Pushing HP5 to iso 3200

vector · 09-09-2019, 11:21 AM - **2 Likes**

Just having some fun with film and decided to try my hand at pushing a BW film to iso 3200. As for the method, I used DD-X and just followed the recommended timings for agitation etc, the only thing I did differently is I left the film in the developer for 22 minutes instead of the 20 on the box. Just hoping to make it slightly more contrasty.

For comparison I have couple shots where I tried to take the same shot on my K1 and on film. One of the K1 shots is not at iso 3200 though so not an apples to apples comparison, just a frame of reference. The second is 3200 though and the K1 shots are developed in camera using the BW jpg profile.

Here is the K1 at iso 800 50mm

Here is the HP5 at 3200 iso on a 50mm

Another on the K1 at 3200 iso on 50mm

And the same shot on HP5 at 3200 iso

So over all a good experience. I am impressed with by the results and find HP5 at 3200 iso to be perfectly usable. It is definitely grainy, but that is kind of the point of doing this on film. I have been enjoying shooting film lately and even had my 14 year old daughter help develop these. A medium format film camera might be in my future but for now I am have a stockpile of 35mm film and a couple bodies and some kids that are excited to shoot film with me.

Last edited by vector; 09-19-2019 at 09:27 AM. Reason: Updated image links

**Apet-Sure** · 09-09-2019, 11:51 AM - **1 Like**

Back in my film days I consistently got finer grain with Ilford HP5 pushed to 800 than with Kodak Tri-X at 400. Quit buying Tri-X.

vector · 09-09-2019, 12:38 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Apet-Sure

Back in my film days I consistently got finer grain with Ilford HP5 pushed to 800 than with Kodak Tri-X at 400. Quit buying Tri-X.

Yeah, that's why I picked HP5 for this. Just seemed to be a better option for pushing 3 stops without getting super dark and grainy.

**fs999** · 09-10-2019, 02:33 AM - **5 Likes**

I pushed it @ 6400 forty years ago. I had to calculate my own push curve. I remember that the devtime was about one hour...

Canon A-1 • Sigma 600mm f:8 catadrioptic
Ilford HP5 400 ISO @ 6400 ISO developed in Ilford Microphen
Scanned with Epson Perfection V500 at 3200dpi

Jerry Lewis Show 1978
Dudelange • Luxembourg

**RedRuff** · 09-11-2019, 11:39 AM - **1 Like**

This thread's inspired me to try to push a roll of film or two! I'm currently halfway through a roll of Ilford 3200 that I'm using to have fun with my telephotos

vector · 09-11-2019, 08:04 PM

Originally posted by RedRuff

This thread's inspired me to try to push a roll of film or two! I'm currently halfway through a roll of Ilford 3200 that I'm using to have fun with my telephotos

Awesome, then I succeeded in my purpose for posting it. I have been enjoying just playing around with film but honestly don't know what I am doing. After shooting at box speeds and feeling pretty limited I went reading up on what is possible. I found that generally film has 2 stops of latitude and I have been limiting myself a lot. Some films, mainly B&W, can go much further than 2 stops. So I read up on what it meant to push process film and found out that it's easy! Just leave in the developer longer. It's fun messing around and quite honestly the results are decent. Indoor shots can get pretty grainy but they wouldn't have been possible without the high iso so I'll take it. I generally prefer available light photography so this makes it possible on film.

This all stems from the fact I love the look of medium format film. So I am going to keep messing around on 35mm film and get more comfortable with the processing and limitations and then decide if I like it enough to invest in something like a 6x7. RIght now I am shooting on a P30T I bought for $30 so all my lenses work in P mode, but most have aperture rings giving full control. I also looked up hacking the the DX encoding which I do by scraping off the paint on the canister and replacing it with little pieces of electrical tape so that in the field I can just move them around and change the encoding before I load the next film. Fun stuff.

Would love to see how your 3200 iso film turns out. Post your results!

