Ilford XP2 - 35mm Film

XP2 review around town

Had the delight of using the new Reto Pano camera and Ilford XP2 film both purchased from Analogue Wonderland. The camera is a delight to use as a quick and easy photo capture and the Ilford XP2 was great for street scenes and architecture around the old Welsh Town. Service and processing were great and I will be repeating this many times in the future!

Quietly Surprised.

Disclaimer: I'm just a guy who enjoys taking photos and have no formal training in photography. I recently had a Zenit EM in full working order come into my possession which got me wondering. I read a few reviews and ultimately chose this film because at a pinch I could take it to [High Street Store], being a C41 development. Being an ISO 400 film I shot at box speed using the EM's built in light meter, which I now know reads 1 stop under. I spent a good few hours around a local country park and hall. The pictures I got after being developed by AW pleasantly surprised me and it looked like the XP2 had been very forgiving even accounting for underexposure. It gave some good grain that I liked, gave it an old photo look, though some may find it too much. Would I recommend to others? Definitely. As a first foray into B&W? I don't know, maybe. However, it is a good all round film. If you've been thinking about trying it, go for it.

Just what I've been looking for

On a dull day in December, XP2 came up trumps, with super fine grain and good solid blacks. It's been donkeys years since I shoot a roll but I shall definitely be using it a lot more in 2026. Thoroughly recommended.