Three Film Stocks, One Bison Herd: Delta 400, Reflx Lab Pro 100, and Reflx Lab 400D in the Field
Introduction
Most film comparisons happen under controlled conditions. Same camera, same lens, same scene.
This wasn't one of those tests.
On a recent trip photographing a bison herd and their calves, I brought three cameras loaded with three very different film stocks:
Ilford Delta 400 in a Hasselblad
Reflx Lab Pro 100 in a Pentax 645
Reflx Lab 400D in a Leica
The goal wasn't to compare films. The goal was simply to photograph bison.
But after scanning the negatives, I realized each film stock interpreted the same herd in a completely different way.
Delta 400 on the Hasselblad 500 EL/M
Delta 400 was the surprise winner of the trip. Not because it produced the sharpest negatives, but because it produced the most emotional photographs.
The lack of color forced attention onto relationships, shape, and texture. The nursing calf photograph is probably my favorite image from the entire outing, and I don't think it would have had the same impact in color.
Reflx Lab Pro 100 (Pentax 645)
Pro 100 wasn't the best film for close-up wildlife work, but it excelled at showing the environment.
The Aerocolor heritage gives the film a unique palette that feels almost cinematic. The greens aren't overly saturated and the calves stand out naturally against the meadow.
Reflx Lab 400D (Leica M4 W/ 13.5cm Hektor)
If Delta 400 produced my favorite photographs and Pro 100 produced my favorite colors, 400D was the film I trusted most.
The Leica allowed me to react quickly while still getting a film look that feels distinct from modern digital cameras.
In Conclusion…
The lesson from this trip wasn't that one film stock was better than another. It was that each stock emphasized a different aspect of the same experience.
The Hasselblad and 250mm w/ 2x teleconverter + Delta 400 focused on relationships.
The Pentax 645 and 200mm + Pro 100 focused on place.
The Leica and 13.5cm Hektor + 400D focused on moments.
Looking back through the scans, I don't see three film stocks competing with each other. I see three different interpretations of the same herd, all made within a few hundred yards of one another on the same morning.