**fs999** · 09-12-2019, 01:12 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by RedRuff

This thread's inspired me to try to push a roll of film or two! I'm currently halfway through a roll of Ilford 3200 that I'm using to have fun with my telephotos

What most don't know is that Ilford Delta 3200 is 1000 ISO film.

From technical sheet "DELTA 3200 Professional has an ISO speed rating of 1000/31° (1000ASA, 31 DIN) to daylight.".

And Kodak P3200 is a 800 ISO film !

goddo31 · 09-12-2019, 06:26 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by fs999

I pushed it @ 6400 forty years ago. I had to calculate my own push curve. I remember that the devtime was about one hour...

Canon A-1 • Sigma 600mm f:8 catadrioptic
Ilford HP5 400 ISO @ 6400 ISO developed in Ilford Microphen
Scanned with Epson Perfection V500 at 3200dpi

Jerry Lewis Show 1978
Dudelange • Luxembourg

Well done Frederic! You must have been a long way from the stage

And @vector, nice results too. The grain is there however it's not obnoxious. I've had good results pushing Tri-X to 1600 in ID-11 1+1. Haven't really tried Hp5 much yet though perhaps I'll try it pushed to 3200 soon.

tuco · 09-17-2019, 09:50 AM

HP5+ can also be shot at EI 100 and EI 200 if you want with the right development time and developer.

tuco · 09-17-2019, 10:01 AM

The film version of the snow skis has fewer patches of the image that have RGB=0 (no exposure) than the digital version. It could be just your monochrome conversion (or my monitor) but I'd think the K1 has way more DR than shown.

vector · 09-17-2019, 01:56 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by tuco

The film version of the snow skis has fewer patches of the image that have RGB=0 (no exposure) than the digital version. It could be just your monochrome conversion (or my monitor) but I'd think the K1 has way more DR than shown.

The K1 absolutely has way more dynamic range than shown. I just took the out of camera jpg and the scan as they were. Not trying to do a rigorous comparison, just show that HP5 pushed 3 stops did pretty well. The picture was taken before sunrise and it was still quite dark. There wasn't much for street lights just the ones in the closed up shops which made for a pretty dark scene. The K1 was in matrix metering and underexposed due to the shop lights in behind whereas the centre weighted P30T came out brighter. I didn't correct, as I kind of liked the way the BW jpg from the camera conveyed the darkness of the scene. Truthfully I would call the K1 image more true to life as that stack of skis was quite dark.

stevierose · 10-07-2019, 06:24 AM

I have found that Xtol provides superb results for pushing HP5+ up to 6400. Low grain and it doesn't crush the shadows/blacks it lifts them along with the highlights. I don't have scans handy to post right now but I would give that combination a strong recommendation. I participate in a forum for pro wedding photographers who shoot film and that is the combo many use for weddings.

vector · 10-07-2019, 10:26 AM

Originally posted by stevierose

I have found that Xtol provides superb results for pushing HP5+ up to 6400. Low grain and it doesn't crush the shadows/blacks it lifts them along with the highlights. I don't have scans handy to post right now but I would give that combination a strong recommendation. I participate in a forum for pro wedding photographers who shoot film and that is the combo many use for weddings.

Thanks for the recommendation, I will have to try that out. I haven't pushed anything to 6400 yet so I guess its time to try

tuco · 10-10-2019, 09:09 AM

Originally posted by stevierose

I have found that Xtol provides superb results for pushing HP5+ up to 6400.

I'd be interested in seeing what your idea of "superb" is for that much of a push.

