Ilford HP5 Plus 35mm Film - 36 Exposures

Ilford HP5 Plus is the world's most popular black and white film — and for very good reason. Fast, flexible, and extraordinarily forgiving, it's the film that beginners reach for when they want to learn B&W, and the film that experienced photographers keep coming back to when they need something reliable. One roll, 36 exposures, supplied loose without a box.

A note on sourcing: we import our HP5 Plus directly from Europe rather than through CR Kennedy, the Australian distributor for Ilford. This keeps our supply chain independent.

Why photographers love Ilford HP5 Plus

HP5 Plus has a classic, timeless look that works across almost any subject. Medium contrast, smooth midtones, genuine shadow detail — it doesn't try to be dramatic or stylised, it just renders the world honestly and beautifully. The grain is present but pleasant: visible enough to remind you you're shooting film, controlled enough to never get in the way.

The wide exposure latitude is one of its defining qualities. HP5 is genuinely forgiving in a way that few films are — you can underexpose it by two stops or overexpose it by three and still pull a usable negative. This makes it an ideal learning film, but it also makes it invaluable in documentary and street situations where light changes quickly and you can't always meter precisely.

Push processing is where HP5 truly earns its reputation. Rated at ISO 800 it remains clean and manageable. At 1600 the grain opens up beautifully with good shadow detail. At 3200 — pushed two stops — it becomes gritty and expressive in a way that suits reportage, concert photography, and low-light street work. Few films push this gracefully at speed.

Camera pairings: it suits everything. Leica M cameras, Nikon F2 and F3, Canon F-1, Olympus OM-1, Contax RTS — HP5 is at home in any SLR or rangefinder. For point-and-shoots with fixed aperture and flash, it's one of the most reliable B&W films you can run through.

A bit of film history

HP5 has been part of Ilford's lineup since 1976, building on a lineage of HP emulsions dating back to 1931. The "Plus" designation arrived in 1989 with a refined emulsion that improved push processing performance and extended exposure latitude. Ilford produces HP5 Plus at their Mobberley facility in Cheshire, England — one of the few remaining dedicated black and white film manufacturing operations in the world. The fact that it's still being made, still being improved, and still being used by photographers worldwide is a testament to how good it genuinely is.

Processing

Ilford HP5 Plus requires standard black and white negative processing. We process B&W in-house at Ikigai Film Lab in Melbourne, with scanning available on our Fujifilm Frontier and Noritsu HS-1800 scanners. If you're pushing HP5, please note your intended ISO on your processing order so we can adjust development time accordingly.

Common questions

How does Ilford HP5 Plus compare to Kodak Tri-X 400?

They're the two great classic ISO 400 black and white films, and the comparison is one of the most debated topics in analogue photography. HP5 is smoother and more neutral, with better exposure latitude and a cleaner, more modern aesthetic. Tri-X is grittier and more contrasty with a rawer, more expressive character — the film of Cartier-Bresson and Diane Arbus. Both push well. HP5 is generally considered the more versatile and forgiving option; Tri-X has a stronger personality. Many photographers shoot both and choose based on the subject.

How far can I push Ilford HP5 Plus?

HP5 pushes reliably to ISO 800 (one stop), 1600 (two stops), and 3200 (three stops). At 800 and 1600 the results are excellent — increased grain, deeper blacks, and maintained shadow detail. At 3200 the grain becomes more pronounced and contrast increases significantly, but the results can be beautiful for the right subject. Always tell your lab the ISO you rated the film at so development time can be adjusted.

Why is it supplied loose without a box?

We sell HP5 Plus loose — just the cassette, no outer box. It's the same film, same quality, just without the retail packaging. This is how we stock it, which helps us keep availability consistent and pricing competitive.

Is HP5 a good film for beginners?

It's one of the best. The wide exposure latitude is extremely forgiving of metering errors, the ISO 400 speed works well in a broad range of lighting conditions, and the results are consistently pleasing. If you're new to black and white film, HP5 Plus is an excellent place to start.