Film comparison
Kodak T-Max 400 vs Ilford XP2 Super
- T-Max 400 has finer grain.
- XP2 Super is cheaper in 35mm (about £10.00 vs £12.50).
- They use different processes: T-Max 400 is BW, XP2 Super is C-41.
Side by side
| T-Max 400 | XP2 Super | |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Kodak | Ilford |
| Type | Black & white | Black & white |
| Box speed | ISO 400 | ISO 400 |
| Process | B&W | C-41 |
| Formats | 35mm, 120, 4x5, 8x10 | 35mm, 120 |
| Grain | Very fine | Fine |
| Contrast | Medium | Medium |
| Latitude | Excellent | Excellent |
| Saturation | — | — |
| Price, 35mm | about £12.50 | about £10.00 |
| Price, 120 | about £10.50 | about £9.00 |
| Availability | Current | Current |
Rows that differ are in bold. Prices are typical UK prices and change often.
How they look
- T-Max 400
- Known for exceptionally fine grain among 400-speed B&W films. Tabular grain technology offers high sharpness and resolving power.
- XP2 Super
- Chromogenic black and white film processed in standard C-41 chemistry — no traditional B&W development times needed. Wide exposure latitude with excellent shadow and highlight detail.
Which suits what
Better pick: T-Max 400
Architecture, Studio, High detail
Both work well
—
Better pick: XP2 Super
Travel, Varying conditions, Lab convenience
Long exposures (reciprocity)
| Metered | T-Max 400 | XP2 Super |
|---|---|---|
| 1s | 1s | 1s |
| 10s | 17s | 20s |
| 30s | 1m 8s | 1m 26s |
| 2m | 6m 19s | 8m 49s |
Corrected exposure from each film’s published reciprocity data. Reciprocity calculator