Response to Ilford Delta.

I've used Delta 100 extensively for two or three years and can offer the following information (4x5 and 35mm): Delta 100 (and 400) are quite different from their T-Max counterparts. The highight gradation is better seperated with Delta; T-Max almost looks stepped, like bad digital! Delta 100 is NOT a 100 EI film. For 0.1>B+F, EI:50. This was measured on 4x5; 35mm, because of slightly more fog, might have a little more speed, but not significant. I measured Delta 400 at EI:250. Now for the best developer: PMK! Gordon Hutchings 'Pyro- Metol-Kodalk' available from Photographer's Formulary, or easily mixed yourself. (See "The Book of Pyro" or Steve Anchell's "Darkroom Cookbook")Here's why: Pyro is a staining developer. This means that part of the image is made up of stain in the gelatine rather than silver halide crystals (grain.) Like XP-2's 'dye clouds', but with- out the aggrivation of C-41! But where XP-2 has poor accutance (because C-41 doesn't produce Mackey lines) Pyro produces extremely high accutance. The result is VERY low grain and VERY high sharpness, further enhancing Delta 100's already excellent properties. Besides sharpness and low grain, Delta 100 is a 'beautiful' film. That is, of course, purely subjective, but if you are a photographer, you know what I mean. Some films are just prettier than others. Tri-X is still popular because it is beautiful. Likewise Agfa 25. Other Agfa films are strangely ugly. But the prize for ugly goes to T-Max. Once you get your proper developer and time/temp down with Delta 100, you'll never want to use anything else. By the way, HP-5+ in PMK is stunning, very low grain, all the loveliness of Tri-X, but with less fog. HP-5+ can be very grainy (for special effects) by developing in Rodinal. Hope this helps.

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