you should shoot MORE FP4 -- an ilford film review
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- čas přidán 20. 05. 2024
- I think i really like FP4 by Ilford. It just doesn't do anything wrong. It's strongest suit is its versatility. I can trust to get results with it no matter what I do. This film is a "hidden" gem in film photography.
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0:00 Intro
0:44 Landscapes
2:32 Vineyards
3:10 VERY Versatile
4:23 fine Grain
5:44 Darkroom action
6:15 great for printing
8:05 i like this film a lot - Věda a technologie
If I could only use one film for the rest of my life, it would be, without question, FP4. It’s versatile, fine grain without being grainless and most of all, especially in large format, really captures a wide range of tones. I have a lot of 120, some 35mm and several boxes of 4x5 and 8x10 and I’ve ordered a couple of boxes of 11x14 which I’m really excited to try when it arrives.
i can see why this would be your choice!
7:39 "The grain is just chillin", haha why do I love that so much
LOL cuz it makes sense!
Instant subscribe, brilliant Ribsy, thank you and cheers from the Czech republic!
Thank you! Welcome to the club
I think I love the FP4 more now than I used to love the Plus-X then. Great review, smashing pictures! 👍🏻
Thanks for watching!
My standard 120 film. Stand-developed in 1:100 Rodinal, the results are excellent in terms of contrast range and tight grain structure. You do some killer reviews, Ribsy!
Oh wow! I need to try that recipe
Great video! I love Fp4 is my favorite film in the range of 100. I love the grain structure and how it renders the highlight s.
Yea same. It’s does very nicely
I have shot FP4 in 135, 120, and 4x5. It has been the one film I keep going back to and will become my standard stock. I have pushed it and love that look but I haven't pulled it yet... I will be doing that soon!
I need to try it in bigger formats
Nice part of the world Pembs ! Found this vid while looking for FP4 reviews, found it useful, thanks.
great - glad you liked it
My first option for B&W portraiture. Great film. Handles high contrast situation wonderfully and gently softens highlights, apear to show that cinematic glow in a frame.
I like it pushed to 200 ISO and developed in Ilford DD-X. It is a killer combo in my opinion.
Same here, longer development in ddx seems to increase contrast, 10 minutes at iso 125 gives high contrast, 8 minutes gives a more balanced negative.
Fp4+ is such a versatile film stock.
yea this film is great for clean portraits
i have used before ,in fact i just placed my order for a bulk role, it develops nice for me in ilford dd-x. I have not pushed it any but the results in your photographs look real nice. keep up the the great videos!
That’s a good one to bulk roll!
Great video! FP4 was my go to film in the 70s and it is again now. Back then I lived in the UK, now I’m in Spain. The bright sun here means it is the perfect ISO in most cases. I shoot loads of it in 120 and 35mm
Ahhh Spain is so good
together with Pancro 400 this probably is my favorite bnw stock so far, in 35 s well as 120. especially for portraits i always come back to fp4. i actually tried it in 4x5 for a still life a few weeks back but still need to get that developed. pushing it will be next on the list when fall comes around. great video, dude! new sub.
thanks for watching!
Great video, I'm new to 35mm and just ought a Canon AV-1 unfortunately my HP-5 hsent arrived yet, but I think I might give that a try.
def do!
I love that you bring analog printing into the review. There's not many who does that :p
of course! i love printing 😊
Love this whole take. I've been interested in this stock and haven't shot it and I'm looking forward to it more, now! 3:05 - fave! Thanks, from Tokyo.
dope! give it a shot
definitely agree! I tried FP4 like any other film at the very beginning when I started shooting film and then mainly stuck with hp5. But after checking through these older photos recently I noticed how much I liked the results of FP4 and couldn't grasp why I did not stick with it. Now I'm back on it again and want to see how it holds up when shot at 400 or maybe even 800.
Anyway, nice video. Good that someone mentions this beautiful film stock!
yea it def seem like one that many people come back to!
Thanks for another great great video!
