Kodak Black & White + 400

The Kodak Black & White + 400 is a black and white film from the house. It belongs to the Kodak Select Series film family from the American film manufacturer. Introduced in the late 1990s, it was aimed at the consumer market.

This film was an innovation because it was not a “real” black and white film as it had been known until then. This “revolutionary” chromogenic film incorporated Kodak’s latest color negative emulsion technology at the time. The emulsion layers contained a combination of dye couplers tuned to produce a neutral gray or black when printed on color negative paper, resulting in black and white images.

This film has a sensitivity of ISO 400, making it perfect for everyday use or studio shooting. However, when shooting with a large aperture and lots of light, you should choose a different film for best results.

Since it is actually a color negative film, the film has a very wide exposure latitude and is therefore not as prone to false exposures as, say, slide film or some true black and white film would be.

It is likely that most film stock still available today has passed the expiration date assigned at the time of production. The expiration date is simply a guarantee of the quality of the film stock and has no bearing on its usability. Therefore, you can still use the film. Aging and storage at high temperatures can cause a reduction in film speed for older film stock.

Development of the film

Once the KODAK Black & White + 400 Film has been exposed, it is time for development. It is possible to have the development done in a professional photo lab or to implement it at home with the right chemistry.

The development itself follows a standardized procedure, also known as the C-41 process. In Germany, several large drugstore chains offer a service to develop the film, making the process more accessible to many. After developing the film, you get finished negatives that are the result of the process.

The relative ease of development, which was/is also usually cheaper, was one of the selling points of film at the time.

Push development

Kodak Black & White + 400 film can be used with higher than normal exposure indices to capture images in low light conditions or to freeze fast moving subjects. The film can also be pushed with the C-41 process, which can produce acceptable negatives with exposure indexes up to 3200. This technique is particularly useful for photographers who want to achieve a particular aesthetic or capture images under difficult lighting conditions.

The problem is that here the time of the developing bath must be adjusted. This is not supported by every lab. For 400 to 800 3:15 minutes, 1600 3:45 minutes and 3200 4:15 minutes.

Availability and alternatives

The Black & White + 400 was only available as 35mm film. 36 shots fit on a roll of film. A DX code was printed on the cartridge. The list of 35mm format cameras is long, and well-known manufacturers that produce or have produced such cameras include Nikon, Contax, and Minolta.

The Kodak Black & White + 400 is no longer in production. Replaceable film stock in 35mm would be the Ilford XP2 Super*, also a chromogenic black & white film. This film is also available for medium format cameras.