Ilford HP5 arrived in 1976, the same year as the Pentax K1000. Fifty years on, both are still the starting point for new film photographers, and there are good reasons why.

Walk into almost any college darkroom in the UK and you’ll find the same combination on the shelves: a Pentax K1000 and a box of Ilford HP5 Plus. It’s the pairing we hand to students on our own Tuesday night darkroom course, and it’s worth asking why a film from the 1970s is still the one we reach for first in 2026.

A film with a long history

The HP name goes back to 1931, when Ilford introduced its Hypersensitive Panchromatic plates. According to Ilford, HP5 followed in 1976, and the current HP5 Plus version arrived in 1989. That makes this year HP5’s 50th anniversary, and it’s still made in Mobberley, Cheshire, by Harman Technology.

Why it still matters

The short answer is forgiveness. HP5 Plus is an ISO 400 black-and-white film with wide exposure latitude, so a frame that’s a stop over or under will usually still print. For anyone learning to meter manually on a K1000’s needle, that safety net makes a real difference.

It’s also one of the most flexible films you can buy. Ilford rates it for push processing up to EI 3200, which makes it a practical choice as the evenings draw in and the light drops. Shoot it at box speed in daylight, push it for a gig or a street session after dark, and you’re still using the same film.

Then there’s the look. HP5 Plus has visible but attractive grain and a classic tonal range that prints beautifully on fibre or RC paper. It isn’t the finest-grained 400 film available, but it has character, and it responds well to almost any developer, from ID-11 and Ilfotec DD-X to Ilfosol 3 for beginners.

Finally, it’s everywhere. HP5 Plus is available in 35mm, 120 and sheet film, so students can use the same emulsion in a K1000, a Hasselblad or a large-format camera and see exactly what the format changes.

Our darkroom notes

[ALI: your go-to developer, dilution and time at box speed and pushed to 1600/3200, plus a printing tip for HP5 negatives.]

[ALI: sample images, ideally a K1000 frame at 400 and a pushed night frame.]

Is HP5 Plus still worth buying in 2026?

For anyone starting out in film, or returning to it after years away, we’d say yes. It doesn’t need perfect exposure, it can be pushed when the light goes, and it teaches you what black-and-white film does in a way that’s easy to see in the darkroom. Fifty years on, HP5 is still the film we’d hand to someone loading their first roll.

Ilford HP5 Plus specifications

Ilford HP5 Plus price and availability

Ilford HP5 Plus is widely available from UK film retailers and Ilford Photo.