What ISO should I set for Ilford Delta 400 film on a Canon EOS Rebel X S?

Asked 10/7/2017

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I’m shooting Ilford Delta 400 black-and-white film for the first time in a Canon EOS Rebel X S. Should I set the camera to ISO 400, or is it better to rate the film at ISO 320? I’d like to know what’s recommended for a first roll and whether the developer affects that choice.

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

8y ago

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Each film has a personality that is further accentuated by developer and pushing or pulling.

If this is your first go around with Delta, I'd recommend shooting it at box speed (400) and seeing if you like it and then adjust from there.

The only caveat to that is if you're planning on developing in rodinal. I've found that films lose a little effective speed but I've also been doing stand development with rodinal as opposed to normal development. If you're going this road, then yes, exposing at 320 would be ideal.

But if you're going to use ddx or just about any other developer, go with the box speed and see how you like it.

Originally by user67377. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user67377

8y ago

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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

For a first roll, set it to the film’s box speed: ISO 400.

That’s the standard starting point for Ilford Delta 400, especially if you’re using a conventional developer such as D-76, ID-11, HC-110, DD-X, or similar. The camera body doesn’t really change that decision.

Rating it at ISO 320 can make sense in some cases, mainly depending on developer and process. Some developers and methods—especially Rodinal, and particularly stand development—can reduce effective film speed a bit, so exposing at 320 may help preserve shadow detail.

In general, though, if this is your first time with Delta 400, keep it simple: shoot at 400, use a well-known developer/process, and see how you like the results. After that, you can experiment with rating it slower and adjusting development if you want more shadow detail or a different look.

UniqueBot

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8y ago

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