Going back to film

jovialjester

jovialjester

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Chris
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Good morning,

Having been digital for a few years now, I have an overpowering urge to go back to 35mm film.

I plan to do mainly black and white portrait work with it, and would love some input as to a good film to suit.

Thanks
 
Welcome! Many of us here shoot both digital and film, and get the best of both worlds. Firstly, are you planning on developing yourself or sending it off for development? If you are developing it yourself, you have the full range of B&W film emulsions on the market. If you are sending it off, you may find it easier to shoot a C-41 B&W film - these are emulsions that are developed in colour chemistry (that is C-41) but produce B&W images. C-41 development is usually easier to find and cheaper compared to B&W processing.

For B&W emulsions, it is quite subjective, and often the best thing to do is buy several different emulsions, shoot each of them and see which one you like the look of best. It may sound a bit arduous initially, but at least you'll know that you definitely are shooting the best for what you want to achieve.
 
If you're into black & white, I can heartily recommend the Ilford range of films. I tend to do mostly landscapes personally, but for portraits you could start with a fine grain film such as FP4 (125 ISO) or even Pan F (50 ISO), which is the slowest film in the Ilford range.

The FP4 is a smashing general purpose film, as is the HP5 (400 ISO), however the latter will have much more visible grain than the other two.

The Ilford Delta range (Delta 100 & 400) are also favourites of mine, but these require a little more care with exposure and development to achieve good results.

I'd recommend trying a variety of different films, including the Kodak range, and you'll soon discover what works best for you.
 
freecom2 said:
Welcome! Many of us here shoot both digital and film, and get the best of both worlds. Firstly, are you planning on developing yourself or sending it off for development? If you are developing it yourself, you have the full range of B&W film emulsions on the market. If you are sending it off, you may find it easier to shoot a C-41 B&W film - these are emulsions that are developed in colour be chemistry (that is C-41) but produce B&W images. C-41 development is usually easier to find and cheaper compared to B&W processing.

For B&W emulsions, it is quite subjective, and often the best thing to do is buy several different emulsions, shoot each of them and see which one you like the look of best. It may sound a bit arduous initially, but at least you'll know that you definitely are shooting the best for what you want to achieve.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply, initially I will be getting the film developed, but I do want to ultimately develop myself. But thats something I've yet to try.
 
Carl V said:
If you're into black & white, I can heartily recommend the Ilford range of films. I tend to do mostly landscapes personally, but for portraits you could start with a fine grain film such as FP4 (125 ISO) or even Pan F (50 ISO), which is the slowest film in the Ilford range.

The FP4 is a smashing general purpose film, as is the HP5 (400 ISO), however the latter will have much more visible grain than the other two.

The Ilford Delta range (Delta 100 & 400) are also favourites of mine, but these require a little more care with exposure and development to achieve good results.

I'd recommend trying a variety of different films, including the Kodak range, and you'll soon discover what works best for you.
Click to expand...

Thanks carl, some good recommendations there :-)
 
Chris, I'm assuming you've never done any black & white processing of your own. This being the case, you could do worse than having a look at these fact sheets from Ilford themselves on processing your film and making your first prints. They were written a few years ago, but the techniques still hold true and will give you a little insight into what's involved.

For films:
http://www.ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/200629163442455.pdf

*it will mention Ilfosol S - this is no longer made, it's now Ilfosol 3


For prints:
http://www.ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/20114271321242292.pdf
 
Carl V said:
Chris, I'm assuming you've never done any black & white processing of your own. This being the case, you could do worse than having a look at these fact sheets from Ilford themselves on processing your film and making your first prints. They were written a few years ago, but the techniques still hold true and will give you a little insight into what's involved.

For films:
http://www.ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/200629163442455.pdf

*it will mention Ilfosol S - this is no longer made, it's now Ilfosol 3

For prints:
http://www.ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/20114271321242292.pdf
Click to expand...

Thanks Carl, you're correct, I've never done any. it was something I wanted to do 20 years ago but never made a start.

Thanks for the links, family have just turned up, so will have a good read later :-)
 
jovialjester said:
Thanks Carl, you're correct, I've never done any. it was something I wanted to do 20 years ago but never made a start.

Thanks for the links, family have just turned up, so will have a good read later :-)
Click to expand...

You're welcome. It's never too late to start, and I think you'll find it very satisfying once you get into it. There's no better feeling (photographically speaking, that is) than opening up your film tank, removing the film from the spiral and seeing your images nicely developed. Good luck with it. :)
 
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