Ilford and Kentmere 35mm film sampler (four 36-exposure rolls)

If you're new to analog photography and would like to experiment with some different film stocks here's an inexpensive sampler to help you decide which types suit your taste.

It contains a 36-exposure roll of four different types of black and white film: Ilford HP5 Plus, Ilford XP2, Kentmere Pan 100, and Kentmere Pan 400.

Here are details on all four types:

Ilford HP5 Plus

ILFORD HP5 PLUS is a high speed, fine grain, medium contrast black & white film making it an excellent choice for journalism, documentary, travel, sports, action and indoor available light photography.

Nominally rated at ISO 400, HP5 PLUS produces negatives of outstanding sharpness and fine grain under all lighting conditions. It has been formulated to respond well to push-processing and can be rated up to El 3200/36°.

Its wide exposure latitude makes it a great choice for beginners, those returning to film as well as the more experienced professional users.

HP5 PLUS can be processed in a wide range of different developers using spiral tanks, deep tanks and automatic processors. Read the HP5 Plus Data sheet here.

Ilford XP2

ILFORD XP2 SUPER is a fast, sharp, black & white film with fine grain and a wide tonal range. It is extremely versatile to use making it an excellent all-rounder to have in your camera.

It has a particularly wide exposure latitude and delivers excellent results, including well-defined highlights and shadows, even in unpredictable lighting or high-contrast scenes where there can be wide-ranging subject brightness.

XP2 SUPER also provides enhanced negative contrast for optimum black & white print quality. This makes it an excellent choice for scanning as well as enlargement prints.

However, the key differentiator of this film is that while it is a true black and white film, it can be processed in C41 type processing chemicals alongside colour negative films. This makes it the best choice for photographers who want to shoot film yet want the convenience of being able to get it processed on the high street.

XP2 SUPER is also special in that you can shoot at different speeds from ISO 50 to 800 on the same roll of film and process as standard C41. Read the XP2 data sheet here. 

Kentmere Pan 100

Kentmere 100 is a medium speed, black & white film suitable for a wide variety of applications where good lighting conditions are available (both outdoor or indoor with controlled / studio lighting).

The fine grain and excellent sharpness make it suitable for enlargement prints while its broad tonal range and wide exposure latitude make it a smart choice for beginners and those returning to film.

The Kentmere range is owned and manufactured by Harman technology and follows the same high quality processes that are used to make all ILFORD PHOTO films and papers.

Kentmere 100 is panchromatically sensitised and can be processed in a wide range of different developers using spiral tanks, deep tanks and automatic processors. Read thte Kentmere Pan 100 data sheet here.

Kentmere Pan 400

Kentmere 400 is a high speed, fine grain, black & white film making it suitable for a wide variety of applications.

It offers good sharpness and a broad tonal range along with a wide exposure latitude making it a smart choice for beginners and those returning to film.

The Kentmere range is owned and manufactured by Harman technology and follows the same high quality processes that are used to make all ILFORD PHOTO films and papers.

Kentmere 400 is panchromatically sensitised and can be processed in a wide range of different developers using spiral tanks, deep tanks and automatic processors. Read the Kentmere 400 data sheet here.