4 ms·

I decided to switch to digital for anything where I want to go over 400 ISO. My personal feelings are that the image quality of 800 ISO film is just terrible. Y

I decided to switch to digital for anything where I want to go over 400 ISO. My personal feelings are that the image quality of 800 ISO film is just terrible. YMMV based on personal preference, I know people who really like the look of fast film.

ghaff 7y ago
Leaving aside the work associated with chemical processing generally, you could “coax” ISO/ASA 400 B&W films up to 1600. Maybe 2400. But you definitely lost a lot as soon as you started pushing. For a lot of photography, especially basic journalist event stuff, I find the fact that I can go to about 3200 without even thinking about it a huge benefit of digital.
- klodolph 7y ago
  Sure, you can push two stops if you like swaths of flat black in your photo. Same thing with TMZ, which says “3200” on the box but if you look carefully it doesn’t actually say “ISO 3200”, because its ISO speed is actually something like 800.
i_am_proteus 7y ago
Tri-X 320 pushes to 800 pretty well.
- klodolph 7y ago
  I’m not happy with it. YMMV. I don’t like Tri-X in general though.
  - i_am_proteus 7y ago
    Fair enough. I should mention that I use diluted Ilfosol 3 when pushing and get better results than DD-X/D76.
    - klodolph 7y ago
      I use XTOL, which is the closest Kodak equivalent to Ilfosol 3. D-76 is a nice developer but it’s just not quite as good as the newer formulations like XTOL and Ilfosol 3. You can call it “push” development, but ISO speed is actually measured with a specific developer, and you will get a different speed with different developers before you even push it. This is typically true for XTOL and Ilfosol 3. You basically get an extra half or two thirds of a stop just by using a better developer.
abruzzi 7y ago
fast color film isn't my cup of tea, but I have shot Delta 3200 (in 120 format, 6x7 and 6x4.5) at exposures closer to 6400, and have gotten some great images. (developed in 24c Xtol.)
copperx 7y ago
Medium format 800 ISO film is beautiful and low noise. 35mm, in the other hand, sucks if not pushed 3 stops.

ghaff 7y ago

Leaving aside the work associated with chemical processing generally, you could “coax” ISO/ASA 400 B&W films up to 1600. Maybe 2400. But you definitely lost a lot as soon as you started pushing. For a lot of photography, especially basic journalist event stuff, I find the fact that I can go to about 3200 without even thinking about it a huge benefit of digital.

klodolph 7y ago
Sure, you can push two stops if you like swaths of flat black in your photo. Same thing with TMZ, which says “3200” on the box but if you look carefully it doesn’t actually say “ISO 3200”, because its ISO speed is actually something like 800.

i_am_proteus 7y ago

Tri-X 320 pushes to 800 pretty well.

klodolph 7y ago
I’m not happy with it. YMMV. I don’t like Tri-X in general though.
- i_am_proteus 7y ago
  Fair enough. I should mention that I use diluted Ilfosol 3 when pushing and get better results than DD-X/D76.
  - klodolph 7y ago
    I use XTOL, which is the closest Kodak equivalent to Ilfosol 3. D-76 is a nice developer but it’s just not quite as good as the newer formulations like XTOL and Ilfosol 3. You can call it “push” development, but ISO speed is actually measured with a specific developer, and you will get a different speed with different developers before you even push it. This is typically true for XTOL and Ilfosol 3. You basically get an extra half or two thirds of a stop just by using a better developer.

abruzzi 7y ago

fast color film isn't my cup of tea, but I have shot Delta 3200 (in 120 format, 6x7 and 6x4.5) at exposures closer to 6400, and have gotten some great images. (developed in 24c Xtol.)

copperx 7y ago

Medium format 800 ISO film is beautiful and low noise. 35mm, in the other hand, sucks if not pushed 3 stops.