The Ilford XP2 Super is a black and white film. It belongs to the chromogenic black and white films. In 1980 Ilford launched the XP1, the first of its kind.
In principle, it is a color negative film, but the images are monochrome. The sensitivity of the black-and-white film is specified as ISO 400. Due to the fact that it is practically a color negative film, it is tolerant of false exposures.
The Iford XP2 Super is the only film from Ilford that does not have to be processed in a black-and-white developer. It is developed in the C-41 process, which is actually intended for color films.
The advantage is that the process is standardized and offered by practically every photo lab. That’s why you can drop it off at the drugstore around the corner without too much worry, and from there it will be sent to a large lab and developed there. In addition to the larger supply of photo labs to perform the development, usually the cost of the development itself is also lower than for a normal black and white film.
The XP2 Super carrier does not have an orange mask, like color negative film, so it can easily be enlarged in the darkroom onto black and white paper.
The monochromic film is available as 35mm film and medium format film. The 35mm film is DX encoded and it comes preloaded in a disposable camera. The disposable camera is not available in Germany at the moment.
For a long time, the only alternative to the XP2 Super was the Kodak BW400CN. This was usually a bit cheaper and easier to get, but only available for 35mm cameras. In the meantime, the film has been discontinued by the manufacturer, Kodak. Therefore, there is no competition or replacement to the Ilford film.
Technical datasheet
| Attribute | Specification |
|---|---|
| 35mm Format | Yes |
| Medium format / roll film | Yes |
| Country of production | United Kingdom |