Ilford XP2 Super is a color film that looks black and white. Our friend and client Anton shot with this film for two years and believes it is a great option for those who don’t develop black and white film at home. We decided to find out what this film is and ask Anton about its advantages.
XP2 Super is a monochrome film, meaning black and white film that can be developed using the C-41 process along with color film. The secret is in the emulsion: it is made not of metallic silver like regular black and white film, but of dyes. There is only one dye, which is why the film is called monochrome.
Ilford XP2 Super 400/120, shot at ISO 400. Photo: Dima But
Ilford XP2 Super 400/120, shot at ISO 800. Photo: Dima But
Monochrome film was invented by Ilford in 1980. At that time, digital photography was just emerging, and film was the usual choice for photographers. Color film could be developed almost anywhere: in a small local lab or even a pharmacy. Black and white film was more complicated: manual development was not available in every lab.
Ilford XP2 Super 400/120, shot at ISO 200 (left) and ISO 100 (right). Photo: Dima But
Ilford XP2 Super 400/120, shot at ISO 50. Photo: Dima But
Ilford decided to make life easier for amateur photographers by creating a black and white film that could be developed in a machine. The film was successful: indistinguishable from regular black and white, except for lower contrast and grain. The idea of monochrome film was also adopted by other film manufacturers. Kodak, Fujifilm, and Konica had it, but by 2019 only Ilford remained.
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Ilford XP2 Super 400. Photo: @ally_fane
Ilford’s monochrome film has a number of advantages. Here are four reasons to try shooting with XP2 Super:
- XP2 Super always delivers consistent, predictable results. When manually developing any other black and white film, results can vary. The developing machine sets the same parameters every time, so shots on XP2 Super will always look similar.
- XP2 Super is optimized for scanning. Since it is a color film, it is compatible with Digital ICE — a program that automatically removes dust and scratches during scanning. Digital ICE does not work with black and white film.
- XP2 Super can be shot across a wide ISO range. Although the roll is rated ISO 400, you can shoot it at 100, 200, or 800. At any of these ISOs, the results will be good with standard machine development.
- XP2 Super is faster and cheaper to develop. With us, you save 60 UAH on developing and scanning Ilford XP2 Super. We develop machine-processed films daily, so you’ll get your scans the same day or the next.
Is Ilford XP2 Super still needed today? It’s a debatable question. On one hand, the film is no longer a mass product. There are fewer labs, but each has manual development. So the original idea of monochrome film is fading. On the other hand, analog production is shrinking, favorite films are disappearing from the market, and new ones are rarely launched. It’s great that under these conditions the unusual Ilford XP2 Super is still alive.
Ilford XP2 Super 400. Photo: @ally_fane