Ilford HP5 Plus (35mm film) Review & Photos

Ilford HP5 Plus is an affordable mid-ranged, medium speed black and white film with relatively fine grain and medium contrast. Adding in that this film can easily be pushed by 2-stops, and you have a very flexible film that is a great stock capable of stepping up for some demanding shooting situations. This film is recommended for sports, action, street, documentary, and low light indoor photography.

The Ilford HP series is one of the oldest running film stocks, the original HP was released way back in 1935!

Key Features Of Ilford HP5 Plus

Pros

• Flexability – film can be pushed 1, 2 or 3 stops
• Captures shadows and highlights nicely
• Good for indoor photography
• Affordable, mid-range priced film
• More contrast than most cheaper films

Cons

• If you want more heavy/tabular grain in the images, this may not be the stock for you

My impressions of Ilford HP5 Plus

This was my second black and white film stock I have used, following hot on the heels of my first foray into 35mm photography with Kentmere Pan 400. Ilford HP5 Plus costs a little more than the budget Kentmere range of films, so I was expecting perhaps a little more from this roll.

Sure enough, my images do have a little more punchy contrast. Not a huge amount more, but enough to notice certainly. I really love the look of this film stock! The blacks are deeper, with grain being more prominent in the shadows giving a nice texture. The highlights are bright, with a surprising amount of detail being retained. The images look a lot less flat than my previous shots on Kentmere Pan 400, and often looked a little sharper.

Photographing Abandoned places of Poland and Ireland

I loaded my film into my camera when I arrived at my hotel in Poland, excited to try it out on my road trip adventure! 10 shots were left in my camera at the end of the trip, so opted to save them. I was planning a trip to Ireland soon after, with plenty more opportunities to burn through the rest of the roll.

An interesting point to note, I did use this film for a lot of indoor shots and also these were handheld! I am yet to buy a shutter release cable (it is on my list!). Mostly, I was able to hand shoot and still get nicely exposed images. A few of the darker locations I decided to push my luck and shoot anyway, just to see what this film could do in very low light. Some images were underexposed, but still very much usable with a very moody aesthetic!

Shooting outside, in direct sun or slightly cloudy skies, gave more contrasty images (as to be expected!). The photos of the planes, trains, bicycle and dumpling shop have wonderful tonality. Bright interiors like the cinema, school, lab, laundry and train station also came out very well with nice contrast. The hospital, chapel and VW Golfs inside the old school are some of my favourite shots to far! The old Polish houses in the snowy mountains of southern Poland were just little roadside finds, but I am happy with how the film captured them.

Example photos I have taken on Ilford HP5 Plus

Finally, here are the shots from my first outings with Ilford HP Plus film. All of these are shot with my trusty Zenit E and Helios-44 Lens. Enjoy!

Featured in Obsidian’s Obscura Zine

These photos were featured in my limited edition photography zine, Obsidian’s Obscura!

Issue #001 – …and so, it begins

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