Thanks for watching
I LOVE FP4. Great video Ribsy - thanks. Only issue with FP4 for me is that it’s a little slow for life here in the UK (normally). I love its fine grain so I don’t have much interest in pushing it. Which is where Delta 400 comes in. Another peachy film from the wizards at Ilford.
haha yea light is premium out here
The Ilford FP4+ is my workhorse film. I develop it with PMK and the results are just wonderful. Thank you for video!!
Oh very cool!
Hands down my favourite Ilford stock and probably my favourite bw stock after Tri-X. I routinely push it to 400 if the light is not there and when shot at box it looks incredibly smooth. It has bags more character than HP5 does at any speed. I've not bothered picking up HP5 for over a year because of FP4.
Yea it’s a good 400 option!
Hi, why 400 and not 500 Iso (because 125/250/500) ? It's just a simple question because I don't know if I need to push the Fp4 to 400 or 500 ^^
@@ribsy
That shot at 1:25 is gorgeous!!!! Really interesting video : ) Keep up the great work
Thanks 😊
Awesome detailed review dude! I'm still trying out different B&W film stocks as I prefer to shoot mostly color. I have a new video tomorrow talking about my thoughts shooting Rollei Superpan 200 in Texas
superpan 200 sounds interesting!
@@ribsy it’s a cool film! Highly recommend trying it out
Great video. In the 70's I used FP4 all the time but now that I have come back to film HP5+ is my go to film. FP4 is more limited to brighter days but you have inspired me to give it another go. Interestingly I used to print all my photos in a home darkroom and now I just develop the negatives and scan. The frustrating thing was dust on the prints.I could never get rid of it and it always reappeared in different places. The enlarger would heat up and it got progressively worse with each print.Now I use Photoshop Elements to get rid of any dust spots. I notice your photo of the group was covered in dust. Film revival is really negative only revival plus scanning. The home printing process IMO is too hard to get quality results.
It’s def mostly negatives, but more and more people are printing!
You were just too lazy/ sloppy to get good results "back in the day". Don't worry Photoshop can now do everything for you and now you can "wow" your friends and family with "your" amazing pictures.
The FP4 definitely is available in bulk rolls.
Nice choice of camera and lens in particular. The Canon EF 40mm pancake lens is one of my favorite lenses combined with a Canon Rebel camera. Low weight, an accurate light meter and it's easy to adjust the settings + an AF lens with a very versatile focal length, that doesn't attract attention when walking down a crowded street - I love that.
I love the combo too. It’s my #1, I don’t miss with it
Hi Ribsy. Nice review and I hope that you enjoyed Wales. I tend to move between FP4+, Fomapan 100 (Great film and cheap!) and Ilford XP2 400 as I really like the fine grain and contrast of this underrated stock. Thanks!
wales was great. nature there is amazing
Definitely an FP4 fan and totally agree! I love using it with a yellow filter. Prints with rich blacks. Normally develop it in Ilford DD-X 1+4 or Bergger Berspeed 1+1.
i need to try the yellow filter!
Big fan of FP4+, I usually keep a handful of rolls in my fridge in both 35mm and 120 as a 'grab and go' or I need the best possible results and it's outdoors in the spring, summer, and fall. I also love FP4+ in Pyrocat-HD, although my personal favourite is Adox FX-39 II (if you haven't tried that developer I highly recommend it!)
Yea I like messing with pyrocat- gonna be dropping some content on it soon
Well done video! Thanks
I’ve found fp4 and hp5 to be the two staples along an exposure continuum from iso 50 to 1600. They particularly shine for older cameras limited by shutter speed or when looking to capture some degree of grey scale but retaining higher modern contrast for scanning.
I’m curious to see how they hold up as I transition from scanning into a digital print process to a wholly traditional print process both at 35mm and in 120.
yea they are super versatile!
Haven't tried FP4 yet, but I actually find HP5 has lower contrast than Tri-X, which makes it easier to get a decent scan. It's easier for me to add more contrast once it's scanned, than try to fix a scan that has too much contrast.
The FP4 is one of my favorite films, even more than the HP5, I usually developed with the ilfosol3 and do the scan with the epson v600 and love the results mainly the grain.
Can’t go wrong with ilfosol!
