Dealer’s Plus-X

• Repackaged Kodak Plus-X
• Fine-grained & sharp-rendering
• Fine tonality & clarity in the midtones and highlights
• Photographers who used the film: Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Vivian Maier
• Rare emulsion, discontinued in 2011

Dealer’s Plus-X is a film with a unique character. Discontinued in 2011, it was Kodak’s last low-speed black and white film. The film is characterized by its sharpness, fine tonality, and clarity in the midtones and highlights. The grain is fine, and the film is ideal for landscape photography, studio work, or street photography in good weather.

A short review of the film can be found here, while this video discusses the characteristics in more detail. In this video, the characteristics of Plus-X are compared with Tri-X.

Motion Picture Film: There ist no remjet layer, the film can therefore be delivered to any lab as normal black and white film. This film has been continuously stored in a refrigerator since 2008. Since it is a black and white film with a wide dynamic range, age does not affect the ISO.

Plus X was first produced as motion picture film in 1938 and was also offered for 35mm and medium format cameras from the 1940s onwards. With minor changes, the film remained in production for over seventy years until it was discontinued in 2011. Famous photographers who used the film included Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Vivian Maier.

Capa was a legendary war photographer and co-founder of Magnum Photos. He used Plus-X to photograph the Allied landing on D-Day at Omaha Beach.
Cartier-Bresson coined the term “The Decisive Moment” and became known primarily for his outstanding, perfectly composed black and white photographs.
The world-renowned image “Behind the Gare St. Lazare” was captured on Kodak Plus-X.
Vivian Maier was a mysterious and prolific street photographer who worked as a nanny and kept her photos hidden until they were discovered after her death. She used Plus-X Pan film to create stunning portraits and scenes of urban life, such as her famous self-portrait in the mirror with a Rolleiflex.

The sample images were developed in Kodak D-76, which accentuates the fine grain and tonality well. In Kodak Xtol, one gets extremely fine grain and a very sharp image, while the midtones are well preserved. Rodinal probably renders the film the sharpest, with a slightly grainier and contrastier negative.