Ilford FP4 Plus is one of the great classic black and white films — a medium-speed emulsion rated at ISO 125 that trades the flexibility of faster stocks for exceptional grain, sharpness, and tonal depth. This review covers a full roll shot on a Zenza Bronica ETRSi at Watership Down in Hampshire, using long exposures to capture a dramatic spring storm rolling across the chalk hills.
| Film at a Glance — Ilford FP4 Plus | |
|---|---|
| Film | Ilford FP4 Plus |
| ISO | 125 (box speed) |
| Format | 120 (medium format) |
| Camera | Zenza Bronica ETRSi |
| Location | Watership Down, Hampshire |
| Technique | Long exposure — 1.5 to 5 minutes |
| Developer | Rodinal |
| Scanning | Digitised from negatives |
| Conditions | Late spring, overcast to storm |
Why Ilford FP4 Plus?
When you’re heading out with a medium format camera and a tripod, looking for long exposures in open landscape, the choice of film matters more than people often appreciate. Faster films like HP5 give you flexibility, but that flexibility comes at a cost — grain becomes more prominent, and the tonal gradation that makes medium format so appealing can soften.
FP4 Plus at ISO 125 is a different proposition entirely. It’s a film designed for precision — fine grain, outstanding sharpness, and a tonal range that handles bright highlights and deep shadows with equal composure. For landscape work in decent light, it’s hard to argue against it. On medium format, those qualities are amplified considerably.
FP4 Plus is a film designed for precision. On medium format, paired with long exposures and open landscape, it produces negatives with a depth and clarity that’s genuinely difficult to match.
Watership Down, Hampshire
Watership Down sits on the chalk downland of north Hampshire, a gentle but exposed ridge that most people know from Richard Adams’ novel. In reality it’s a working agricultural landscape — wide open fields, ancient trackways, and long views south across the Test Valley. For a photographer it offers something rare in southern England: genuine sky. You’re high enough that weather moves across the horizon in real time, and on an unsettled spring afternoon, that becomes the subject as much as the land itself.
Late spring was the right time to visit. The grass was still lush, wildflowers were scattered across the verges, and the air had that particular quality of a warm day being overtaken by something bigger. By mid-afternoon the clouds had begun to build — stacking and darkening to the west, backlit by the sun that was still trying to break through from the south. It was the kind of light that rewards patience and punishes anyone who packs up early.
Zenza Bronica ETRSi — Medium Format at Its Best
The Bronica ETRSi is a medium format SLR that produces 6×4.5cm negatives on 120 film — fifteen exposures per roll. It’s a camera that encourages a slower, more deliberate approach to photography. Each frame counts. You meter carefully, compose at the waist-level finder, and commit.
For long exposure landscape work it’s an excellent choice. The mirror lock-up function eliminates vibration at the moment of exposure, and with a cable release and a solid tripod, there’s very little that can go wrong mechanically. The lenses are sharp and well-corrected, and the 6×4.5 negative gives you substantially more information than 35mm — detail that becomes evident when you scan and enlarge.
If you want to know more about how the camera performs across different conditions, my full Zenza Bronica ETRSi review covers it in depth.
Shooting — Long Exposures in Changing Light
With FP4 Plus rated at ISO 125 and exposures running from ninety seconds to five minutes, a sturdy tripod was non-negotiable. I used a cable release throughout to avoid any contact with the camera body during exposure, and locked the mirror up before each shot to remove that source of vibration.
Composing in the waist-level finder on a Bronica is a particular pleasure in open landscape. I was working with the horizon roughly at mid-frame on most shots, leaving enough foreground to anchor the image and enough sky to let the cloud movement register across the exposure.
The longer exposures — four and five minutes — were timed as the storm was most active. Clouds moving quickly across the frame were reduced to smooth, directional streaks, giving the sky a weight and drama that the naked eye couldn’t quite register. FP4 Plus held the highlights across all of these frames, which matters enormously when you’re shooting into a bright sky with a dark foreground beneath it.
At five minutes, the clouds became something else entirely — smooth, directional, almost painterly. FP4 Plus held the highlights throughout. That’s not something every film manages.
One practical point worth noting: FP4 Plus exhibits reciprocity failure at exposures beyond roughly one second. The film loses effective sensitivity the longer you expose it, and you need to add time to compensate. Ilford publishes reciprocity correction data for FP4 Plus — it’s worth checking before you go out, particularly if you’re planning exposures in the three-to-five minute range.
