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Choose ILFORD SFX 200 for extended-red sensitivity and the distinctive dark-sky, pale-vegetation rendering a deep red filter can produce. Choose HP5 Plus for its nominal ISO 400 speed, general-purpose use, and documented push-processing flexibility. The films have different strengths, but available manufacturer descriptions do not establish a controlled grain winner.
How SFX 200 and HP5 Plus differ
| Film | Nominal speed | Published character | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| ILFORD SFX 200 | ISO 200/24° (ILFORD technical information, November 2018) | Extended-red sensitivity up to 740 nm; wide tonal range; moderate contrast (ILFORD technical information, November 2018) | Deep-red-filter effects and extended-red rendering |
| ILFORD HP5 Plus | Nominal ISO 400/27° (ILFORD PHOTO Canada product information, accessed October 4, 2026) | Fine grain and medium contrast, per ILFORD’s product description | General-purpose shooting, lower-light flexibility, and push processing |
HP5 Plus’s nominal rating gives it a one-stop speed advantage over SFX 200. Actual exposure and processing choices still matter, and the speed advantage does not make HP5 Plus a substitute for SFX’s extended-red response.
Is Ilford SFX 200 infrared film?
Not in the usual sense of a conventional true-infrared film. ILFORD describes SFX 200 as having extended red sensitivity up to 740 nm. Its product description’s phrase “infra-red style images” refers to the look it can create, not a claim that it is true infrared film.
In an ILFORD article by Scott Allen, Allen discusses the red/infrared boundary and illustrates his own photographs made with a 720 nm filter. Those examples show an author’s experience; they are not a standardized test or a guaranteed result for every scene.
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- Capture Spontaneous Moments in Rich, Warm Color: Kodak Gold 200 is famed for its vibrant, sunny hues and forgiving nature, ensuring your everyday snaps turn out beautifully, even if your lighting or settings aren’t perfect
- The Perfect Film for Beginners & Enthusiasts: With high exposure tolerance and reliable 200 ISO, this 35 mm film roll delivers stunning results in both daylight and indoor settings without hassle, making it the ideal choice to learn with or simply enjoy
- Shoot More, Spend Less: This practical 3-roll bundle means you’re always prepared. Keep your camera loaded and never miss a shot, whether you’re documenting a full vacation or just want a single Kodak film in your bag for months of spontaneous captures
- Bring Your Memories to Life: Experience the classic, warm color reproduction and fine grain that make Kodak Gold 200 35mm film a favorite. It excels at rendering lush greens, bright yellows, and skin tones, giving your photos a timeless, joyful feel
- Versatile for Every Camera and Occasion: From point-and-shoots to professional SLRs, this camera film ensures versatility across portraits, travel, and daily life, making it the one film you can always rely on for stunning clarity and dependable results
What does a red filter do on SFX 200?
A deep red filter takes advantage of SFX 200’s extended-red sensitivity. ILFORD says a very deep red filter can make skies appear almost black and most green vegetation almost white. This pronounced effect is SFX 200’s defining distinction in the comparison.
Filter strength matters: an ordinary red filter and a very deep or near-infrared filter do not have the same spectral cutoff or light loss. The result also varies with illumination, scene, exposure, and film response. Use the exposure factor specified for the exact film-and-filter combination, or a suitable through-the-lens meter where available; account for the camera meter’s spectral response. A universal filter factor is not established here.
Rank #2
- 2 rolls of film
- ISO 400
- 35 mm
- 36 poses
- Black and white film
HP5 Plus can be used with ordinary contrast filters, but a red filter does not give it SFX 200’s extended-red response.
Which has finer grain or stronger contrast?
Grain
ILFORD describes HP5 Plus as fine-grain, but that qualitative product description does not prove it will look finer-grained than SFX 200 in every workflow. The available sources do not provide a numerical grain ranking or a matched SFX-versus-HP5 comparison.
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- ISO200, 36EXP
- 35MM Color Negative Film
- C-41 Processing
- DX Coded
Contrast
ILFORD describes HP5 Plus as medium contrast and SFX 200 as having moderate contrast and a wide tonal range. These are useful indications of intended character, not results from a controlled head-to-head test.
Grain and contrast in the final image depend on format, exposure, developer and dilution, agitation, enlargement or scan, and output size. To compare the stocks in a personal test, keep the scene, lens, format, exposure, filter, development, and output size as consistent as practical. Differences between unrelated sample photographs cannot establish a film-stock difference.
Rank #4
- Superior Performance: for kodak gold 200 film has excellent latent image retention characteristics, excellent consistency and excellent processing robustness.
- Excellent Effects: for kodak gold 200 film has high clarity and high resolution, excellent general purpose photography and excellent magnification.
- Professional Design: for kodak gold 200 color negative film is designed for daylight and electronic flash exposures.
- Low Speed Color Negative: for kodak gold 200 35mm gold film is a low speed color negative.
- Compact Size: for kodak gold 200 35mm gold film is small and compact, easy to store and carry, easy to use.
How HP5 Plus’s speed and push-processing flexibility compare
HP5 Plus is ILFORD’s general-purpose option for varied conditions, including documentary, travel, action, and available-light photography. ILFORD says speeds up to EI 3200/36 are achievable with MICROPHEN while maintaining shadow detail and separated mid-tones. EI is a working exposure index used with a chosen development approach; it is not a new ISO rating for the film.
SFX 200 is rated ISO 200/24° in ILFORD’s November 2018 technical information. That source says the rating was measured using ILFORD ID-11 at 20 °C/68 °F with intermittent spiral-tank agitation. It also distinguishes the practical recommended exposure-index range from the ISO standard’s foot-speed procedure. The film is described as compatible with normal developers.
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Best Value
- Ilford 1780624 Delta 100 Professional Black-and-White Film, ISO 100, 35mm 36-Exposure (2 Pack)
Formats and choosing between them
ILFORD lists SFX 200 in 35mm and 120 formats. Its HP5 Plus product information lists 35mm, 120, and sheet formats. Choose the format your camera accepts; the same film stock in different formats does not by itself determine grain or contrast in the finished image.
Quick Recap
- Choose SFX 200 when extended-red rendering and a deep-red-filter effect are central to the photograph.
- Choose HP5 Plus when the extra stop of nominal speed, broad general-purpose use, or the stated push-processing option matters more.
- For a fair grain comparison, use matched shooting and processing conditions and compare at the same final output size.
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