ILFORD DELTA 100 IS AWESOME! IS IT THE BEST ILFORD FILM? 🤔 

"Smell the emulsion and fart out the answer" I had to laugh very hard there. Thanks for sharing :)

Of course you would test Delta 100 on a stonking great medium format camera! The main point of Delta 100 for me is that you can use it in 35mm format with surprising definition, far surpassing the definition you get from FP4+. "35mm sir + good prime lenses + Delta 100" = "Is that a medium format camera? Your prints are really sharp!" . I'd guess FP4+ has a base resolution (the resolution achievable between very fine, low contrast details) of around 55 lppm on the negative. Delta 100 has a base resolution at or just above 70 lppm. That's a 30% increase in lateral resolution, enough to make a very noticeable difference in any prints over 9x6 inches from 35mm negs. And that's a 30% reduction in graininess, too. A lot! The only slight downside to Delta 100 (as with 400), compared to the classic emulsion films, is that the highlights tend to get a little over excited and disappear off the print very easily - so more burning in is needed. Classic emulsion films have more of a shoulder on the highlight part of the tonal curve i.e. the highlights "roll off" - not so with the Delta films, unfortunately. As far as exposure tolerance, I haven't noticed any problems - I regularly (not deliberately) overexpose up to a stop and end up discarding that extra stop of shadow detail on the print, without seeing any problems. Or with dynamic range - I wouldn't expect it to match classic emulsion films in this respect, but the dynamic range is still easily adequate - I have burned in sky details about five/six stops brighter than the Zone 9 value. Yep, nice (even "great") film for 35mm. I'm not a medium format guy, so can't comment about the pros and cons of it with that - I would think I'd be opting for a 400 ISO film with MF anyway, simply on the basis that I prefer doing things handheld, not clamped to a tripod.

I've got a 100' roll of 35mm sitting in my fridge. Looking forward to using it in the New Zealand summer.

I did fall off a cliff and it’s something you never forget.

Another possible "best developer" is XTOL (Adox XT3 as a great substitute). I unfortunately live in a high latitude and am not too keen on the use of tripod so I still have a Couple rolls Delta 120 from a brick bought years ago. I deem to try it again ahead for a trip overseas or even night exposures (long exposures) together with learning it properly and adjusting development accordingly. Previously I used HC110 which brought quite some nice contrast but perhaps a bit crunchy. In the 400 front I stock both Hp5 and Delta 400, but should do some consolidation work as well. In 35mm I infact like T-grain as it maximises quality out of the small negative. Perhaps people should just print larger if they say it has no grain 🤣🤣. I shot some D100 last year and then I stocked some to replace TMX. I learned to love Kodak for colour film, also B&W but the pricing now is just too high for the latter.

i love delta, used it heaps in the 90's. often used agfa chemicals and got great results. i used to shoot FP4 before that and i found it a bit soft. i just loved what delta did for me. i used a nikon FE and F90 and never had a problem with exposure. never shot medium format, but i shot a bit of 5x4 with a graflex speed graphic. drop a neg on the light box and the result was amazing!

Greetings from Aoteoroa/ New Zealand. Hmmmmm, a cautionary approach to cliff tops seems to be a good idea! And makes for nice coastal prints. Thanks for the cool video.

There is so much to learn from you Roger. Thank you. RS. Canada

nice photos never used delta 100 might get a roll to try out.

Pro tip…just meter off those middle gray pants 👍

It’s a superb film. Not cheap but it has beautiful tonality.

Great video, Roger. Always great tips and info. Thanks. KB

Great photos. And I agree Delta 100 is fantastic. Shot my first roll a couple of months ago. Was very surprised by the results.

Prints came out looking good! Been meaning to give Pyro or PMK a try. Also, whenever I'm lugging around my RZ67, I have it attached to my tripod and carry it over my shoulder in the "Thor's Hammer" configuration -- makes it way easier to move around. Just gotta be confident in the tripod head... lol. I usually also have the AE Prism attached too, which adds another kilo / 2 lbs or so. After that, carrying around the Mamiya 645 ProTL feels like nothing. hah

You avoided the Graffiti on the sea wall😂 You’re right near the spot where Olivia Parks lived in an old hut on the beach in the 40’s-60’s. Good video as always!

Thanks Phil.

Fantastic video once again. Love watching the process in your developing. I will look to developing my own film in the future but for now I’m gonna stick to HP5+

It's good stuff!

Thanks for the video!

Delta 100 Ilford is the best 100 Iso film. I exposed it with great results at 200 iso and developed in D76 1:1 13 min.

Delta 100 developed in D76 stock... yes, it is the best 100 ISO film. I love it.

Very nice. Would have been nice to see that last shot with a green filter. This is the way to shoot medium and large format, just acamera and two lenses at most. Light, pirtable, and full of quality.

Thanks! Great video. I’ll try the Delta. I was happy that you SHOWED the changes in the exposure settings. I don’t always feel sure what people mean by “stepping up”. A higher f or s number, which means less exposure, or step up the amount of light, which means lower numbers.

Just subscribed! Thanks for your content!

Great content, as always. Thx! I switched from T-Max to Delta last year. To get a starting point I currently use the recommended DD-X developer for now and I am happy with the results. I am on my second roll of Delta3200, the first one came out okay, but I think it is rather the high ISO in general, that I do not like than the film. I did not like the T-Max 3200 either. I loved the 35mm Fujifilm Neopan in 1600.

You want to get yourself a small aircon for the shed. Especially for summer!! Last lot of B&W film I bought was some Ferrania P30 and Orto, plus a couple of boxes of Agent Shadow.

