jhy.social

Ilford’s Delta 3200 is a unique film. I came across it quite early on in my analogue photography journey and was immediately fascinated by it. While an ISO value of 3200 is no longer unusual for mirrorless cameras produced in the last 10 years, it is still exceptional for films. Alongside the Kodak T-MAX P3200, it is one of only two films with a light sensitivity above ISO 800 that are still in production.

Despite having little experience with film and not knowing how to assess lighting conditions, I was curious to see whether this film would enable me to take photos at night without a tripod. It turns out that this is possible if there are enough artificial light sources. Even very dark scenes retain enough detail for the subject to remain recognisable. The grain is noticable but I like it to a certain degree. Sadly, images seem to fall apart when they are viewed any bigger. I certainly have to try this film in medium format some time in the future.

All shots here were taken with a Canon 1N, handheld. I like this camera for night scenes, because it has a relatively good built-in spot metering function. This feature is particularly useful for dimly lit night scenes, as it enables you to measure the light accurately and adjust the exposure accordingly. I usually metered for areas around the lights.