This is my favorite black and white film in half frame. I used to be a Fuji Acros devotee — however knowing it was going to be discontinued I had to find a replacement. The obvious choices were Delta and T-Max. While both films are fantastic, I found Delta to be slightly preferable in terms of exposure latitude and range of medium tones. I do believe T-Max is sharper and has more contrast — I just like the tonality and feel of the Delta 100 more.
Check out the full comparison I did for Emulsive for a more rigorous side-by-side. But for half frame specifically, Delta 100's wide exposure latitude and beautiful mid-tone rendering make it the clear winner in my book.
Shot on Pen EE2 + Yellow Filter in San Diego County, CA
Coming in right behind the Delta 100 is the T-Max 400, which is exceedingly sharp and contrasty. In fact for regular 35mm use I find this film almost too sharp and contrasty — almost digital in nature. But in half frame, that sharpness yields a beautiful fine grain and a lovely aesthetic.
400 speed film is amazing all-around film year-round in many lighting conditions. If I find myself traveling to a city or in any suburban environment with variable lighting, T-Max 400 is my go-to. And despite liking Delta 100 just a bit more overall, if I had to pick just one black and white film for half frame it would be T-Max 400 — because of price, availability, and the flexibility of 400 speed film.
Shot on Pen EE2 + Yellow Filter across San Diego, Los Angeles and the Bay Area
This last choice may surprise people. Those familiar with Kosmo 100 know the original stock from which it came. They probably know it is not the sharpest or most contrasty film in the world. In fact it is kind of soft at times and has a lot of grain — which is especially exaggerated in the half frame format. But that is precisely why I love it.
One of my favorite ways to shoot black and white when I was in college was to push to ISO 1600 to get really grainy images with lots of contrast. Over time I grew away from this style of shooting, but when I started shooting Kosmo 100 on my Pentax Spotmatic I realized it would be great in half frame — producing grainy, surreal images.
This film is excellent for abstract, conceptual black and white photography full of grain and character. On an overcast day in California, or any day when I do not have a particular goal other than aimlessly walking around and shooting, it is my favorite.
Shot across Alta and Baja California — Canon Demi (desert) and Pen EE2 (city)