Ilford Delta 400 .
Ilford Delta 400 is a ‘professional’ grade film and sits between Delta 100 and 3200. It’s a film with good contrast, nice detail and fine grain. At ISO 400 it’s a versatile film — exposed correctly it can be shot on cloudy and clear days, at midday or dawn/dusk. Its versatility is not limited to light — it is a jack of all trades suitable for people, landscapes and street photography.
Its contrast doesn’t scream at you. T-Max 400 has more contrast but in prints held side by side it can be hard to see the difference. It can be pushed and pulled but results tend to be better when shot at box speed. If you under or over expose you should be ok a stop either side. HP5 definitely has more latitude so if you’re unsure about your light meter then HP5 is a safer choice.
Delta 400 is a nice film to keep in the fridge ready for a day when you’re after a more refined image than HP5. They complement each other well at 400 ISO.
- + Landscape and architecture — decent contrast, fine grain
- + Street photography — fast enough with good detail
- + When you need more light and don’t want lots of grain
- − The very finest grain — choose Delta 100
- − More contrast — choose T-Max 400
- − Failing or limited light — choose Delta 3200
more from their film.
Delta 400 Professional uses Ilford's Core-Shell crystal technology — a tabular grain structure that significantly reduces grain size compared to conventional cubic-grain emulsions at the same speed. In 35mm, the grain remains fine: visible at large enlargements but not obtrusive, placing it well ahead of HP5 Plus at this speed. Exposure accuracy matters here more than with HP5 — this is a film that performs best when metered carefully, with a working range of roughly one stop either side of box speed before the tonal balance shifts noticeably. Reciprocity failure begins at exposures beyond half a second (Ta = Tm^1.41).
Push processing is where Delta 400's development table earns its keep. Ilford publishes times to EI 3200 (three stops) in DD-X, MICROPHEN, ILFOTEC HC, and ILFOTEC RT RAPID. Results at EI 800 and 1600 are practical; EI 3200 is achievable but brings significant contrast increase and tighter highlight headroom. Pulling one stop to EI 200 is well-supported and particularly useful in high-contrast light — the reduced development softens the contrast that makes Delta 400 a demanding film in contrasty scenes. Contrast at box speed is medium, with a tendency toward inky shadow tones and crisp tonal separation rather than the softer midtones of HP5 Plus.
In 120, Core-Shell grain effectively disappears at standard print sizes. The same exposure discipline applies, but the larger negative rewards it with exceptional tonal separation across the range.
Store unexposed film in cool conditions (10–20°C) in original packaging. Refrigeration and freezing are acceptable — allow adequate time to reach room temperature before opening to avoid condensation.