400 film on 120 format question after last neopan

Willie Jan · May 24, 2011

Hi,
I just am using up my last 400 neopan film and need a replacement for it.

is there someone who used the neopan and tested the new KODAK PROFESSIONAL T-MAX 400 ? The claim to have the finest grain.
is there still a fixing problem (long time) to get the dye out of the film?

Thanks.

tomalophicon · May 24, 2011

It's a nice film.
The fixing is not a problem. I fix it for 10 minutes and after that it's fine.

Роберт · May 24, 2011

Same problem but I try to make the decision between the non Tgrain type films. Tmax and Delta are just different in look.

This has been done already:
http://www.digitaltruth.com/products/product_tests/400ISO_filmtest_001.php

So I ended with the (Rollei) Retro 400S, very sharp, moderate grain but less good for push compared with the Neopan 400/Legacy pro 400.

The extra for this film is that it can be used for IR photography too. Moderate in price too.

nickrapak · May 24, 2011

The fixing issue applies only to non-rapid (sodium thiosulfate) fixers, which still require up to a 15 minute soak. Rapid (ammonium thiosulfate) fixers work perfectly fine with TMAX films.

Klainmeister · May 24, 2011

Why'd you have to bring up Neopan 400.....now all sad

BetterSense · May 24, 2011

There are several threads like this, including one that I started. I still have like 40 rolls of neopan in my freezer. It's very sad, because on the one hand it's stupid to leave it in there; I should shoot it, but on the other hand, once it's gone, it's gone. It causes me to ponder my mortality.

Jeff Kubach · May 24, 2011

T-Max 400 might take a littlie to fix longer the usual, but not usually so.

Jeff

L Gebhardt · May 24, 2011

Sorry I can't help you with the comparison to Neopan. However I am very fond of TMax400. The dye will wash out just fine after normal fixing for me. I'm using TF4 for 3 minutes with TMax 400.

agfarapid · May 24, 2011

I've been using T-Max 400 for about a a year now, using HC-110 dilution b. Grain structure a bit less defined than Neopan...not bad, just different. Clean blacks and smooth gradation. Try a couple of rolls.

Colin Corneau · May 24, 2011

What agfarapid says...

brian steinberger · May 25, 2011

Tmax 400 is certainly not Neopan. If you're looking at grain, TMY-2 is going to be finer grained than Neopan. TMY-2 is much slower and does not have as nice a tonality as Neopan. I used Neopan for years until the disappointing discontinuation. I've since gone to Tri-x and have been happy. Wonderful tonality and great grain structure. I'd still rather have Neopan back, but to me Tri-x is a better replacement for Neopan than TMY-2.

Willie Jan · May 25, 2011

BetterSense said:
There are several threads like this, including one that I started. I still have like 40 rolls of neopan in my freezer. It's very sad, because on the one hand it's stupid to leave it in there; I should shoot it, but on the other hand, once it's gone, it's gone. It causes me to ponder my mortality.

Just work with the tools that are available. If no longer there search for a replacement and get your teeth into it until you like it again.

Willie Jan · May 25, 2011

So probably I will test tri-x 400 and the tmax 400 to see the differences.

Rick A · May 25, 2011

I'm not much of a fan of Tri-X or T-Max in 35mm, but in 4x5 WOW , for both. I give the edge to Tri-X for my preference, but they are both great for fast speed. You do have to fix T-Max longer to clear the purple from it, 6 mins in TF-4 for me.

2F/2F · May 25, 2011

I'd not worry about the dye, but only about proper fixing. Do a clearing test, multiply the time you get by three, and you get your very safe fixing time. (You can also multiply by two, but I play it safe and multiply by three.) I usually end up with around 11 minutes in fresh fixer (Kodak Flexicolor 1:4). This test works with any film. Then I use Hypo Clearing Agent with agitation for 10 minutes, a short rinse, and a timed wash of 5 or 10 minutes.

Willie Jan · May 26, 2011

2F/2F said:
I'd not worry about the dye, but only about proper fixing. Do a clearing test, multiply the time you get by three, and you get your very safe fixing time. (You can also multiply by two, but I play it safe and multiply by three.) I usually end up with around 11 minutes in fresh fixer (Kodak Flexicolor 1:4). This test works with any film. Then I use Hypo Clearing Agent with agitation for 10 minutes, a short rinse, and a timed wash of 5 or 10 minutes.

wow, 11 minutes for fixing. My acros film is properly fixed after 4.5 minutes.

polyglot · May 26, 2011

For TMY2, I find that 8 minutes of fixing in Ilford Rapid is about right (and yes, 4 minutes is great for Acros and most other films; TMAX is just unusual with the long fixing times and it kills your fixer faster too). 5 minutes can be OK but 8 is much safer if your fixer isn't totally fresh - I find that the clearing time is about 3 minutes in fresh fixer compared to about 1 minute for most traditional films. The purple continues to leach out of the film as you wash it, so you'll leave dye behind if you use the Ilford method (3 quick changes of water). Leaving it to soak for 3 changes of water about 3 minutes each gets all the dye out and leaves completely clear film base.

400 film on 120 format question after last neopan

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