**RedRuff** · 11-02-2019, 11:10 AM - **2 Likes**

While I haven't finished my roll of HP5 pushed yet, I did finish my Ilford 3200 roll for those interested:

09-09-2019, 11:21 AM - 2 Likes	#1
vector Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Location: Alberta Posts: 713	Pushing HP5 to iso 3200 Just having some fun with film and decided to try my hand at pushing a BW film to iso 3200. As for the method, I used DD-X and just followed the recommended timings for agitation etc, the only thing I did differently is I left the film in the developer for 22 minutes instead of the 20 on the box. Just hoping to make it slightly more contrasty. For comparison I have couple shots where I tried to take the same shot on my K1 and on film. One of the K1 shots is not at iso 3200 though so not an apples to apples comparison, just a frame of reference. The second is 3200 though and the K1 shots are developed in camera using the BW jpg profile. Here is the K1 at iso 800 50mm Here is the HP5 at 3200 iso on a 50mm Another on the K1 at 3200 iso on 50mm And the same shot on HP5 at 3200 iso So over all a good experience. I am impressed with by the results and find HP5 at 3200 iso to be perfectly usable. It is definitely grainy, but that is kind of the point of doing this on film. I have been enjoying shooting film lately and even had my 14 year old daughter help develop these. A medium format film camera might be in my future but for now I am have a stockpile of 35mm film and a couple bodies and some kids that are excited to shoot film with me. Last edited by vector; 09-19-2019 at 09:27 AM. Reason: Updated image links

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09-09-2019, 11:51 AM - 1 Like	#2
Apet-Sure Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Goldsboro North Carolina Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,861	Back in my film days I consistently got finer grain with Ilford HP5 pushed to 800 than with Kodak Tri-X at 400. Quit buying Tri-X.

09-09-2019, 12:38 PM - 1 Like	#3
vector Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Location: Alberta Posts: 713 Original Poster	Originally posted by Apet-Sure Back in my film days I consistently got finer grain with Ilford HP5 pushed to 800 than with Kodak Tri-X at 400. Quit buying Tri-X. Yeah, that's why I picked HP5 for this. Just seemed to be a better option for pushing 3 stops without getting super dark and grainy.

09-10-2019, 02:33 AM - 5 Likes	#4
fs999 Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Luxembourg Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,638	I pushed it @ 6400 forty years ago. I had to calculate my own push curve. I remember that the devtime was about one hour... Canon A-1 • Sigma 600mm f:8 catadrioptic Ilford HP5 400 ISO @ 6400 ISO developed in Ilford Microphen Scanned with Epson Perfection V500 at 3200dpi Jerry Lewis Show 1978 Dudelange • Luxembourg

09-11-2019, 11:39 AM - 1 Like	#5
RedRuff Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Midlands, UK Posts: 145	This thread's inspired me to try to push a roll of film or two! I'm currently halfway through a roll of Ilford 3200 that I'm using to have fun with my telephotos

09-11-2019, 08:04 PM	#6
vector Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Location: Alberta Posts: 713 Original Poster	Originally posted by RedRuff This thread's inspired me to try to push a roll of film or two! I'm currently halfway through a roll of Ilford 3200 that I'm using to have fun with my telephotos Awesome, then I succeeded in my purpose for posting it. I have been enjoying just playing around with film but honestly don't know what I am doing. After shooting at box speeds and feeling pretty limited I went reading up on what is possible. I found that generally film has 2 stops of latitude and I have been limiting myself a lot. Some films, mainly B&W, can go much further than 2 stops. So I read up on what it meant to push process film and found out that it's easy! Just leave in the developer longer. It's fun messing around and quite honestly the results are decent. Indoor shots can get pretty grainy but they wouldn't have been possible without the high iso so I'll take it. I generally prefer available light photography so this makes it possible on film. This all stems from the fact I love the look of medium format film. So I am going to keep messing around on 35mm film and get more comfortable with the processing and limitations and then decide if I like it enough to invest in something like a 6x7. RIght now I am shooting on a P30T I bought for $30 so all my lenses work in P mode, but most have aperture rings giving full control. I also looked up hacking the the DX encoding which I do by scraping off the paint on the canister and replacing it with little pieces of electrical tape so that in the field I can just move them around and change the encoding before I load the next film. Fun stuff. Would love to see how your 3200 iso film turns out. Post your results!

