My go to film is Ilford HP5+ for its versatility, latitude and availability (in 35mm)  24 & 36 exp and 100ft bulk roll which is great if you're on the cheap and like rolling your own. Generally I like to push it 1 stop to increase grain and contrast. When I was given a roll of Luckypan SHD 400 to shoot, I wanted to see how it stood against Ilford HP5+ and let me tell you, I was not disappointed. 

If you're like me and you appreciate grain and contrast in black and white film, Luckypan SHD 400 could be a great option for you. 

Typically Aotearoa has very harsh light and it can be difficult shooting in natural light, especially Karangahape road during the midday. I've yet to find a black and white film with enough latitude to give sufficient highlight and shadow detail during these harsh conditions. I put the Luckypan to the test and can confirm that it has less latitude than Ilford HP5+ and Kodak Tri-X. 

If it's highlight and shadow detail that you are looking for then stick with the big brands but in my opinion I loved the effect Luckypan produced when exposing for the highlights or a stop below. Shadow detail is lost and falls off the edge and produces dense blacks in the shadows. Highlight detail becomes more pronounced and sharp and produces very high definition in the highlights. 

I thought photographing buildings in harsh light and strong shadows would showcase its dynamic range the best. Without knowing this I accidentally used this to my advantage. I liked the effect of framing a subject in the highlights around a frame of dense shadows in the foreground and background isolating the subject. This effect might not be for everyone, but it was definitely for me.

In the shadows or in overcast conditions, Luckypan performs very well. I love the definition it captures and the “chromy” tones it produces.

Luckypan reminds me of Black and white surveillance film, or infrared-esque film like Rollei Infrared or shooting black and white film with a red filter. The benefit is you don't need to stop down by using a filter and you can shoot it at its natural speed of 400 ISO but still gain similar effects. Another film that comes to mind is Eastman XX when pushed. I found Luckypan SHD 400 to be a very dramatic film stock. 

It would be great for capturing landscapes or cityscapes or even dramatic architectural images. I did not shoot many portraits in natural light but I think it would hold up well in flat lighting conditions. 

All in all if you need 1000 shades of gray in a 400 speed film, stick to Ilford or Kodak and expose for the mids. If it's highlights you like to expose for, 50 shades of gray could be enough to get you Lucky…pan SHD 400. 

Thanks for reading my opinion

Love Dustynegs