Ilford Delta 400 Collector's Edition .
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.
This is the limited edition. Same emulsion, but Ilford has put it on the clearer base with anti-halation backing it normally uses for 120 format. This is the first time it has done that with a 35mm black and white film. This means less glow and cleaner shadows in scans. Ilford says it’s “subtle”.
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.
The Collectors Edition comes in a black cassette and a black box in a limited run.
- + 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.
Same Delta 400 emulsion as the regular film, so exposure behaviour is unchanged: rate it at ISO 400 and develop as you normally would. Ilford's TDS says best results come at normal contrast, with good quality from EI 200 to 3200 if development is adjusted. Below half a second, no reciprocity correction is needed; longer than that, add exposure beyond what the meter says.
What is different is the base. This is Ilford's first 35mm black and white film on a clearer base with anti-halation protection. Ilford describes subtle gains in dynamic range, shadow detail, sharpness and scanning, and less glow around bright highlights. Treat that as a refinement, not a different film. Pushing to 3200 is supported by Ilford's published times, and a one-stop pull to EI 200 is too, with extended or shortened development to match.
Keep it cool and dry before use. It can go in the fridge or freezer, but let it come fully up to room temperature before loading. Process exposed rolls promptly.