09-12-2019, 01:12 AM - 1 Like	#7
fs999 Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Luxembourg Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,638	Originally posted by RedRuff This thread's inspired me to try to push a roll of film or two! I'm currently halfway through a roll of Ilford 3200 that I'm using to have fun with my telephotos What most don't know is that Ilford Delta 3200 is 1000 ISO film. From technical sheet "DELTA 3200 Professional has an ISO speed rating of 1000/31° (1000ASA, 31 DIN) to daylight.". And Kodak P3200 is a 800 ISO film !

09-12-2019, 06:26 AM - 1 Like	#8
goddo31 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,576	Originally posted by fs999 I pushed it @ 6400 forty years ago. I had to calculate my own push curve. I remember that the devtime was about one hour... Canon A-1 • Sigma 600mm f:8 catadrioptic Ilford HP5 400 ISO @ 6400 ISO developed in Ilford Microphen Scanned with Epson Perfection V500 at 3200dpi Jerry Lewis Show 1978 Dudelange • Luxembourg Well done Frederic! You must have been a long way from the stage And @vector, nice results too. The grain is there however it's not obnoxious. I've had good results pushing Tri-X to 1600 in ID-11 1+1. Haven't really tried Hp5 much yet though perhaps I'll try it pushed to 3200 soon.

09-17-2019, 09:50 AM	#9
tuco Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pugetopolis Posts: 11,026	HP5+ can also be shot at EI 100 and EI 200 if you want with the right development time and developer.

09-17-2019, 10:01 AM	#10
tuco Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pugetopolis Posts: 11,026	The film version of the snow skis has fewer patches of the image that have RGB=0 (no exposure) than the digital version. It could be just your monochrome conversion (or my monitor) but I'd think the K1 has way more DR than shown.

09-17-2019, 01:56 PM - 1 Like	#11
vector Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Location: Alberta Posts: 713 Original Poster	Originally posted by tuco The film version of the snow skis has fewer patches of the image that have RGB=0 (no exposure) than the digital version. It could be just your monochrome conversion (or my monitor) but I'd think the K1 has way more DR than shown. The K1 absolutely has way more dynamic range than shown. I just took the out of camera jpg and the scan as they were. Not trying to do a rigorous comparison, just show that HP5 pushed 3 stops did pretty well. The picture was taken before sunrise and it was still quite dark. There wasn't much for street lights just the ones in the closed up shops which made for a pretty dark scene. The K1 was in matrix metering and underexposed due to the shop lights in behind whereas the centre weighted P30T came out brighter. I didn't correct, as I kind of liked the way the BW jpg from the camera conveyed the darkness of the scene. Truthfully I would call the K1 image more true to life as that stack of skis was quite dark.

10-07-2019, 06:24 AM	#12
stevierose New Member Join Date: Sep 2019 Posts: 4	I have found that Xtol provides superb results for pushing HP5+ up to 6400. Low grain and it doesn't crush the shadows/blacks it lifts them along with the highlights. I don't have scans handy to post right now but I would give that combination a strong recommendation. I participate in a forum for pro wedding photographers who shoot film and that is the combo many use for weddings.

10-07-2019, 10:26 AM	#13
vector Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Location: Alberta Posts: 713 Original Poster	Originally posted by stevierose I have found that Xtol provides superb results for pushing HP5+ up to 6400. Low grain and it doesn't crush the shadows/blacks it lifts them along with the highlights. I don't have scans handy to post right now but I would give that combination a strong recommendation. I participate in a forum for pro wedding photographers who shoot film and that is the combo many use for weddings. Thanks for the recommendation, I will have to try that out. I haven't pushed anything to 6400 yet so I guess its time to try

10-10-2019, 09:09 AM	#14
tuco Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pugetopolis Posts: 11,026	Originally posted by stevierose I have found that Xtol provides superb results for pushing HP5+ up to 6400. I'd be interested in seeing what your idea of "superb" is for that much of a push.

11-02-2019, 11:10 AM - 2 Likes	#15
RedRuff Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Midlands, UK Posts: 145	While I haven't finished my roll of HP5 pushed yet, I did finish my Ilford 3200 roll for those interested: