120 Film: A Practical Guide to Choosing Your Medium Format Stock

Medium format usually draws people in through the hardware, the mechanical beauty of a Hasselblad, the surprising compactness of a Fuji GS645. But once you've got a camera in hand, the film question comes up fast. And the 120 market is less straightforward than it looks: you've got around a dozen active black-and-white emulsions, several color negative stocks, a handful of slide films, and now new releases from Kodak. Here's a clear-eyed look at what's actually available and usable in 2026, with the distinctions that matter in practice.

Why 120 changes everything

Before getting into specific emulsions, one thing worth keeping in mind: a 120 negative has four to six times the surface area of a 35mm frame, depending on your camera's format (6×4.5, 6×6, 6×7, 6×9). That extra real estate changes the calculus considerably. Grain that reads as noticeable on a 35mm frame becomes almost invisible on a 6×7 enlarged to the same print size. Films that feel grainy in 135, like Kodak Tri-X, turn into something genuinely elegant in 120, with visible grain that's structured rather than intrusive.

That's also why emulsion choice in medium format follows a slightly different logic. You can push harder on speed without sacrificing image quality, and certain films designed for commercial or portrait work (Portra, Delta 100) really do show what they're capable of on a 6×7 or 6×9 negative in a way that smaller formats can't quite match.

Black and white

Ilford: the most complete lineup

Ilford is still the most comprehensive choice for 120 black-and-white. Their films show up reliably at Canadian retailers and play well with virtually every common developer.

FP4 Plus (ISO 125) is Ilford's slow film, built for good light or a tripod. Very fine grain, generous latitude, smooth characteristic curve. It's a studio or bright-light landscape film that handles overexposure well. In a standard development with D-76 or ID-11, you get dense, clean negatives that are easy to print.

HP5 Plus (ISO 400) is probably the most versatile film in the entire 120 lineup. It'll push comfortably to 800 or even 1600 without falling apart, and its grain, which is quite visible in 35mm, stays very acceptable in 6×6 or 6×7. This is the stock you load when you're not sure what conditions you're walking into.

Delta 100 and Delta 400 are Ilford's T-grain films, a different technology that produces finer grain and a smoother rolloff in the highlights. Delta 100 in 6×7 is about as fine as medium format film gets in this price range. Delta 400 is a step finer than HP5 at comparable speed, though a bit less forgiving of exposure errors.

Delta 3200 also comes in 120, for those who need black and white in genuinely difficult light. It's a niche emulsion, but it has a real following for available-light portraiture and theater work.

Kodak: Tri-X and the new Ektapan family

Tri-X 400 (ISO 400) in 120 is an institution. Its grain is a bit more pronounced than HP5 at the same speed, which is exactly the point for photographers who want that classic, almost graphic look. Developed in HC-110 or Rodinal, the grain gets some real presence and the contrast opens up. That's a deliberate aesthetic, and it works especially well for character portraiture and street work.

In March 2026, Kodak relaunched the Ektapan line, a family of panchromatic, continuous-tone films available in ISO 100 and 400, both in 120 (and 135). Ektapan 100 is positioned as a high-precision, low-contrast film originally designed for reproduction and commercial work. Ektapan 400 goes after the professional all-rounder market. These are too new to have much field experience behind them, but their behavior in standard developers (D-76, Microphen) seems well documented. Worth watching.

Color negative

Kodak Portra: the professional standard

Portra 400 (ISO 400) in 120 is the near-universal choice for medium format color photographers. Portra 160 (ISO 160) excels in natural-light portraiture, with skin tones of remarkable softness and grain that's essentially invisible in 120. Portra 400 is the more versatile of the two, usable indoors, pushable to 800 or even 1600 in a pinch, and it's the best-selling color film in 120 for good reason. The latitude on both is exceptional. Two or three stops of overexposure won't ruin your negatives, which is reassuring when you're metering with a handheld in changing light.

Ektar 100 (ISO 100) is a different animal: high saturation, ultra-fine grain, marked contrast. It's a landscape and architecture film, less flattering for skin. In 120, on a 6×9 negative, it can get close to slide film in terms of rendering. But its exposure window is narrower than Portra, so it's not ideal for unpredictable light.

