Ilford Delta 100 Film Review: Smooth Grain and Balanced Tonality
Blue Moon Camera highlights Ilford Delta 100 black-and-white film for its exceptional tabular grain and nicely balanced contrast and tonality. This film debuted in 1992 as the second entry in the Delta series, created to compete with Kodak's TMax. Delta 100 boasts smooth, fine grain similar to Fuji Acros II, with soft tonal shifts and bright highlights. Its long-exposure testing shows predictable adjustments needed starting from 1 second. Available formats include 35mm, 120, 4x5, 8x10, and ultra-large sizes through Ilford’s ULF program. There’s a rich resource for development techniques, featuring over 200 combinations on the Massive Dev Chart. Sample photos were captured using a Nikon FM2N and several Hasselblad models. Blue Moon Camera also offers an automatic discount for Delta 100.
Key facts
- Ilford Delta 100 was introduced in 1992.
- It is a tabular grain film, like Kodak TMax.
- Delta 100 has smooth grain, on par with Fuji Acros II.
- The film provides balanced contrast and rich tonality.
- Reciprocity failure compensation starts at 1 second.
- Available in 35mm, 120, 4x5, 8x10, and ULF formats.
- Over 200 developer combinations are documented.
- Sample images were shot on Nikon FM2N, Hasselblad 500C/M, Hasselblad Flexbody, and Reality So Subtle 6x6 Dual Pinhole.
Entities
Artists
- Zeb Andrews
Institutions
- Blue Moon Camera and Machine
- Ilford
- Kodak
- Fuji
- PetaPixel
Locations
- Portland
- Oregon
- United States