Monochrome For Most Occasions

As you have seen in the title I have called Ilford HP-5 'monochrome for most occasions.' Being ISO 400 speed enables it to be useable in a great variety of situations with varying light conditions. I have always used ISO 400 speed films for this versatility and when I was looking into monochrome photography this film was a natural choice.

The great thing about most monochrome films is ease of developing and printing, which is cheaper and easier on a personal scale. I have recently developed all my HP-5s in a school darkroom, developing it for 16 mins in Paterson Aculux 2. The recommended time is 14.5 mins (20ºc) but I prefer the higher contrast of a longer development. The photographs printed by myself have been very pleasing for me, and other people have praised me for the results too.
The ease of use of HP-5 is enhanced by its availability, I find many other specialist films can only be found in one or two big stores in the centre of town. I have seen HP-5 in many small shops all over the place.

Grain is not too hard to see but it is not intrusive in any way and can add mood to a picture. If you want finer grain try Ilford FP-4 though the reduced sensitivity at ISO 125 means increased use of a tripod in low light pictures.

If you asked me to list any bad points I cannot think of any for the film itself. There is the grain but that is to be expected on an ISO 400 film.
However I do wish it came in packs of 3 or 5 like Fujifilm Superior. I have only ever seen it in singles or huge professional packs. Having these small multi-packs would be cheaper for us private users. However, the cost of singles is fairly good at £3 ($4.80) here in the UK for a 36 frame single.