Which film responds well to T-Max developer?

<p>I was just handed a gallon of T-Max developer and have another quart/liter at home (about 100 rolls worth of developing, all told). So I'm wondering, which film types respond well to T-Max? I would expect the t-grain films, of course (T-Max/Delta), but what else? The massive dev. chart lists just about everything under the sun. Are there any that respond especially well?<br>

thanks in advance,<br>

Rodrick</p>

<p>I would assume that Tmax would be the best film<br>

I use Tmax 100 but develop in FX39 .never used Tmax developer</p>

<p>As for "T" grain films , well Tmax and Delta have nothing in common in that respect and the expression T grain is marketing hype<br>

Tmax and Delta use totally different "T grain's" so what is good for one is not necessary good for the other .<br>

Its more of personal choice , I use Tmax cos it is a lot cheaper than Delta</p>

<p>I am not to sure but I think Tmax developer is the same as D76 and ID11</p>

<p>It should give good results no matter what film you use but as with any film/developer combination it will take experimentation to get the balance right for the output you want</p>

<p>TMax developer and the film share a name only it was not designed for the film.I have used it with Tri-X and Plus-X and it looks good but I don't like it much as a developer as HC-110 and Rodonal seem to do it all for me.</p>

<p>T-Max developer wasn't made specifically for T-Max films. It was just a marque that Kodak was marketing heavily. For awhile they even used the "T-Max" moniker on their first C-41 process chromogenic monochrome film. Apparently that proved to be too confusing to they renamed it... and seem to keep changing the name of their C-41 monochrome film every few years just to keep everyone thoroughly baffled.</p>

<p>It's not the same thing as D-76 or ID-11. Unfortunately I can't find my bookmark for the page that lists the main ingredients but if I'm recalling correctly T-Max liquid concentrate developer doesn't duplicate any of their other products.</p>

<p>Anyway, never used the stuff myself, seemed too expensive per use. Just experiment with it, run a few test strips and see for yourself how it works with your favorite films. That's what I do with any new developer/film combination I try. Exploration is part of the pleasure of b&w photography.</p>

<p>Thank you, gentlemen. For the history/marketing lesson and the advice. I must confess that I am a Rodinal kind of guy myself and quickly becoming a fan of stand development with small-format film. But I hardly ever turn away the chance at free chemistry or darkroom gear, so I guess it's time to run some tests and see how it performs. Thanks again, Rodrick</p>

<p>As said above, T-Max is more of a marketing brand thing than any indication of special properties aimed at t-grain films. Actually in one of the old Kodak catalogs there was a matrix chart that suggested it's a good developer for pushing. I found it without special merit for anything that would justify its cost. If you have a bunch, it might pay to dial it in with the films you use, but if the results don't please you, don't throw good film and money away- find something you do like. If it does please you it's not so terribly expensive that you couldn't keep using it.</p>

<p>Lex,<br>

With all due respect, I'd like to see SOME kind of reference to this statement:<br>

"T-Max developer wasn't made specifically for T-Max films. It was just a marque that Kodak was marketing heavily."<br>

I'm not saying you're not correct--it's just one of those statements that should be backed up. Maybe you can't do a footnote, but some kind of link to Kodak?<br>

Scott</p>

<p>Scott, I figured someone would bring that up! Unfortunately I can't find the bookmark I used several years ago when a similar question came up. It may have been so long ago it was in a pre-web CompuServe photo forum discussion. I'd also saved a copy of a discussion from several years ago, but that was on a long-dead 8 GB hard drive from an equally defunct PII or PIII PC.</p>

<p>The main reason I remember it at all was because during the 1990s I was just getting back into the b&w darkroom again after a long hiatus and, understandably, assuming the T-Max films were designed specifically for T-Max developer. That's also when I first learned of the C-41 process monochrome film after wondering why Kodak put the "TMAX" moniker on that film. And I see via Google that some retailers still list it as "TMAX BW400CN".</p>

<p>I'll e-mail Ron Mowrey and Lynn Jones. One of those fellows will probably remember the straight scoop and tell me whether I'm full of beans. If I'm disremembering here I need to correct my error.</p>

<p>Tmax developer seems to be very unpopular with a lot of folks. Maybe it's not the very best developer for Tmax films but I get a full stop more speed out of it when shooting Tri-X then I do with D76. (For scanning purposes anyway) This lets me shoot Tri-X at a preferred ISO 400 instead of the ISO 200 I get with D76. If you are shooting 35mm the cost difference isn't that much plus there's no mixing of powders and it lasts for a long time in the bottle. What's not to like?</p>

<p>T-MAX is a phenidone type developer. Some people have called it "liquid Microphen." It was made to be used for machine processing and was set up to work with existing machines at a temperature higher than what small tanks would be used at. Some people took this to mean that even with small tank use, a higher temperature would somehow improve results. I was not a big fan of the T-MAX films when they came out. Even today I prefer ACROS to TMX. TMY was not as fine grained as the latest version of Tri-X in most of the developers I used. TMY2 is another story. Typically machine processing would use the same developer for all b&w films and would work with constant replenishment. That's one reason I like to develop b&w film myself. I may want to use a different developer for each film type. <br>

