Delta 100 at EI 200

Jean-Claude Berger - Consultant, Formateur indépendant - MCSE - MCT - MCP
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In most cases, a 200 ISO film is the good compromise. Sensible enough to be used in moderate low light situations, but slow enough to keep a reduced depth of field in order to draw attention on the subject. Unfortunately, if emulsions makers offer a good choice of ISO 200 color negative films, there is no ISO 200 B&W films.

I love Delta 100 and though I prefer Delta 400 to other 400 films (but Tri-X is not that far away), I find its sharpness disappointing for the kind of pictures I do (I find my pictures disappointing by themselves too, but it's another matter). So I tried to push Delta 100 to 200 and here are the results I got from the first roll.

First test

Step 1 process	Delta 100 at EI 100 for 135 film	Delta 100 at EI 200 for 135 film
Developer	Kodak Xtol 1+1	Kodak Xtol 1+1
Temperature	24° C	24° C
Agitation	First minute then 5s /mn	First minute then 5s / 30s
Time	9 mn	11 mn
Result	Excellent tonality Very fine grain Excellent sharpness	Slightly too contrasty, tonality a little bit too short in low lights, whites are very dense. Grain is a little bit coarser but sharpness is almost as good.
Verdict	Go on like that!	Agitate less.

 

So I'll have to refine the process. Note that I have to develop a Delta 400 film exposed at 200 to see if it could be a viable alternative. More on these tests later. In the meantime, here are two pictures taken in those conditions:

Delta 100 at 200, Step 1 process, Leica M2, current Summicron 50 mm, 1/30 at f/2.8

Delta 100 at 200, Step 1 process, Leica M2, current Summicron 50 mm, 1/1000 at f/5.6

 

Second test

Step 2 process	Delta 100 at EI 200 for 135 film
Developer	Kodak Xtol 1+1
Temperature	24° C
Agitation	30s then 5s / mn
Time	11 mn
Result	Stronger contrast than at EI 100. Grain is a little bit coarser but sharpness is almost as good.
Verdict	OK

 

Delta 100 at 200, Step 2 process, Leica M4-P, current Summicron 50 mm, 1/250 at f/11

This time, it seems good. So Delta 100 is usable at EI 200 if we can accept a little loss about grain. Micro-contrast is even stronger, so accutance is preserved. In a word, Delta 100 is a very good 200 ISO film.

What about Delta 400 at EI 200?

Well, news are not that good. At IE 200 (6mn 30 s in Xtol), Delta 400 is weak. Grain seems bigger than at IE 400 and accutance is the same (not surprising, you may say). For now, it's not a solution.

Copyright Jean-Claude Berger, 2001