Film guide
The best black and white film
Black and white film is the one corner of the hobby where the old names still win. The emulsions photographers actually keep in the fridge are mostly the ones that have been around for decades, because they scan well, push predictably, and you can buy them anywhere. Flashy boutique stocks come and go. A reliable 400 speed roll does not.
I picked across the speeds you actually need, from a slow ISO 50 for bright daylight and big enlargements up to a 3200 for available dark. I weighted real availability and cost heavily, because a film you cannot reorder is not a film you can learn. Grain, tonality, and how forgiving the exposure latitude is broke the ties. A budget Foma sits next to the Ilford and Fuji staples on purpose, and there is one C-41 option for people who do not want to mix chemistry.
- 1Ilford HP5+
ISO 400 B&W negative, Ilford
The default answer for a reason. HP5+ is the most forgiving 400 around, it pushes cleanly to 1600 and beyond, and it is stocked everywhere in every format. Grain is honest rather than fine, so it reads as classic reportage instead of clinical. If you only learn one film, learn this one.
Read the full Ilford HP5+ guide - 2Ilford FP4+
ISO 125 B&W negative, Ilford
The mid-speed companion to HP5 and a sharper, finer-grained negative for daylight and tripod work. FP4+ has a gorgeous tonal curve and enormous latitude, which is why it is a darling of large format shooters. At 125 it is a touch slow for handheld indoors, so pair it with HP5 rather than replacing it.
Read the full Ilford FP4+ guide - 3Fujifilm Acros II
ISO 100 B&W negative, Fujifilm
The finest grain on this list and the best reciprocity behavior of any modern B&W film, which makes it the go-to for long night exposures and astro work. Acros II scans beautifully with smooth, almost grainless midtones. It costs more than the Ilford staples and only comes in 35mm and 120, but for clean ISO 100 work nothing touches it.
Read the full Fujifilm Acros II guide - 4Ilford Delta 3200
ISO 3200 B&W negative, Ilford
For concerts, dim bars, and handheld interiors where you genuinely need the speed. Its true ISO sits closer to 1000, so rate it accordingly and let the chunky, atmospheric grain do its thing. Nobody buys this for fine grain, they buy it because the alternative is no photo at all.
Read the full Ilford Delta 3200 guide - 5Fomapan 100 Classic
ISO 100 B&W negative, Fomapan
The budget pick that punches well above its price. Fomapan 100 has a lovely old-school look with a bit more grain than the Ilford 100s and a thinner base, so handle it gently in the developing tank. At roughly half the cost of the name brands it is the right film to shoot a lot of and not feel precious about.
Read the full Fomapan 100 Classic guide - 6Ilford Delta 100
ISO 100 B&W negative, Ilford
Ilford's tabular-grain 100, sharper and finer than FP4 with a more modern, neutral rendering. Great for product, landscape, and anything you plan to enlarge hard. It is a little less forgiving of sloppy exposure than the traditional emulsions, so meter properly.
Read the full Ilford Delta 100 guide - 7Ilford Pan F+
ISO 50 B&W negative, Ilford
The slow splurge for maximum detail. Pan F+ at ISO 50 delivers razor grain and snappy contrast that suits bright sun and big prints. The catch is real, it does not hold latent images well, so develop it within a few weeks of shooting rather than letting rolls sit for months.
Read the full Ilford Pan F+ guide - 8CineStill BwXX
ISO 250 B&W negative, CineStill
Kodak's Double-X motion picture stock, the same emulsion behind a lot of black and white cinema. It gives a grittier, silver-rich, cinematic look at a nominal 250 and pushes with character. A great change of pace from the Ilford house style when you want something with more bite.
Read the full CineStill BwXX guide - 9Ilford XP2 Super 400
ISO 400 B&W negative, Ilford
The convenience option, a B&W film that develops in standard C-41 color chemistry so any one-hour lab can run it. Enormous latitude means you can rate it anywhere from 50 to 800 on one roll. Grain is very smooth, though purists will note it lacks the true silver bite of the others here.
Read the full Ilford XP2 Super 400 guide