DELTA100 is my favorite film. I use it consistently on technical or architectural objects. Because of the specific silver structure, the images are getting very sharp and crisp. For development, I use a developer from SPUR Acurol N.

Yes, probably because it says "Professional" on the box... that's the other reason I bought it, that and because it was less than $10.00 a roll! Have a good one!

I may have a slight obsession with Delta 100 in 4x5. Its remarkable. Stand developing it will tame the contrast also when needed.

Oh no, I couldn't get that near the edge, gives me the willies just watching!

Beautiful film. It's a pity that here, in Italy, the costs are becoming increasingly proibitive!

I prefer DD-X with Delta films. You may want to try it. However 510 Pyro is fine. I like it in the darkroom over Pyro. Good job on the metering. Excellent production with valuable nuggets within it.

Tried delta 100 a few times and the results are very nice, but i still love HP5 as my fave black and white. So easy to push and pull, having a roll in your kit wont leave you stranded unlike delta 100 in lower light.

I have a mamiya 645 pro tl that is much more travel friendly than the RB/RZ. With T grained film, you start losing grain on 120, but gain amazing detail. Personally, I prefer Kodak Tmax 400. In 35 mm I can easily make 16" prints with 20" doable especially upsizing with topaz gigapixel ai. However, I still love ilford 3200 in mf for the larger grain which for my money, 645 is the goldilocks for that grain. Not over powering as in 35 mm, not minimal in 67. Put if I want more sharpness I reach for T grain then over expose 2/3 stop and cut development 15% giving me not only detail in the shadows, but moving the shadows up off the toe so there is more contrast. Cutting development time not only preserves highlights but moves the highlights left on the histogram giving me a scan that I can expand shadows down, not image quality damaging up, and I have plenty of hightlight detail.

Great video

Monster face at 14:52; it waits in the rocks to get you!

It is impossible to say which film is the best. It depends on what you are looking for. For instance, visible grain can be desirable in some pictures, while not in others. For instance, for my liking, the best Ilford film in most cases is FP4+. It is not as grainy as HP5+, and it has a bit more contrast, which I personally like. But it is not as sterile looking as Delta 100 or XP2 processed in C-41 are. That said, these films have their applications, but for my photography, a more classic look is what I want from my black & white films. Color is a different story.

I like PanF and it's only about $1 more. I haven't had the greatest results with any of the Delta line, sadly. I remember when you had trouble with 3200. I shot mine at 1600 and dev'd for 3200. Still thin but not unusable. Got one good print from it, and the grain is excellent considering.

I cannot really see differences! small screen laptop, monster TV Roku! Look good both. I don't like Delta or T-Max because of long fixing times!

Great stuff. Unfortunately I don’t think I have scenery like that within 8 hours of me.

Nice

What brand, and size of filter are you using, please?

I agree to I use Delta 100 and 400 it is a nice film. Great video more than likley it was the battery Happened to me with my Bronica

Almost to fine of grain . Really have to watch exposure and development , can really get contrasty . Nice film . Great delta 3200 .

For me the best Ilford's film is FP4, I like gradation of gray tones and it's grain structure))

Delta 100 is THE best Ilford film! It’s my go to when I’m shooting B&W in my … Holga. And it’s what I used yesterday when I learned to dev and scan my first roll of film. 🎉

DD-x is specially designed for Delta 3200 and Delta 100 ... should stick to this combination ...

Great video. The tripod does not really look "sturdy", it's to some degree "breathtaking" 😉

it aint half hot mum ... I noticed that ...( any chance of a print to compare fine film grain Tabular Delta tab grain v FP4 ..HP5 cube ..)

No cable release? No mirror lockup?

Another great lesson from the Master!! I would make sure my coffee mug was not so close to chemistry, however. Although a stray drop or tow in your coffee won't be deadly, it is not good to tempt fate, lol. When I was in college a classmate splashed developer and a few drops got into his soda can. He later drank from that can and had some sort of allergic reaction and had to go to hospital. He was alright but it sure was a lesson NOT in the syllabus!

The only time I tried Ilford Delta 100 was when I spent some time in the UK a few months back, blew through a couple of rolls for the week I was there… unfortunately I can’t say I liked most of the photos. Not really due to the film, so much as the constant cloudy gray days I was shooting in! The 100 speed was maybe a bad match for me trying to shoot in such conditions also considering I was shooting a relatively slow lens. At best, everything was just kinda… blah. And at worst, it was kinda blah AND blurry due to having to shoot at like, 1/15. I’d love to try it again, just in better lighting. Being a tabular grain film it should be the most similar to my favorite film, Tmax 100, so I had (and continue to have) higher expectations for what I could get out of that film.

You say that the Delta series is less tolerable or forgiving in terms of latitude than HP4/5? Which do you prefer? My first roll of 120 film was Delta 400, which I bought thinking in terms of it being an in-between speed. Didn't get it developed though, I think I may have fogged it trying to get it into various cameras. With the cost of the film and processing I'm afraid of the outcome! Cheers.

It must be murder in those sheds in the sun. With so much time spent there maybe battens and a second roof would be prudent. Did wonders in my barn that I use as a cold workshop. Used to be an oven in summer.

You look just like Sean Connery mate 👍🏾

It's good. But I'm FP4+ fanboy all the way. Especially with 1:100 rodinal developing.

Im sorry, I prefer t-max 400, Cokin filters still exist ?

DELTA 400 is my B&W film of choice.

If you're shooting the whole film through a yellow filter, why not meter at 50 ISO? Then you don't need to think about exposure competition.