Ilford Delta 3200

Despite having predominantly used Ilford films for several decades, Delta 3200 is an emulsion that I have largely ignored. Maybe one reason for avoiding it was past experience from around 15 years ago when I used it when shooting on 35mm at gigs in very poor lighting. I remember the results being unbelievably grainy, underexposed and with very harsh contrast. I also can’t remember what developer I used all those years ago. However, with the experience of the intervening years, I realise that, in black and white, the choice of developer can make or break your results!

I have generally been very wary of higher speed films, especially as I shoot a lot of landscapes, where excessive grain is definitely undesirable. I also have to confess a preference for emulsions with a conventional grain structure, rather than delta/t-grain.

Fast forward to a few months ago, I thought that I would give this emulsion another chance but this time in medium format and in good lighting.

Ilford have a very detailed data sheet about the film on their website. Delta 3200 Professional claims to be the fastest black and white emulsion on the market, a panchromatic film on a clear acetate base. Whilst Ilford state that it can be shot at box speed, they suggest that good image quality can be obtained between EI 400 and 6400. Ilford’s testing has determined an ISO speed rating of 1000 in daylight.

I loaded up one of my Hasselblad A12 film backs and headed out on a sunny morning for a walk along the promenade from Blackpool to Cleveleys. Knowing that I could play on the film’s strong contrast, I added a Hoya red (25A) filter to my 80mm standard lens. Having read Ilford’s data sheet, I decided to expose the film at EI 1600 rather than box speed as my thought was that it could give a better tonal range.

After considering what developers I had available, I decided that I needed something that would give good tonality and “fine” grain. I selected one of my current favourites, Zone Imaging’s 510 Pyro, diluting 1+100 and developing for 13 minutes and 30 seconds at 20 Celsius. This equates to a one stop pull in development.

I have to admit, I was totally amazed with the results! Yes, the film has strong contrast, further enhanced by my choice of filter. There is noticeable grain but it is perfectly acceptable, certainly in scans on my Epson V750 Pro. I have also printed some of the images in the darkroom at 10 x 10 inches and, at a normal viewing distance, the grain is not particularly obtrusive.

Based on these results, I will definitely not be hesitant to use Delta 3200 again in medium format. This emulsion gives great results pulled to 1600 in 510 Pyro under daylight conditions. The large negative helps in taming the grain, as does using a fine grain developer. Shame it’s not available as 4 x 5” sheet film! If you shoot medium format film, I would highly recommend giving Ilford Delta 3200 Professional a try.

Photographic Beginnings . . .

My journey in photography began when I was only about 7 years old. My Dad was a keen amateur photographer who had done some semi-professional portraiture in the 1950’s from a rented studio above a local shop. He had also developed and printed his own black and white films for many years, including for clients.

At home we had an old Ensign Ful-view Model II camera, a very basic 120 roll film camera, that belonged to my Mum. and dated from around 1950. This had one shutter speed and a fixed aperture but it introduced me to taking my own photographs without the need for any technical knowledge. Using this camera was my first venture into black and white shooting, something which still remains a passion several decades on! My Dad developed the films and showed me contact printing of the 2¼” square negatives in our blacked out bathroom.

A very early attempt at a “landscape” image with the Ensign Ful-view (early 1970’s) from a contact print.

Whitby Abbey, Yorkshire

When I was around 9, I received my very own first new camera as a Christmas present - a Polaroid instant camera, again a black and white model (there’s a theme here!). This let my Dad “off the hook” temporarily in developing and printing my photographic efforts, if only until I reached my mid teens!

A late 1970’s Polaroid image

Penrhyn Castle, Gwynedd, North Wales

I remained keen on taking photos throughout my early teens, although my Dad’s enthusiasm for portraiture was never passed on to me. On many an occasion I have had friends complain about me waiting for people to move out of the way before I make an image.

When I reached the age of 16, I bought my very first 35mm film SLR. I had saved up the money from a summer job after taking my O’ Levels (GCSEs). With my hard-earned cash, some guidance from my Dad, and a friend of his who ran a local camera store, I purchased a fully manual Ricoh KR5. To this day, I am grateful to have started my “proper” journey in photography with a fully manual camera. It taught me how to get to grips with the “exposure triangle”, manual focusing and depth of field. I was also very grateful for the recommendation to purchase the Ricoh as, despite being very limited in features, it felt much more “modern” (for the early 1980’s) when all my friends were using either Russian (Zenit) or East German (Praktica) SLRs which were very heavy, unreliable and somewhat agricultural, by comparison.

Once I had my SLR, my Dad’s skills were needed once again to teach me how to develop my own black and white films and to print them myself - this time in my blacked out bedroom! From this point on, my real passion for black and white images started and has continued until the present day.

In my early 20’s, I graduated with a degree in Chemistry which has supported my interest in photographic processing. I enjoy the whole image making process and like to have control of everything from framing the image, assessing focus and exposure through to making the final print. I do all my own processing and now mix most of my own developers at home, enjoying experimenting with a wide variety of processing methods and materials.

Whilst I now shoot with a wide variety of film cameras and a digital SLR, I still feel that monochrome images made with traditional methods have a unique quality that surpass those made using digital processes. Since making my Analogue Lockdown series, I have become increasingly less interested in digital shooting with its never-ending obsession with higher resolution, sharpness and its relentless, and expensive, gear upgrade cycle. Some of my favourite film cameras range from 25 to almost 70 years old and produce images just as good today as when they were new. I often find high resolution digital images lacking in character and far too clinical. I am greatly encouraged by the recent resurgence of interest in film photography and, as long as it’s available, I will continue to shoot film, mainly for my black and white work, and print in the traditional darkroom.