Rodinal Development and Scanning
The roll was developed in Rodinal, which is a natural pairing for FP4 Plus when you want to emphasise acutance and edge sharpness. Rodinal won’t give you the finest possible grain — that’s better served by something like Perceptol — but for landscape negatives where sharpness and local contrast are the priorities, it works extremely well. The fine grain of FP4 Plus keeps Rodinal’s tendency to exaggerate grain structure well under control at ISO 125.
The negatives were then scanned to bring them into the digital workflow. FP4 Plus on a clear base scans cleanly and inverts easily, with minimal fuss in post. Shadow detail in the foreground grass was recoverable, and the cloud highlights — even on the longest exposures — retained texture rather than blocking up.
FP4 Plus vs Other Black and White Films
| Film | How it compares to FP4 Plus |
|---|---|
| Ilford HP5 Plus 400 | Faster and more flexible in low light, but coarser grain and softer tonal gradation. Better for handheld or variable conditions. See my HP5 Plus review. |
| Ilford Pan F Plus 50 | Even finer grain and higher resolution, but less forgiving of exposure error and genuinely difficult in anything but good light. See my Pan F Plus 50 review. |
| Fomapan 100 | Similar speed, lower cost, but a noticeably different character — more texture, softer contrast curve, less consistency. See my Fomapan review. |
| Kodak Tri-X 400 | Faster, more contrast-driven, and more assertive in grain. A different aesthetic entirely. See my Tri-X review. |
What Works Well
- Exceptional grain — fine and controlled even in medium format enlargements
- Wide tonal range handles high-contrast landscape scenes well
- Holds highlight detail across extended exposures
- Wide exposure latitude — forgiving of minor metering errors
- Pairs beautifully with Rodinal for landscape acutance
- Scans cleanly with minimal post-processing needed
Worth Knowing
- ISO 125 limits flexibility without a tripod in low light
- Reciprocity failure needs compensating beyond one second
- Not designed for pushing — HP5 is better if you need speed
- Slower film demands more careful metering than ISO 400 stocks
What ISO is Ilford FP4 Plus?
FP4 Plus is rated at ISO 125. It sits between the ultra-fine Ilford Pan F Plus 50 and the more flexible HP5 Plus 400. For most outdoor and landscape work in reasonable light — particularly with a tripod — ISO 125 is entirely manageable and delivers significantly finer grain than faster stocks.
Can Ilford FP4 Plus be pushed?
It can be pushed to ISO 200 or 400 with extended development, but it’s not what the film is designed for. Contrast increases noticeably and the fine grain that defines FP4 Plus begins to break down. If you regularly shoot in low light or variable conditions, HP5 Plus is a more natural choice. FP4 Plus is at its best at box speed.
Is FP4 Plus good for long exposure photography?
Yes, with one important caveat — reciprocity failure. Like most traditional emulsions, FP4 Plus loses effective sensitivity at exposures longer than around one second, and you need to add additional time to compensate. Ilford publishes correction data for FP4 Plus. Work that into your calculations and it performs very well for long exposure landscape work.
How does FP4 Plus compare to HP5 Plus?
They’re complementary rather than interchangeable. HP5 is faster, more flexible in difficult light, and more forgiving when pushed. FP4 Plus is slower, finer-grained, and more precise — it rewards careful metering and works best in favourable light. For landscape work in good conditions, FP4 Plus generally produces the more refined result. See my full HP5 Plus review for a direct comparison.
What developer works best with Ilford FP4 Plus?
FP4 Plus is compatible with most standard developers. Rodinal gives strong acutance and edge sharpness — well suited to landscape work. Ilford ID-11 and Ilfosol 3 are reliable all-round choices that preserve the film’s natural tonal balance. For finer grain and smoother gradation, Perceptol or DD-X are worth considering.
Is Ilford FP4 Plus available in medium format?
Yes — FP4 Plus is available in both 35mm and 120 format, making it a practical choice for medium format cameras like the Bronica ETRSi. It’s also produced in large format sheet sizes, making it one of the most widely available black and white emulsions across formats.
Where can I buy Ilford FP4 Plus in the UK?
FP4 Plus is widely available from UK film suppliers including Analogue Wonderland and direct from Ilford. It’s one of the most consistently stocked black and white films in the UK, in both 35mm and 120. For a broader look at sourcing film, see my guide to buying film in the UK.
This article is part of my Film Photography hub series. For more black and white film reviews, see my guides to Ilford HP5 Plus, Ilford Pan F Plus 50, and Fomapan 100, 200 and 400.