If you like the way T-MAX developer works with T-MAX films or other films then there is no reason not to use it. I don't have evidence that T-MAX developer was or was not made specifically to be used with T-MAX films. Based on my own experiments I believe it was not made specifically for these films. I say that because undiluted D-76 and undiluted Microphen both work better for me with TMX than T-MAX developer. I have a magnetic mixer so mixing powdered chemicals is not much of a chore. Liquid film developers can be more convenient but not all of them have the shelf life of Rodinal or HC-110. </p>

<p>The OP has a LOT of developer....how long will it last? It seems he'd have to shoot a heck of a lot of rolls to take advantage of it's life....so any chance it will all get used before it goes bad?</p>

<blockquote>

<p>With all due respect, I'd like to see SOME kind of reference to this statement:<br /> "T-Max developer wasn't made specifically for T-Max films. It was just a marque that Kodak was marketing heavily."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Here ya go a link to <A HREF="http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/j86/j86.pdf">Kodak J-86 technical publication

</A>. See page 1.<br>

IMO, TMax developer isn't anything special. It's a PQ type developer not terribly unlike any other PQ developer out there right now. I don't particularly care for it, but I have nothing against it either. It offers the convenience of being a liquid developer, so no powders to mess around with; and it's pretty fast working. But I think it's pretty expensive for what it is. XTOL gives me a bit of speed boost when I want it. D-76 just plain works well. Both are far less expensive alternatives that deliver as good or better results for less money. The only real disadvantage,other than price, is the relative lack of development data for films other than Kodak's. D-76 has been around for 80 years or so and is a mainstay developer. There's lots of good data available from Kodak and many other sources. Development time for a given film in XTOL is remarkably close to the time for D-76, so if you can't find the data, that makes a good starting point.</p>

<p>Sorry for the delay in getting back to this thread and Scott's question.</p>

<p>I carelessly overstated my opinion about the T-Max developers and film. In the past I've couched that opinion a bit more carefully to note that the "T-Max" or "TMAX" label on a product does not necessarily indicate any particular compatibility or insular requirements. Occasionally someone has either asked whether T-Max films can be safely processed in other developers, or whether T-Max developer is suitable for films other than T-Max. Or they've been told by a store clerk or darkroom instructor that only T-Max developer can be used with T-Max films, etc. Kodak's technical publications clearly list data for developing T-Max silver halide b&w films in developers other than T-Max.</p>

<p>In <a href="http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/f4016/f4016.pdf">Kodak's technical publication F-4016</a> for T-Max silver halide b&w films they recommend against certain combinations of T-Max films and T-Max developer solutions (specifically, combinations of certain dilutions, times and temperatures below 20C), while recommending data for T-Max films in D-76, Xtol and Microdol-X. T-Max developer may have certain advantages but it seems to offer a more limited optimal working range than D-76 and other developers.</p>

<p>Kodak has also used the "TMAX" label on their C-41 process monochrome films (T400CN, BW400CN, etc.), which indicates only that "TMAX" is a marque for a line of products that are not necessarily related in terms of compatibility. Kodak's technical publication for BW400CN describes that C-41 process monochrome film as being part of the "Kodak T-Grain emulsions" family. But it's doubtful that T-Max developer would be optimal for processing T400CN, BW400CN or comparable films. Kodak specifically recommends C-41 processing for these films.</p>

<p>Here's a photo of an older roll of T400CN with the "T-MAX" marque. I'm not sure if the current batch of BW400CN is similarly labeled - I haven't used the stuff recently, having switched to Ilford XP2 Super after Kodak discontinued the monochrome version of Portra in 120.</p>

<p>I'll try to be more careful about making such assertions in future, since my own careless statements contribute to web mythology just as readily as claims that only T-Max developer is suitable for T-Max films.</p><div></div>

<p>I used D-76 for years and liked it. I would mix a gallon of solution at a time and dilute it 1:1 for use. However, I noticed that if I didn't use it up within a fairly short time it would seem to gain strength in the bottle and begin to overdevelop my films.<br>

I tried HC-110 because it was a concentrated liquid and I could mix a working solution of developer as I needed it. That part was good, but I didn't like the grain. (It should be noted that apparently not everyone had the same experience I did, and HC-110 was the standard developer for a number of noted photographers.)<br>

I finally settled on T-Max developer. It had the advantage of being a liquid concentrate, and, to my eye, gave much better grain than HC-110 and was as good as D-76 in that regard. I used it until I stop shooting film altogether and made the move to digital in 2003.<br>

During the time I used T-Max, from the early '90s to 2003, I developed many different kinds of film in it, including T-Max 400, Tri-X, HP-5, Agfa 400, FP-4, Pan F, and probably others. Convenience and consistency were always great, and the results always looked good to me.</p>

<p>Well there you have it.. it works for those who learn to use it.</p>