I haven't used a lot of it but scanning with a V500 I don't have good results. It really has taken the fun out of shooting film. Stuff with 20 cameras and 300+ rolls of film
@@Zetaphotography Same here. Used to scan my 35mm stuff with a V600, garbage results. Bought and plustek 8200i and the quality of the scans are much better and doesn't feel like a waste shooting film anymore. Need to get my Z6 set up to scan film.
I recommend upgrading scanners
@@Zetaphotography Get a Plustek scanner. Epson scanners are trash for 35mm. Getting a dedicated 35mm scanner changed my life when it comes to photography. The quality is amazing.
Excellent video intro to fp4, thanks. My usual film. One test I did, one camera with fp4 at box, a second at 400 with adjusted development. Repeating the same scene with each camera, developed in D76, and then examined the negs under a microscope at 40x. I could find no discernable difference in either dark or light area rendition, nor in the grain. I also regularly shoot at 50asa. Brilliant film.
it is a good one indeed!
I got back into film last year and FP4 was what I chose. I then developed it in Ilfosol 3 and scanned it with my Z6. It has that same soft gentle textural grain you mentioned and shown. I shot stone buildings and it rendered lots of sharp detail, the grain added to the character and texture of the building materials and scene overall. There was enough latitude to dodge and burn the scanned image, where properly exposed in camera. I’m not sure why it doesn’t get much hype, it seems to be HP5’s low speed counterpart!
You nailed! Such good texture
Thanks for the video. Need to shoot FP4 more now. Did you ever shoot Fomapan 400? Today I shot a roll on iso 800 and man I love it. It was a sunny bright day and need to shoot it at f11 to f22. But the results are beautiful, lot of contrast and still many acceptable highlights. Hope you can shoot a roll of that in the future and give your comments in a video. Love your channel and thanks for sharing. 👍🏻
thanks for watching!
HP5 has been my go-to for years, but I just got scans back from my very first roll of FP4, and I'm blown away. I'm going to buy a few more rolls when I pick up my negatives. Just fantastic.
yea its a good one!
Fp4 is a great film!
Pleasant results and fun to use!
That’s exactly it!
Thanks for the review.
you are welcome
I just developed (xtol 1:1) and scanned my first FP4+ (@200) yesterday and thought exactly that: I should shoot more. 😁
I also used a yellow filter most of the time. But still bumped the contrast a bit after scanning.
Oh good call on the filters!
That shot with the cairn is 🔥
thanks! yea i liked that one
Pretty strange how people seem to forget that there are other cubical grain films from Ilford aside HP5. Pan F is also one of those, would love to see a review and comparison of that one and FP4!
Yea you don’t hear too much about them
FP4 has one of my favourite looks in B&W film (along with HP5+). The Flavr film guide book tested it & got over SEVEN stops of dynamic range, so hella versatile. I bought a few bricks of it in 120 & spring is here, but unfortunately we're in a super tough lockdown now here in Melbourne. But will try & shoot as I exercise & hope not to get beaten up by cops & arrested... 🙄
LOL end the lockdown! vaccine is the way 😊
@@ribsy your comment doesnt make sense, sorry Ribsy
That was an excellent little photo walk film. I couldn't agree more with your conclusions, FP4 is my go to b&w stock. It's great in 35mm and can extract much greater definition even when using cheap point and shoot cameras. In 120 format it's simply wonderful. As you mentioned more than once, it's the grain that makes it. I recently shot on two 1950s Voigtlander cameras, a 35mm Vito iia and a 120 Perkeo 1. These were on sunny or overcast days. Both cameras have a top shutter speed of 300, and some of that speed has probably gone. I shot mostly between f5.6 & f11. The results were outstanding and my only regret is that I didn't have yellow filters, but I got it back in the mix. Another good point is that this film is cheap and widely available. Keep up the good work.
Thanks! I. Enjoyed the images as well
To your point about enlarging, I love using FP4 for half frame. You can make some very usable prints although I’ve never done bigger than 5x7.
