T-Pan vs Real Film: Round 2
I wrote a post yesterday where I compared my new T-Pan for Lightroom Presets , applied to some Fuji X-Pro 2 images, against some real film. It wasn’t meant to be taken too seriously, and wasn’t meant as a scientific comparison. I wanted to show, that I could mix images from both together in a single story and they would work together well. However, someone suggested that It wasn’t a fair comparison, because the film I was using Ilford XP2 wasn’t “real” black and white film.
A commenter posted:
Sorry Thomas but you need to try this with an actual B&W film, not a color film processed for B&W. Try Ilford FP4+ or Delta 100 or HP5+ or Delta 400.
I always respect and appreciate feedback, but in this case, I have to disagree (respectfully), and I reject the notion that Iford XP2 isn’t a "real" black and white film. While it is a colour process film, it’s been used for decades and people love it. Take this post about XP2 by Steve Huff for example. If you want to be a purist about it, then no, it’s not the same as say, Neopan, but saying it’s actually a colour film processed as black and white is taking it a little too far. Ilford XP2 is a perfectly valid choice for those wanting to shoot black and white, especially given the difficulties that can be had getting pure black and white processed in certain places.
Incidentally, I’ve written before about this notion of things being “real” or not when it comes to photography, and here’s my views on this kind of photographic ideology.
Anyway, for thoroughness, here’s round two. For this I’ve used scanned Neopan Acros film. I think that’s about as pure a black and white film as you can get. (Cue comments telling me what that is not the case)
Again, this is just for fun. As I pointed out in the first post, it’s not a scientific experiment, it’s just for fun. The point was to show a set of mixed images in a Photo essay type scenario, and that in such a scenario so that the differences wouldn't jump out at you. The idea was to be able to integrate shots taken on different mediums. I don’t think for a second that they would stand up to scrutiny or a detailed analysis, and that wasn’t the point of the first post, nor is it of this
The digital shots here are from a mix of cameras (Fuji XP2, Sony A6000 and Nikon D700), but the film is all Acros. Again, mixed in together, and if you click to view them large and hover over the bottom you’ll see which is which. Enjoy. Oh, and don’t forget to check out T-Pan.
