Head to head
Ilford HP5+ vs Fujifilm Superia X-Tra 400
Both are 400-speed, both are the cheap-ish workhorse you reach for when the light is uncertain, and both turn up in the same "what should I load for a day of walking around" conversations. The split is simple and total: Ilford HP5+ is black and white, Fujifilm Superia X-Tra 400 is color. Everything else (grain, latitude, how you process it, what it costs to run) follows from that one fork.
How they differ
The obvious split is color. HP5+ is black and white, Superia X-Tra 400 is color negative, so half the time the decision is made before you weigh anything else. If the subject lives or dies on color (a market stall, a sunset, autumn leaves) Superia is the answer. If you are after tone, contrast, and texture, HP5+ gives you a deeper well to draw from. Both run at box speed 400, both have grain you can see, and both are happy in mixed daylight.
Processing and flexibility are where they part ways in practice. HP5+ goes through B&W chemistry and rewards home development, and it takes a push to 1600 or beyond better than most. You control the contrast curve through your developer choice and timing. Superia needs standard C-41, which any lab runs cheaply and fast, but you get what the process gives you, and it does not push gracefully. On cost and availability, HP5+ is one of the most stocked B&W films anywhere and tends to be cheaper per roll. Superia X-Tra 400 has gotten pricier and harder to find consistently as color film supply tightened, so check stock before you commit a project to it.
Choose Ilford HP5+
Pick HP5+ if you develop your own film, or want to. It is forgiving in the tank, handles a wide range of developers, and pushes cleanly to 800 or 1600 when the light drops. It is the standard for street, documentary, reportage, and anyone learning the zone system, because it eats exposure mistakes and still hands you a printable negative. If you like grain as part of the look and want to control contrast yourself, this is the one.
Full Ilford HP5+ guide →Choose Fujifilm Superia X-Tra 400
Pick Superia X-Tra 400 if you want color and you want it easy. Drop the roll at any lab for C-41, get back punchy, slightly cool-leaning frames with good skin tones and plenty of speed for overcast days, indoors near windows, and late afternoon. It suits family photos, travel, parties, and anyone who wants a film look without a darkroom. If color is the whole point of the shot, black and white cannot substitute for it.
Full Fujifilm Superia X-Tra 400 guide →The verdict
This is not really a contest between two black and white films or two color films, it is a question of what you want the picture to be. Want color and a lab-and-go workflow? Superia. Want tonal control, push latitude, and a film you can develop in your kitchen for less money? HP5+. Many shooters keep both in the bag and load whichever the scene asks for.