Oh good idea! I need to try that
I’m about 3/4 of the way through a box of FP4 4x5 sheets and am happy with the results. You can get it in bulk rolls too. I have shot some that was spoiled from a bulk roll and it was fine.
Nice. Def looking to bulk
I’ve only shot a roll or two of FP4- still trying to find my “go to” B&W stock so not sticking with any one thing yet. Didn’t realize it would do so well at other ISO’s…I’ll have to try that on the next roll! Great vid as always!
Try the id 11 from ilford it gives me great results in this combination :)
Yes! There are so many options - hard to pick
Try Ilford’s Delta films Molly, if you haven’t. I think they’re wonderful and very underrated. Still very reasonably priced compared to Tri-X etc. The internet makes a big deal of their comparative lack of flexibility and latitude compared to FP4 and HP5 but the rumours are not founded on much truth IMO. Ive always found they have a ton of flexibility in scans.
@@samsalam3839 thanks! I’ll have to try that!
Shot my first two rolls recently and glad I did, really like it along with HP5, tri-x, and tmy 400
For sure! It’s a good one
I tend to reach for HP5 because I get the shutter speed and aperture useful for street photography. But I will definitely shoot some of the FP4 in my fridge. Looks good for ISO 200, and that's very cool.
Yea should look good at ISO 200!
I used FP4 for many years , from about 1974 for general commercial photography in 35mm, 120, 5x4. I developed in Ilford ID 11, basically the same as D76. However a darkroom specialist convinced me, around 1990, to switch to Fuji Neopan 100. He also had me get out of my habit of going for a slightly heavy neg by slightly overexposing and exposing at exactly 100 ISO which produced a neg looking slightly thin but, in fact , gave a really reliable full range neg with very fine grain, even with Agfa Rodinal which has not known as a fine grain developer. I used this until I converted to digital in the early 2000’s.
yea this film is dope
Took some FP4 up Snowden this summer and couldn't agree more FP4 is gorgeous!
i need to get out to snowden
FP4 is what I think a classic b+w film should look like. just got my second 100' roll because it's the cheapest ilford option for me, and I'm not complaining about it. I think generally, I like pushing it to 200 with hc110. All that pushing talk has me wanting to get a little crazy though haha. Sweet shots Ribs!
Hahaha to push
FP4 is what YOU think "A CLASSIC b+w FILM SHOULD LOOK LIKE!" wow, how loveley for you.
@@nickwinn7812 thanks FOR CLEARING that UP! LOVEly!
great video as always; I am only somehow puzzled by your statement that stand processing "...minimises minimal grain" as it usually increase acutance (which should be highly linked to grain)....
unless I am totally wrong ;-)
I’m no expert but that’s what I’ve heard
It's a fantastic film. 2 of my bulk rollers always have FP4 and HP5 in them. FP4 and a yellow filter is my ISO 100 goto. I dev in 1+31 Ilford HC but its probably great in most developers.
Dope! Yea I need to bulk roll ASAP
@@ribsy roll your own is the way. it's somewhat cheaper but to be able to roll the numbers of exposures you want is the ticket, sometimes you only want 12 or 20 etc exp - it's quick and easy so you can just roll up what you want and go shoot. I have found that don't bother buying blank cassettes, just save your cassettes from your bought film with a bit of film still in them (ie don't crack em open when getting your film out)
I have 3 rolls of it in the frig right now in 120. I haven't shot it yet because I have been playing with my new to me Nikon F and F2. As soon as I finish one of my roll film backs I will definitely be shooting it.
nice enjoy!
My mentor put me on to FP4...Its definitely one of my top favorite....I like it being the underdog...Keeps the price reasonable 😉...i generally bulk order FP4 because of the price
yea def! great to have this film easily accessible
My favorite 'conventional' B&W film since the late 1070s. My fave dev (Paterson Acutol) disappeared decades ago, but Adox FX39 is a pretty good substitute.
never heard of it but im intrigued!
I do love this film purely for the detail you can get in 35mm. Maybe it isn't what people are after, but I find the detail is so good it can easily be mistaken for a digital shot.
I do wish it had a bit more contrast, but I will need to explore pushing it one time to see how it turns out.
yea this film is great!
