Ilford’s ‘Very Limited’ New Black-and-White 35mm Film Is Sharper and Has Better Dynamic Range

Ilford Photo has unveiled a new limited-edition black-and-white film, Ilford Delta 400 Professional Collector’s Edition.

The new film, available for a “limited time” in 135 format, promises professional-grade, high-quality, super-sharp black-and-white photos with very fine grain. It comes in a sleek all-black cassette and carton.

What sets it apart from regular Ilford Delta 400 Professional black-and-white film is that Ilford coats it on what it calls a “clearer roll film base with anti-halation protection.”

Compared to the standard-fare Delta 400 Professional, the Collector’s Edition variety promises subtle improvements to dynamic range, shadow detail, scanning, and overall sharpness, per Ilford.

The film retains the same speed and processing times as before and costs the same as the regular Ilford Delta 400 Professional. Although the company doesn’t say specifically how limited the film is, it is only available “in very limited quantities while stocks last.”

Naturally, the question becomes “why make this new film limited if it’s better than the original?”

To that, Ilford has an answer of sorts in the comment section of its Instagram post about the Collector’s Edition film.

“It’s a test to see what people think and if there’s a market for it,” Ilford comments.


The company adds that if the response is good and people who are lucky enough to get their hands on the film like it, the company would certainly consider manufacturing it again as a regular product. However, in that case, the price would “likely be higher than the existing product.”

It stands to reason that the anti-halation layer adds to manufacturing costs, which would need to be accounted for if this received a broader release later. This is the first time one of Ilford’s 35mm black-and-white films has been coated onto its clearer roll-film base with anti-halation protection.

A roll of the new film is $15.19, but it is available in-store only, not through Ilford’s online shop. Ilford’s authorized retailers can be viewed here. Good luck to anyone trying to get their hands on the new film. Hopefully it’s both good and popular enough to come back as a regular product down the road. The more film, the better.

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Image creditsIlford