Ilford XP2 Super 400

Ilford XP2 Super 400 gives you the look of black and white film with the convenience of standard C-41 colour processing.

Rated at ISO 400, it's a particularly flexible medium format film with a wide exposure latitude. You can shoot it at different speeds between EI 50 and 800 and still have the roll processed normally, making it a forgiving choice when the light changes throughout the day.

The film produces fine grain, crisp detail and well-defined highlights and shadows. In 120 format, the larger negative makes the most of that detail while keeping the flexibility that makes XP2 such an easy film to live with.

It's a great option if you want to shoot black and white but prefer the convenience of dropping your film into a lab for regular C-41 processing.

Best for

• Medium format photography
• Everyday black and white shooting
• Travel
• Street photography
• Portraits
• Documentary photography
• Changing lighting conditions
• Scanning
• Photographers wanting easy C-41 processing
• Beginners trying black and white film

What to expect

Expect fine grain, crisp detail, broad tonal range and plenty of exposure flexibility.

XP2 Super behaves differently from a conventional black and white film. Its chromogenic emulsion forms the image using dyes during development, allowing it to be processed in standard C-41 chemistry.

It can be exposed anywhere from EI 50 to EI 800 using the same standard processing. Ilford recommends EI 400 for the best overall balance of sharpness and grain, while shooting at EI 200 or even EI 50 can produce finer grain.

It's also particularly well suited to scanning because its dye-based negative is compatible with Digital ICE dust and scratch removal systems.

Developing

C-41 colour processing.

Despite producing black and white negatives, XP2 Super does not require conventional black and white processing. It is designed to go through standard C-41 chemistry alongside colour negative film.

That's one of XP2's biggest advantages, particularly for photographers who want to shoot black and white but prefer the convenience and availability of standard colour-film processing.