It was recommended to me to try pushing Ilford Delta 400 next in my quest for a film to shoot handheld indoors at home, so on this installment of Developing Adventures, I have pushed a roll of 120 Ilford Delta 400 to 1600.
I developed it in stock Kodak D-76 for a whopping 14 minutes and 30 seconds. I fixed the film in Ilford Rapid Fixer for 6 minutes and agitated 10 seconds every minute.
The results remind me of the results I had with pushing Kodak TX 400 to 1600. The contrast is pretty dominant. I like that the grain is low. It only seems to show in the shadows.
A roll of Kodak Tri-X-x 400 is around $6.49 and a roll of Ilford Delta 400 is $5.99 on B&H, so I may have to lean more towards the Delta 400.
Right Pic: Ilford Delta 400 at 1600
When compared to Ilford Delta 3200 at 1600, it has more contrast, but it also loses more information in the darker areas and shadows, whereas Delta 3200 still retains detail as you can see above.
Right Pic: Ilford Delta 400 at 1600
Although, when compared to Ilford Delta 3200 at 1600, the pushed Delta 400 seems to retain highlights better than the other and the grain is a little less as seen above.
Right Pic: Ilford Delta 400 at 1600
When comparing it to Ilford HP5 400 pushed to 1600, the Delta 400 at 1600 again has more contrast and less grain which gives it a cleaner look.
I also like the skin tones with Delta 400 pushed to 1600 better than the others I’ve tried.
Final Thoughts
I still love Ilford Delta 3200 pulled to 1600. Its price tag means it’s not a film I would grab for often. I think now that I know it can be pushed to 1600 with results that I like, Ilford Delta 400 has now taken the lead. Should I try pushing it to 3200? What other films should I try next?
If you’ve been following along with my developing adventures, let me know in the comments which film you think has performed the best with my subjects.
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Until next time, stay motivated and keep shooting.
Those shots had nice contrast. My favorite budget B&W is Kentmere Pan 400. It has some decent latitude. I’d be interested to see your results if you pushed a roll of that.
Good idea I have a couple rolls.