Observations: In my book, Ilford HP5 Plus comes in as a close second to Kentmere Pan 400. My biggest concern is that, when I expose for shadows, HP5’s highlights tend to blow out with dense overexposure more often than what Kentmere Pan 400 does. On the positive side, HP5 is rather fine grained for its film speed. Its contrast also often looks great straight out of the scanner.
Nikon FM10 with Nikkor 50mm f/2 AI lens, Ilford HP5 Plus 400 film, 1/500 sec., f/5.6.
Note how well Ilford HP5 Plus preserves shadow detail without blowing out sunlit highlights.
Left: Nikon F with Nikkor-S 50mm f/1.4 lens, Ilford HP5 Plus 400 film, 1/500 sec., f/4.
Another example of HP5’s excellent shadow performance.
Right: Nikon FM10 with Nikkor 50mm f/2 AI lens, Ilford HP5 Plus 400 film, 1/500 sec., f/8.
Both shadows and highlights are well balanced in this image.Nikon FM10 with Nikkor 50mm f/2 AI lens, Ilford HP5 Plus 400 film, 1/2000 sec., f/16.
A lot of other 400-speed films would have rendered the sky far grainer than what HP5 did here. Only a few small areas on the edge of one cloud are on the verge of overexposure.
Left: Nikon FM10 with Nikkor 50mm f/2 AI lens, Ilford HP5 Plus 400 film, 1/2000 sec., f/5.6.
This brightly-lit landscape has excellent tonal range.
Right: Nikon FM10 with Nikkor 50mm f/2 AI lens, Ilford HP5 Plus 400 film, 1/1000 sec., f/11.
Note how well HP5 handles this harshly bright subject.
