The orange filter proved to be a good choice on the day as the few clouds in a bright blue sky were given contrast and definition rather than being blown out highlights that I have encountered in similar conditions without filters. It wasn't without it's troubles as I soon dscovered the Wein Cell MBR625 battery in my OM-1 has died. It has been in there for the last 2 1/2 years since buying the camera and I have had a fair bit of use from it, so can't really complain. I think my next purchase will be an adapter so I can use cheaper, more easily available batteries in it in future.

A dead battery isn't a hinderance to the OM-1 as it can be used without it, the battery only powers the light meter so I took readings on my OM-2 and employed sunny 16's from time to time to check my growing skills at reading the light. It was a 1/250th f/11 day that would probably have been a 1/500th f/16 without the filter. My OM-2 agreed and I got some very good comparison photo's that were well exposed and had a lot of clarity and definition. I did get a few wrong, it's to be expected when dialing ones eye in, but overall I was very happy with the results from each film.

I developed both films in the same tank with Kodak HC-110 dilution B for 5 minutes at 20 celcius. I used Ilford Stop Bath, Ilford Rapid Fixer and Ilford Ilfotol washaid in my development process and hung both films dry in my bathroom for a few hours. In terms of performance I found Ilford HP5 Plus and Kodak Tri-X are very evenly matched. Both gave excellent photographs and the orange Cokin A filter gave the sky the contrast and definition I was looking for from both films. The brightness and contrast was very well defined and made for images that really Pop. I didn't get all my exposures correct, as you will see in my albums on Flickr, but the ones I nailed from each film left me with only one conclusion that I could come to.

These bastions of film photography are equal in just about every way. Contrast, texture, grain, brightness without being blown out and shadows that retained detail all showed why these films are so popular. There is one difference that could well be the deciding factor for anyone unsure about which one to try. It's the price. Analogue Wonderland sells both films at a very reasonable price (other retailers are available), but Ilford HP5 Plus is a couple of pounds/dollars cheaper than Tri-X. That's it. If you are a little short of cash use HP5, if it's pay day splash out on a roll of Tri-X. Better still buy one of each and see for yourself how good they are.

Kodak and Ilford are the premier film manufacturers to withstand the testing times of the digital revolution that laid waste to many others. (Yes, others such as Foma, Fuji and Silberra etc. also survived, but I will speak of them in the future.)  Both companies have been through their woes in recent years, but have weathered the storm and are concentrating on doing what they both do best. Providing high quality film to the legion of film photographers who still enjoy using film and the countless new converts who may not have been born when film was the king of the photography industry. With film of this quality on the market it makes sense to introduce your kids, grandkids, nephews and neices to film and help the genre thrive for another century or more.

Here's a few images I shot on my walk. I have put both rolls in albums on my Flickr account and linked to them below so you can see them all in full resolution complete with dust spots. I hope you enjoy them.

Kodak Tri-X OM-2

Ilford HP5 Plus OM-1

Tri-X OM-2

Tri-X OM-2

Tri-X OM-2

Tri-X OM-2

Tri-X OM-2

Tri-X OM-2

HP5 OM-1

HP5 OM-1

HP5 OM-1

HP5 OM-1

HP5 OM-1

HP5 OM-1