Ilford Delta 400 vs Ilford HP5 Plus

Updated October 14, 2026 · 8 figures compared

Delta 400 and HP5 Plus are both ISO 400 black-and-white films made by Harman under the Ilford name, and Ilford sums up the difference itself: a “more contemporary emulsion design” with “finer grain compared to HP5” for Delta 400, and “extremely good exposure latitude” for HP5 Plus, which “uses our more traditional emulsion making methods” E1. Ilford publishes no granularity figure for either film, so the grain difference rests on Ilford’s description and on reviews A1 B1.

A GA — 042 Black and white

IlfordDelta 400 Professional

In production

Film sheet Preset GA — 042 / P

B GA — 001 Black and white

IlfordHP5 Plus

In production

Film sheet Preset GA — 001 / P

Compare other films

From the Ilford Delta 400 Professional sheet, on Ilford HP5 Plus: “Ilford's classic ISO 400 with more traditional grain; reviews find it a little flatter and more forgiving of exposure errors than Delta 400”

Side by side

1 of 8 rows differ · 1 not published

Jump to the renderings

Ilford Delta 400 Professional and Ilford HP5 Plus, documented figures side by side
Identity
	A Ilford Delta 400 Professional	B Ilford HP5 Plus
Brand Same	Both Ilford
Manufacturer Same	Both Harman technology
Type Same	Both Black and white
Process Same	Both B&W
ISO Same	Both 400
Formats Differs	135, 120	135, 120, 4x5, 5x7, 8x10
Both are listed in 120 and 135. Only Ilford HP5 Plus is listed in 4×5 sheets, 5×7 sheets and 8×10 sheets.
Status Same	In productionchecked September 30, 2026 [A2]: source 2 of Ilford Delta 400 Professional	In productionchecked September 29, 2026 [B2]: source 2 of Ilford HP5 Plus
Character
Grain Not published	No RMS published; 'fine grain' (datasheet), finer than HP5 Plus according to reviews	No RMS figure published; reviews disagree on Tri-X vs HP5
Contrast	Slightly above HP5 Plus at box speed, per Casual Photophile; Ilford's normal-contrast development targets Ḡ 0.62	Medium (Emulsive, quoting Ilford); reviews range from low to high
Latitude	ISO 400; good quality from EI 200 to 3200 with adapted development (Ilford)	EI 400 to 3200 with adjusted development (Harman)
Resolving power	Not published	Not given; no MTF curve published [B1]: source 1 of Ilford HP5 Plus
Reciprocity	No correction from 1/10,000 to ½ s; longer: adjusted time = metered time^1.41 [A1]: source 1 of Ilford Delta 400 Professional	No correction from 1/10,000 to ½ s; beyond, adjusted time = metered time^1.31 [B1]: source 1 of Ilford HP5 Plus
Look	Fine-grained, smooth black and white with deep blacks and held highlights	Subtle tones and visible grain; skies lighter than the eye sees them
Best for	Action, available light, pictorial and fine art work (Ilford)	Action, documentary and available light (Ilford)
Datasheet and preset
Datasheet	Delta 400 Professional Technical Information, edition 2018-11	HP5 Plus Technical Information, edition 2018-11
Spectral curve	Published	Published
Preset	GA — 042 / P · darktable and Photomator	GA — 001 / P · darktable and Photomator
Both have a preset.

Source numbers carry the film: A3 is source 3 of Ilford Delta 400 Professional, B3 is source 3 of Ilford HP5 Plus. Not published: none of the sources on file gives this figure.

Same scene, two presets

SceneBeach cabinBeech forest

Beach cabin under storm clouds, with the preset inspired by Ilford Delta 400 Professional (GA — 042 / P) applied, in black and white (simulation). — **A · GA — 042 / P** · Ilford Delta 400 Professional

Beach cabin under storm clouds, with the preset inspired by Ilford HP5 Plus (GA — 001 / P) applied, in black and white (simulation). — **B · GA — 001 / P** · Ilford HP5 Plus

The same beach cabin under storm clouds, base development without a preset. — **Reference** · base development, no preset

Same RAW file, two presets · rendered in darktable 5.6 · simulations on a digital RAW, not film scansPhoto: seume on discuss.pixls.us, CC0 1.0 · Photo credits

Both images start from the same RAW file, with the same base development: darktable’s default exposure and sigmoid. Each side then has one The Grain Archive preset applied. They show our interpretation of each film, not scans of real negatives. Real film also depends on exposure, processing and scanning.

Grain and tonality

Grain. Ilford describes Delta’s grain as “more uniform” and says its size “is closer to medium speed film like FP4+” E1. Analog.cafe finds Delta smoother than HP5 Plus and Tri-X A5, and Parallax Photographic describes the Delta range as finer and more even than classic emulsions such as HP5 and FP4 A6.
Tonality. After shooting both on the same day, a photographer on TalkPhotography concluded that “the bigger difference between HP5+ and Delta 400 is not really grain, but the better tonal range of Delta” E2.
Contrast. Casual Photophile writes that, developed properly, Delta 400 “should show slightly more contrast at box speed than HP5, but not so much that it crushes the shadow detail” A4.

Exposure and processing

Latitude. Ilford calls HP5 Plus “very tolerant of under/over exposure”; for Delta 400, “correct exposure [is] more important than HP5+”, with “less latitude for exposure errors and processing accuracy” E1.
Shadows. Analog.cafe finds “less latitude for mistakes in the shadows” on Delta A5, while Casual Photophile reports “outstanding shadow detail” A4. Both can be true: good detail at correct exposure, less tolerance for underexposure.
Processing. For Delta 400, “choice of developer is more important and processing needs to be more precise than HP5+”, with longer fixing times E1.
Push and pull. Ilford rates Delta 400 from EI 200 to 3200 and HP5 Plus from EI 400 to 3200, with adapted development A1 B1.
Long exposures. Neither needs correction up to half a second. Beyond, Harman’s formulas raise the metered time to the power 1.41 for Delta 400 and 1.31 for HP5 Plus, so Delta needs a little more extra exposure A1 B1.

Which one for what

Harman sells HP5 Plus for action, available light and general photography B1. For Delta 400, Ilford notes that correctly exposed and processed negatives “are slightly easier to print than conventional films” E1.
HP5 Plus is also made in sheet film; Delta 400 in 35 mm and 120 only B1 A1.
The TalkPhotography photographer chose Delta 400 for the future, and added: “If you really want to reduce grain though, I think you need to shoot film rated at a slower speed.” E2

Real film, side by side

On TalkPhotography, the user Jao shot “a roll of HP5+ and Delta 400 on the same day at the same location and the same challenging dull light”, in 645 medium format, processed both in Ilfotec LC29 and scanned them on an Epson V500 E2. Jao found Delta “also grainy although the grain looks different” E2. It is a single forum test with two images, not a controlled one.