Thanks! I agree it’s a great film. I stopped using it, because it is too slow for handheld medium format. I need higher shutter speeds and for ease of focussing the lens not too wide open. Pushing it gave me worse results than with the more sensitive Ilford rolls. If, when the light is not too bright and you are willing to take the time, this is truly a great film.
Fair points!
As I’m really just starting to get into B&W film shooting & developing, I haven’t gotten to all the stocks I want to try, but it’s definitely going on the list to try now
oh you def should! good price
Haven't used it in a long time. Used to use it a lot in 120 with Rodinal. Might try it again one day
Yea I think it’s worth it 🤟🏽
From my experience, it is a popular film in Europe, less in the USA. In here, it is among the "go to" films for students. Go to any photography school and you'll find dozens of FP4s and HP5s. I remember being one of the few with Kodak films back then.
yea seems like americans aren't all up on it
use it generally less than HP5, but its my second most used film. Really nice for summer or tripod work. Use it on medium format Hasselblad 500 series.
yup!
I have just bought a second hand bulk loader with some FP4 in. The seller did a clip test and the bottom is fogged but I can still use it for trying out cameras😊
oh thats dope! i think i will finally jump into bulk loading. FP4 is at the top of the list
I love fp4 and i never cared that people didn't talk about it. I loved your video however, as always.
Yea it’s cool. Encouraging more people to try it
I shot a roll of FP4 around a month ago. I loved how it looked when rated at box speed. My shots have low grain and good contrast. And the best part is I was shooting a navel museum so my pictures can't be dated lol. I bought another roll to shoot just because I loved how it looked!
thats pretty cool. timeless photos are the best
Whitsands bay 😃 my favourite place in the world. Nice photos 🙂
Yea definitely
My favourite b&w film, especially developed in LC29 👌
Yea it’s a good one!
FP4 is my go to in 120. I shoot it at 100 to get a nice, lower-contrast negative. It scans nicely. The grain is present, but it has a lovely, old-school look. My favorite film.
yea i can see why!
one of my faovrite, along with Pan F. although in 35mm i went to kentmere 100, it's really close to fp4 but 25% cheaper. it's only drawback is that it's only available in 35mm
i still haven't tried pan F
I love FP4. My go-to medium speed B&W. Normally it's shot during bright lights and push to 200 for just the right amount of contrast
yea 200 sounds like the sweet spot!
Used to shoot FP4 a lot in the 90s. Produced lovely negatives that could produce a nice diversity of prints. Also liked Ilford Delta films.
Very cool! I love film haha
hiha, FP4 ... mine goes in a TLR (120 film) at iso 80 and souped in Perceptol ... Printed at 10x10 inch keeps you wondering "where did that grain go? ;) thx for the video Ribsy :)
Haha that’s a dope recipe!
I keep meaning to experiment with FP4 pulled to ISO50 or 64 and processed in Rollei RLS Low Speed.
Yea that’s a good bet
You can actually get superfine grain from this film, if you develop it in Perceptol. Especially if you pull it down to ISO 50 and develop accordingly. Grain so fain you can actually see if your lens has reached maximum possible resolution. If done so and shooted on the 35mm film, in my eyes, it almost rivals medium format look. Done it many times and always got great results.
I've started to use that film back in the high school (many, many decades ago), and of course, took the full advantage of bulk packaging...
Interesting. Gotta try it
Been using this film for the last 40 years it always produces the results never pushed it
very cool!
Oh man, I love FP4. I don't shoot much, because I don't shoot slower films often with 35mm, but when I shoot my Hassleblad, It's my go-to B&W film since it's easier to slow down (even more than regular film cameras) with the Hassey.
I want a hasselblad lol
@@ribsy They're fun. I actually got mine really cheap a few years ago. Some guy just needed some cash Got lucky or else I probably wouldn't be able to budget one normally.
It is my main film. I shoot tons of 120 and 4x5. I love the neutral look and crispness. I call it “crunchy”. In Xtol, there is no better look in b&w Film IMO!
Haha not too crunchy tho
Love FP4, develop in XTol, great results.