Kodak Gold 200 (ISO 200) is now available in 120, with a warm, natural rendering. It's not a professional film in the strict sense, but it's earned a serious following in 35mm over the last few years, and its arrival in 120 is welcome for anyone who wants an affordable color stock that doesn't cut too many corners.

Fuji Fujicolor Pro 400H

The Pro 400H in 120 has a complicated story. Fujifilm officially discontinued it in 2021, but stock persists at some retailers, sometimes at significantly inflated prices. It's a much-loved emulsion for its slightly cool, bluish rendering and the way it handles skin tones in diffused natural light. If you find it at a fair price, it's worth a try, but don't build a long-term project around it without securing a reliable supply first.

Slide film (E-6 reversal)

Fuji Provia 100F and Velvia

Slide film in 120 is territory for photographers who know exactly what they're doing. Exposure needs to be spot-on, the latitude is almost nothing compared to negative stocks. But the results, on a lightbox or carefully scanned, have a density and color saturation that's hard to reproduce any other way.

Provia 100F (ISO 100) is Fuji's most versatile slide film. Natural rendering, fine grain, good behavior in mixed lighting. If you've never shot E-6 before, start here.

Velvia 50 (ISO 50) is the legendary landscape and nature film: pushed saturation, intense greens and reds, high contrast. In 6×7, a mountain scene or autumn forest can produce genuinely stunning results. But it's a demanding emulsion. Bright skies will blow out if you're not using a graduated ND or metering carefully.

Velvia 100 (ISO 100) sits between the Provia and the Velvia 50, a bit more speed, slightly dialed-back saturation that still reads as very rich. It handles difficult light better than Velvia 50.

Specialty films

Infrared and extended-spectrum stocks

Ilford SFX 200 (ISO 200) is an extended-red-sensitivity black-and-white film, available in 120. It's not a true infrared film in the strict sense: sensitivity extends to around 740nm, but with a deep red filter (R72 or similar) it delivers that bleached foliage and dramatic sky effect associated with infrared. Less extreme than real IR, which also means more manageable. One thing worth knowing: at infinity focus in 120, you don't need to apply an infrared focus correction, despite what you might have read.

Availability and pricing in Canada

The Canadian 120 market is concentrated around a handful of online retailers: Beau Photo in Vancouver, Downtown Camera in Toronto, and Argentix or Lozeau in Quebec, depending on what's in stock. Prices vary by emulsion; in 2026, expect to pay roughly CA$10–13 for a roll of Fomapan, CA$15–18 for Ilford HP5 or FP4, and CA$22–28 for Portra 400 or Ektar. Fuji slide films often run higher, sometimes around CA$30 a roll depending on the source.

Direct import (B&H, Adorama, Fotoimpex) can make sense for bulk orders, but customs fees and delivery times factor into the math. Buying local is usually simpler, and Canadian specialty retailers generally keep their stock refrigerated.

One practical note: once you've found an emulsion that works for you, buy in packs of five rather than one at a time. Refrigerator storage up to the expiry date is easy, and it protects you against the stock shortages that come without warning, especially in less common formats like 6×9.

Going further

A few directions worth exploring if you want to dig into a particular area:

• Kodak Ektapan 100 or 400 in 120: the new Kodak line just landed and is worth testing if you're looking for a professional alternative to Ilford. Analoguewonderland.co.uk had stock early in 2026.
• Ilford Delta 100 in 120 + Ilfotec DD-X: for home darkroom workers chasing maximum grain refinement, this combination comes up again and again as one of the best currently available.
• Fuji Velvia 50 in 6×7: if your camera supports that format and you have access to an E-6 lab, even a single test roll is worth the investment. The rendering in late-day light is something you won't replicate any other way.

Sources

• petapixel.com — Kodak revives the Ektapan name
• analoguewonderland.co.uk — Kodak Ektapan 120
• labo-argentique.com — pellicule 120
• labo-argentique.com — Kodak Portra 400 120
• fotoimpex.com — Kodak Tri-X 400 120
• wikipedia.org — Kodak Tri-X
• ilfordphoto.com — Choosing your first Ilford film