Ilford FP4 Plus has been around in one form or another since 1968, yet this ISO 125 black-and-white film still makes a strong case for itself in 2026 – especially if you shoot medium format and want big, clean enlargements from the darkroom.

A short history of FP4 Plus

According to Ilford’s own history page, FP4 film was introduced in 1968 and the current FP4 Plus emulsion followed in 1990. That makes it the slower, finer-grained sibling of HP5 Plus, which we looked at a couple of weeks ago, and it has sat alongside it in the Ilford line-up for more than three decades.

Ilford describes FP4 Plus as “a medium speed, all-purpose black & white film with very fine grain and outstanding sharpness”, and that’s a fair summary of what it does.

Why FP4 Plus still matters

The look. FP4 Plus gives a classic, smooth tonal range with grain that’s barely visible in medium format prints. It’s a traditional-grain emulsion rather than one of Ilford’s Delta films, so it has a slightly more old-school character while still being very sharp.

Latitude. Ilford rates it at ISO 125 and says it gives its best results at EI 125, with good quality from EI 50 to EI 200. Its technical data sheet also says it will still give usable results with up to two stops of underexposure or six stops of overexposure. That’s very forgiving for students learning to meter by hand.

Formats. FP4 Plus comes in 35mm (24 or 36 exposures, plus 17m and 30.5m bulk lengths), 120 roll film and a range of sheet film sizes, including 4x5in. That means you can use the same emulsion across everything from our Canon SLRs to the college’s Sinar large format cameras and get consistent results.

Price. It isn’t the cheapest black-and-white film around – Ilford’s own Kentmere films undercut it – but it’s sensibly priced for a premium emulsion. When we checked, First Call Photographic was selling 120 rolls for £8.90.

In the darkroom. FP4 Plus is an easy film to develop and print. Ilford publishes times for ID-11, Ilfotec DD-X, Ilfosol 3 and Perceptol; as a starting point, the data sheet gives 8½ minutes in ID-11 stock at 20°C. Its clear base and well-behaved highlights make it a good film for learning to print on fibre-based paper.

Our darkroom notes

We run a Tuesday night darkroom evening course and teach with the college’s Pentax K1000s, Hasselblad 500C, Mamiya RB67s and Sinar cameras. FP4 Plus is a natural partner for the Mamiya RB67: the 6x7cm negative is big enough that the film’s fine grain all but disappears, even in large prints, and the camera’s slow, deliberate handling suits a slower film. You get 10 frames on a roll of 120, which encourages students to think about every shot.

[ALI: developer, dilution and times]

[ALI: sample images from the Mamiya RB67]

Is Ilford FP4 Plus still worth buying in 2026?

Yes. If HP5 Plus is the film we hand to students for their first roll, FP4 Plus is the one we’d recommend when they want to slow down and get the best possible print quality. In medium format especially, it delivers smooth tones and excellent detail without the very slow shutter speeds that specialist films such as Pan F Plus 50 can demand.

It isn’t the film for dark evenings or fast action – you’ll want HP5 Plus or Delta 3200 for that – but for landscapes, portraits and architecture in decent light, FP4 Plus remains one of the most dependable black-and-white films you can buy.

Ilford FP4 Plus specifications

Ilford FP4 Plus price and availability

Ilford FP4 Plus is available now from UK film retailers. When we checked, First Call Photographic listed 120 rolls at £8.90 and Wex Photo Video listed a 25-sheet box of 4x5in film at £56. [CHECK: current UK price for 35mm 36-exposure]

Find out more on the Ilford FP4 Plus 35mm and FP4 Plus 120 product pages.