Film comparison
Ilford Delta 400 vs Ilford HP5 Plus
- Delta 400 has finer grain.
- HP5 Plus is more forgiving of exposure errors.
- HP5 Plus is cheaper in 35mm (about £7.50 vs £8.50).
Side by side
| Delta 400 | HP5 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Ilford | Ilford |
| Type | Black & white | Black & white |
| Box speed | ISO 400 | ISO 400 |
| Process | B&W | B&W |
| Formats | 35mm, 120, 4x5, 8x10 | 35mm, 120, 4x5, 8x10 |
| Grain | Fine | Medium |
| Contrast | Medium high | Medium |
| Latitude | Good | Excellent |
| Saturation | — | — |
| Price, 35mm | about £8.50 | about £7.50 |
| Price, 120 | about £7.50 | about £6.50 |
| Availability | Current | Current |
Rows that differ are in bold. Prices are typical UK prices and change often.
How they look
- Delta 400
- Modern T-grain film with fine grain and high sharpness. Core-shell crystal technology provides excellent detail. More contrast than HP5 with less pushability.
- HP5 Plus
- A robust, all-purpose film. Slightly lower contrast than Tri-X with excellent shadow detail and pushability.
Which suits what
Better pick: Delta 400
Landscapes, Studio, Architecture
Both work well
—
Better pick: HP5 Plus
Education, Street, General purpose
Long exposures (reciprocity)
| Metered | Delta 400 | HP5 Plus |
|---|---|---|
| 1s | 1s | 1s |
| 10s | 26s | 20s |
| 30s | 2m 1s | 1m 26s |
| 2m | 14m 14s | 8m 49s |
Corrected exposure from each film’s published reciprocity data. Reciprocity calculator
Developing both
Developers with published times for both films:
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