Delta 3200 Professional Black and White Film Review | All About Film

Delta 3200 is a divisive film that people either love or hate. I never found a single review or forum post by someone who said this was a favorite or go-to film. Personally, I’m solidly indifferent to Delta 3200. If I never shoot Delta 3200 again, my life won’t suffer. And I do want to like it because I really like the other Delta films with Delta 100 being a top-five black and white film for me.

But Delta 3200 isn’t Delta 100 and expecting it to be is unfair to both films and yourself. Delta 3200 is like a wild horse with a bit in its teeth for the first time. It’s not easy to ride and it’s harder to really get a good handle on it. This film needs patience and practice, both in hefty doses, if you set about to really make the most of it.

If I’m honest, I don’t think that I made the most of it. I have often wondered how I would feel about this film had I tried developing it in Perceptol, Ilfotec, F76, or some of the other commonly used developers that don’t really make it into my darkroom often, or at all. I also wonder if maybe I would love this film were I a studio portrait photographer, too.

One other thing, while we’re wishing for stuff that doesn’t exist, I would have liked to have tried this in sheet film. Even if I had to order it at the annual Ilford ULF ordering event only, I think this would be fun to shoot in low-light on a 4X5. Pulled to 400 or 800, this as a sheet film could be an awesome portrait stock.

And to that point, I think that this film’s best use would probably be portraits. The relatively flat spectral sensitivity line would lend itself well to creating portraits that are flattering while also reflecting a person’s actual skin tone.

So maybe this is the takeaway from this video: Delta 3200 is for shooters who are not me. Delta 3200 seems like a film that would be much more at home with a photographer who uses controlled light in a studio portrait setting versus use in the outdoors. So just bear that in mind and if you do use this stock, go find some people to photograph.

When we love something, it has an affect on us or our lives. The same is true when we hate something. Both ends of that spectrum represent an emotion that can in some way, shape, or form control our thoughts and actions. Ultimately, I think that the most damning thing anyone can say about anything is the they are indifferent to it, because that means that its existence has absolutely no sway on our opinions one way or the other.

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Video Index:
0:00 - Intro
0:13 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional Best and Worst Developer Snapshot
0:28 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional Best Tips, Tricks, and Practices
6:17 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional Subjective Characteristics
11:56 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional Spectral Sensitivity
13:32 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional Filter Performance
14:59 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional Reciprocity Failure
16:41 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional Development Latitude
17:49 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional Recommended Developers
18:58 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional Developers to Avoid
19:40 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional Narrative Review

Developer Index:
0:37 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional at 3200 in Rodinal+25
2:48 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional at 3200 in Ilfosol 3 1+14
3:42 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional at 1000 in D-76 1+1
4:18 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional at 1250 in LegacyPro Mic-X Stock
5:39 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional at 3200 in Rodinal+50
6:27 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional at 1600 in LegacyPro L110 1+31
7:06 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional at 3200 in D-76 1+3
8:38 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional at 1250 in Polydol Stock
9:23 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional at 3200 in Rodinal 1+100
10:03 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional at 1250 in Ultrafin+ 1+4
10:38 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional at 1250 in D-76 1+1
10:56 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional at 800 in TMax Developer 1+4
16:51 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional at 400 in LegacyPro L110 1+31
17:07 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional at 800 in D-76 Stock
17:59 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional at 1250 in LegacyPro L110 1+31
19:07 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional at 3200 in D-76 Stock
19:50 - Ilford Delta 3200 Professional at 3200 in LgacyPro L110 1+31

References:
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