ILFORD XP2 400 - Film Review

I’m not a negative film person for the most part, but every once in awhile I’ll use this to test cameras. I think it does a really excellent job. It isn’t Ilford’s best film for black and white, but as far as black and white convenience I can’t think of anything better. It won’t blow your mind with dynamic range but it has kind of a comfortable look to it.

I have used 35mm Ilford XP2 for for decades – since the mid 1980s. Hundreds of rolls of film. And I have been consistently happy with the results. I would argue that the grain may be a little finer than Darkroom’s assessment, but I agree with them about saturation and latitude as well as excellent sharpness. While the negatives may look a bit strange compared to traditional (non-C41 processed) B&W film, the negatives print and scan well; and the negatives from the mid 1980s have held up over time. It is a great all-around B&W film. If you are curious, check out www.garysmintz.com. All of the images were shot on Ilford XP2.

This is a really nice film for people who don’t want to get into the complicated aspects of other films. I recommend it absolutely to anyone who wants to enjoy black and white photography without the occasional hassles. The results might not blow you away, but they will please you.

Smooth, high quality with a bit higher contrast. Despite really liking the IQ of the shots with this film, I only use it for convenience. I can drop it off with all my color film and have it processed quickly. With that said, I prefer the grain of B&W film. I am more apt to buy a color film now and convert to B&W after I scan.

This film was quite fun to shoot, and made me want to shoot B&W more often. I don’t develop my own film, so I wasn’t able to experience the convenience, but it would be handy for people who do that. However, the thing that caught my eye is the unique grain. I like it a lot, but I could see how that could definitely turn some photogs off from this film. I’ll admit, the negatives looks super strange (in a good way), but other than that, this felt exactly like shooting black and white film. I hope to shoot it again, but I don’t know yet if it will be my go-to B&W.

Ilford XP2 Super 400 is a C-41 process black and white film. It is affordable, and has wonderful latitude and sharpness (especially in 120 film-search online popular photography vendors for low $ offerings).
This is a film I love to use since it gives my a very flexible option in nearly any condition. It can be easily shot at 50 through 800 iso and give beautiful and punchy contrast.

XP2 has quickly become my favourite film and ill try and push anyone I know who shoots film into trying it! It has tones for days and can be overexposed by a lot and it just keeps on giving! I wish I shot more of it on a recent trip to Europe.
Its a bit more expensive than normal black and white but you save so much money developing it as its c-41!