Silver halide emulsion and method of preparing the same

A process for producing a silver halide emulsion, which comprises:

• (1) reacting silver ions and halide ions by combining a silver nitrate aqueous solution with a halide salt aqueous solution in a vessel in the presence of a low-molecular weight gelatin having a molecular weight in the range of 5,000 to 25,000, so as to form tabular silver halide grain nuclei;
• said reaction being carried out at a temperature T in the range of 20 to 45.degree. C. and said nuclei formation being completed within time t (seconds) after the combining of said solutions begins, wherein said time t satisfies the relationship 1<t<-T+60;
• and
• (2) growing said grain nuclei in said vessel to form a silver halide emulsion having a grain size variation coefficient of 8% to 20% and wherein 50% to 100% of said silver halide grains, based on projected area, are hexagonal tabular silver halide grains which have an aspect ratio of 8 to 40, an average silver iodide content of 2 mol % to 10 mol %, and a ratio of the longest side to the shortest side of the grain of 1:1 to 2:1.