Ilford XP Range

Exploring Ilford XP2 Super 400: A Unique Black & White Film with a Colour Process

Ilford, founded in 1879 by Alfred Harman in Ilford, Essex, has been a leader in black-and-white photography for over a century. One of their most innovative films, XP2 Super 400 ISO, stands out due to its unique ability to be developed using standard C-41 colour processing.

A Brief History of the XP Series

The XP series began with XP1 in the 1980s, a black-and-white film that used colour processing for added convenience. It was followed by XP2 and XP2 Plus in the 1990s, each improving on tonal range and sharpness. Today, XP2 Super 400 continues this legacy, offering fine grain, high latitude, and deep contrast while remaining easy to process.

The Look of XP2 Super 400

XP2 Super 400 provides smooth gradations, fine grain, and excellent exposure flexibility. It can be shot at ISOs ranging from 100 to 800 on the same roll without adjusting development times. Unlike traditional black-and-white films, which rely on silver halide, XP2 Super produces an image with dye clouds, making it ideal for scanning and enlargements.

Shooting an Expired XP2 Super 400

Expired XP2 Super 400 can still yield great results due to its chromogenic nature. If stored well, it may be fine at box speed (ISO 400), but overexposing slightly (ISO 200 or 320) can help compensate for any loss of sensitivity. Pairing it with a reliable camera like the Olympus OM-3 ensures precise exposure control and great results.

Conclusion

XP remains one of my favourite film stocks to shoot with, for its convenience and stunning results. Whether fresh or expired, this film delivers classic black-and-white imagery with the ease of modern processing.

“I first used the XP1 film in the 1980s, loved the processing of this film which had fantastic results, looking forward to shooting with this XP2 Super 400.”

Check out and buy the film on Ilford’s website XP2 Super

If you have shot with this film stock please drop me a line: Chat