Best way to expose TMax400 and Tri-X

[rahul_deshpande1]

What is a good way to expose TMax400? To explain what I mean to ask,

for example, a good way to expose Ilford XP-2 Super is to shoot it at

320 or even 200 for smooth grain etc.

 

Since I have just started to shoot TMax400 in 120, I want your

thoughts on how to expose this film. I'm looking for smooth grain with

crisp whites and good detail in the shadows.

 

Ditto for Tri-X in 120...I'm looking for good sharpness and medium grain.

 

Thanks.

[kaiyen]

Well, you're asking a couple of different things here.

 

Shadow detail is a matter of exposure and developer. Some developers will give you more speed out of a particular film than others. So without knowing what developer will be used (either by you or your lab), it's hard to say. This is further complicated by the fact that tmax films tend to be more sensitive to exposure errors. My usual advice to "err on the side of overexposure" might be unwise. For what it's worth, TXT is a lot more forgiving of exposure errors.

 

Once you've picked a film (and locked youself into its built-in grain structure), grain is then controlled mostly by development (technically it's also controlled by exposure, too, but you're going to want to avoid overexposue anyway so let's skip that for now). Again, you will get more or less grain depending on the developer and dilution used. In that case, it has little to do with how you expose.

 

As for sharpness, there is little about exposure that will affect that (other than tripod vs. handheld, etc).

 

Also, since you say medium grain with Tri-X, I'm going to assume you are after sharpness first. You'll want to consider an acutance developer. Perhaps the old standard, D76 at 1+3, or Rodinal.

 

So...my first question would be will you be developing yourself or via a lab? In either case, what developer will be used?

 

allan

[frank.schifano]

If you are to be developing TMY (aka TMax 400)yourself, you can get very good results exposing it at box speed (400) and developing it in XTOL either diluted 1+1 or straight up. It's true that you gain a bit in terms of grain supression with the developer at full strength, but it's not a lot and most of the time it's impossible to see when the negative is printed up to modest magnifications. Xtol will deliver a bit more shadow detail than most other developers, and that is really the definition of a speed enhancing developer. All in all, it's hard to ask for more in a good general purpose film developer. The same is true for Tri-X. Of the two films you mention, I prefer Tri-X over TMY when shot at it's nominal ISO speed. The tonal range is better and I like the appearance of Tri-X's grain structure better. TMY is an excellent film for push processing. It will hold more shadow detail at higher speeds than Tri-X.

[lex_jenkins]

Tri-X and T-Max 400 (TMY) have very different characteristics. They look different and often react differently during processing.

 

However both are roughly equal in true ISO (which is also dependent on developer), both are very useful for push processing to 1600 and both can be overexposed slightly and underdeveloped slightly for a slightly different effect.

 

Tri-X grain tends to be coarser and larger; T-Max 400 grain tighter and grittier. TMY holds fine detail better when pushed because of the grain characteristics. Fine detail can sometimes be compromised with Tri-X when pushed. OTOH, when exposed and processed normally, I find TMY grain to be aesthetically unpleasant in areas of continuous similar tones, such as skies, skin, etc.

 

Both films also respond differently to developers. There is no single "best" developer for either film. However, between the two Tri-X can be used successfully with a greater variety of developers.

 

As always, only you can determine what film you like best by trying it yourself.

[mattalofs]

I've recently been using TMY @ 320 developed in Tmax developer diluted 1+5 (instead of the box recomendation of 1+4) for 6 minutes at 68 degrees. Agitate continously for the first minute, and then a couple of turns every 30 seconds. The negs are less contrasty with better shadow detail than using the box speed/times. Tri-X is nice in diafine @ 1200.<br><br>

<center>

<img src="http://www.1point4photography.com/images/02010001.jpg"><br>hexar rf, 50 hexanon, tmy @ 320</center>