Ilford XP2 Super 400

Ilford XP2 Super 400 is a fast, fine grain black and white film with one very useful difference: it can be processed using standard C41 chemistry.

Rated at ISO 400, XP2 Super gives you the flexibility of a fast everyday film with a wide exposure latitude. Ilford recommends it from EI 50 through to 800 with standard C41 processing, making it particularly forgiving when the light is changing or you're shooting quickly.

The grain is fine and the negatives are sharp, with good highlight and shadow detail. It's also particularly well suited to scanning, making it a practical choice if your finished images are heading straight into a digital workflow.

The other big advantage is convenience. Although it's a true black and white film, it can be processed at labs that offer C41 colour processing, so you don't necessarily need a specialist black and white lab.

Best for

Everyday photography, street photography, portraits, travel, documentary work and situations where you want black and white images without the extra processing requirements of traditional black and white film.

What to expect

36 exposures at ISO 400, with fine grain, good sharpness and a generous exposure latitude. You can rate it lower for finer grain, or higher when you need more speed, while continuing to use standard C41 processing.

One thing worth knowing before you buy: XP2 Super is black and white film, but it is processed as C41 colour negative film. That's the reason it's so convenient, and also what makes it different from films such as HP5 Plus or Delta 400.

Developing

C41 processing.

This is the important bit. XP2 Super should normally be processed using the standard C41 colour negative process. Ilford specifically recommends standard C41 processing and notes that the film can be processed alongside colour negative films without adjustments to the normal process.

It can produce good results with conventional black and white chemistry, but Ilford does not recommend that as the normal approach because some of the advantages of the film, including its fine grain and scanning characteristics, can be lost.