Nice! Need to try xtol
That my all time favorite film/dev combo and my go-to for just about everything!
Awesome!
for sure!
I shoot FP4+ in 120 and love it. I always develop in Rodinal at 18°C.
Niceeee lots of rodinal lovers
Great film that I’ve only used at box speed, going to try between 50 and 400 this weekend on a PA trip, I’ve got 5 120 rolls 😀
Yea great indeed!
FP4 is one of my favourite go to films, I like it so much I now buy it in bulk and roll my own.
I need to do that too!
This film has a great value. FP4 is my go to film for casual photography and goes nicely with red or yellow filters. Alway keep at least one camery loaded with it and try to have a stock of 5 roles in the fridge.
such great value!
FP4+ and HP5+ is all I need. Maybe an occasional near-infrared film for fun.
yea can't go wrong with that!
Just put a roll of this in my Minolta Autocord. Have never shot it before.
Niceee enjoy
Shhhhhhh don't tell everyone, it's still quite affordable and easy to get hold off.
I love shooting it for portraits.
Haha it will remain that way. They make a lot
Ilford FP4 is my go to, Black and white film.
Living in California, specifically during the summer something like HP5 is to fast and I need something slower and FP4 is the film that does the Job for me.
yea makes sense!
Have to agree I grew up with FP4 and HP5 bulk rolled must of taken 1000s of pictures I always found it forgiving we always developed it in ID11 or D76 were our stock developer at school and home now back shooting film again good to see it is still going strong now need to convince my other half to let me build a darkroom lol 😂
Haha good luck with the darkroom!
Hi, I prefer the Delta 100. The difference is in the high light separation ...in my opinion.
yea fair point!
I like FP4 for one main reason. Shortest dev time in Ilfosol 3 haha
hahah fair point
Man I love fp4, such a beautiful film in both 35mm and 120. I feel like it's a popular film, but just doesn't get as much media attention as HP5, Tri-X etc.
Yea it def doesn’t get enough attention. I like it!
Just developed a 120 roll, unfortunately messed up when rolling up into the canister
Ahh damn!
@@ribsy I know man and the next roll has an issue where one part of it is bent/folded I have no idea what happened
just ordered some FP4 in 120. Now I'm gonna need to get some for 35mm :)
for sure! you'll enjoy it
Fav mono film
Yea it’s a good one
They do sell in bulk roll on the fpp website
Gonna check it out!
for me, thats the BEST film especially in Microphen, dope
Microphen is great!
Does Pyro stain the negatives and what does that mean other than your negatives look like coffee color?
yea it stains the negative but aggressively like coffee
The stain is oxidisation that controls the highlights so the more staining the better just remember to use water as a stop bath and a Alkaline fixer otherwise you will wash the stain away which you don't want to do
For me, FP4+ falls between two stools. It's neither flexible enough to be used instead of HP5+ nor fine grain enough to replace Delta 100 or Adox CMS 20. It's a film I will use if I run out while out and about, find a Boots and they have no HP5+ or XP2 left.
Fair enough, those others are good too
Exactly how I feel. The look is so similar to HP5 that I might as well just embrace that gorgeous grain and shoot HP5 and have the flexibility. If I know I'm going on a big hike or carrying a tripod or something then I'm going to run with Delta 100 or Acros 100.
@@Chrizzowski Yes, especially if using something like Microphen for HP5+, which I think brings down the grain a fair bit.
@@ribsy Yes, there's nothing wrong with FP4+, it just doesn't suit how I shoot.
FP4 is my go to 1000%
i can see why!
I love this film...but for some reason I use HP5 much more often. Should definitely use FP4 more often though...
yea both are solid but i think i like fp4 more
FP4 I've just never loved.... Same with HP5. I'm a Delta lover. :)
Gotcha! Been messing with delta and it’s legit
@@ribsy Delta 400 pushed just one stop, dev'd in XTOL is probably my favorite all-around B&W look (of gajillions). :)
Yes you should! I think FP4 is a lot nicer than HP5.
yea i really like it
I love FP4
yea iim a fan too!