Ilford HP5 Plus Reviews
Main advantage:
This camera will allow you to take 27 grayscale photographs in case you want to practice the black and white photography technique, which represents an important category in contemporary art.
Main disadvantage:
Keep in mind that the type of film on the reel is black and white, so all your photos will be developed in grayscale and you will not be able to differentiate the colors in the image.
Verdict: 9.6/10
If you are looking for a cheap option, easy to use and that you can use to practice or have fun taking black and white photos, we recommend this Ilford alternative due to its capacity and quality of performance.
Main Features Explained
reel and optics
When you’re looking at good analog cameras, you can consider disposables as a handy alternative if you want to practice your photography skills or just don’t have a digital camera handy when you need it. These disposable analog cameras have a limited reel, a detail that you should consider depending on your needs while evaluating their optical capacity.
From the Ilford brand we present a low-priced analog camera that could catch your attention: the HP5 Plus or HP5+ model, as it is also known. This equipment has an integrated reel with which you can take a total of 27 photographs, which will be useful for you to obtain memories, practice photography techniques or simply have fun for a while.
In terms of the optical system, it should be noted that the camera uses a 400 ISO film that, although grainy, has a wide exposure latitude so that the lens has more time to focus. It is a black and white film with a medium contrast for the identification of silhouettes, objects, people, animals and more.
compact design
Most modern analog cameras have compact designs that allow them to be carried comfortably in almost any bag or pocket, however, it never hurts to have details about the dimensions and weight of the model of your interest. So you can choose the best analog camera to meet your requirements.
Evaluating the Ilford HP5+ model we find a device with a simple design that is intuitive and easy to operate, even by people of all ages. The camera has a size of 12 x 5 x 10 centimeters and weighs approximately 132 grams, making it a fairly light and compact alternative to use in general.
On the other hand, the camera housing is made of plastic, since it is a disposable model. It is transparent, allowing you to see an internal white and green wallpaper that gives the camera a striking appearance. However, the plastic used is of good quality and quite robust, so it can withstand an accidental drop of the bag, for example.
built-in flash
Evaluating the opinions of photographers and connoisseurs of the subject in general, it can be concluded that lighting is one of those factors that must be very careful when capturing an image. Therefore, it would be a considerable advantage if the analog camera of your interest has a flash at its disposal.
And that’s something you can enjoy with the Ilford HP5+ model. This device has a built-in flash powerful enough to balance the lighting in a dark focus. This way you can more easily distinguish what is captured by the lens.
One detail that you must take into consideration for your benefit is that the flash is manual, so it will only activate when you press the default button. This alone is an advantage, since you will only have the extra lighting when you require it and not in each photograph.
lens focus
Another aspect that we advise you to analyze if you are about to invest in an analog camera is the type of focus of its lens. These models do not usually work with focus systems unless they are professional cameras. However, you can find disposable models that integrate basic lens focusing systems. Such is the case with Ilford’s disposable camera. The HP5+ equipment has a lens capable of focusing from 1 meter, which is sufficient for the type of use to which this type of model is predetermined. On the other hand, buyers indicate that the level of sharpness is good and they are quite satisfied with the performance of the lens.
