Develop TMax 400 exposed in 2006

[halfaman]

A friend of mine has given me a roll of TMax 400 that he shot 15 years ago to develop it because I have a big mouth... At least he kept the roll in the freezer all this time.

My usual take is Rodinal 1+100 stand development but I have never done something shot so long ago, maximum so far has been half of that time (5-6 years).

How do you think I should develeop this?

I have opened a similar thread for CN film from the same person and shot around the same time.

Develop CN film exposed in 2006 | Photrio.com Photography Forums

 

[eatfrog]

develop as normal. if you like 1+100 stand development with tmax 400, go for it.

 

[pentaxuser]

develop as normal. if you like 1+100 stand development with tmax 400, go for it.

Sounds like good advice to me

pentaxuser

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

I'd use a developer that kept full shadow speed to mitigate any image loss over the years. Something really exotic, like D-76 with regular agitation.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

How did it come out?

 

[halfaman]

Not done yet. I expect to do it next weekend.

 

[removed account4]

I'd use a developer that kept full shadow speed to mitigate any image loss over the years. Something really exotic, like D-76 with regular agitation.

+1
definitely would not use a low contrast stand development routine..

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Not done yet. I expect to do it next weekend.

Just because you have not done it:
I'd do it with FX-39 II, TMax developer or Microphen.
Those three will give you good speed and good acutance for 35mm film.

 

[halfaman]

I am going to follow the D76 recomendation, stock solution with standard time and agitation. I am not a B/W shooter (color is my thing) but I still have a 1 liter bag of D76 at home.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

+1
definitely would not use a low contrast stand development routine..

Neither would I. I developed a couple of sheets last year of same film shot in 2003 that I had forgotten about. Xtol-R, continuous in tubes. They came out fine, although base fog was a tad high.

 

[reddesert]

I've developed some rolls of Tmax 400 and HP5+ from say mid 2000s that I forgot about in the past couple of years and they came out reasonable. I don't think they were stored in the fridge either, just room temp. I used Eco Pro (Xtol clone) at the normal recommendations. I'm sure D-76 would work equally well. As everybody else has said, some amount of fog is the most likely issue; don't over develop.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

I am going to follow the D76 recomendation, stock solution with standard time and agitation. I am not a B/W shooter (color is my thing) but I still have a 1 liter bag of D76 at home.

No problem. 2TMY is gorgeous in D-76. Stock gives EI250 IMO. For 1+2 I use EI320.
It's nearly impossible that those frames were overexposed, and it's possible that there was some occasional underexposure.
Even if a master exposed all frames at exactly EI400, TMax and Xtol would be fine, just to name yellow products. For D-76 you could develop a bit longer than you think. If not, don't worry: that slight underdevelopment won't change nobody's life.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Maybe your roll is the older TMY. Check that... Good luck !

 

[halfaman]

Maybe your roll is the older TMY. Check that... Good luck !

Will do, thanks for the tip.

Developing times with D76 stock are not crazy different between the two versions anyway. Less than 10%.

 

[Tom Kershaw]

I have processed film in XTOL that was exposed about a year earlier, mostly worked okay, but I wouldn't do it deliberately - leave film around unprocessed that is.

 

[laser]

T-Max Film emulsions are doped so that the reciprocity and latent image characteristics are excellent. Doping allows the AgX grain to "capture" electrons that are released by photons so that exposed AgX stays exposed. In pure AgX grains electrons will migrate with time losing the latent image.


I'd use D-76 as recommended by Kodak.


www.makingKODAKfilm.com

 

[halfaman]

Roll developed and it looks really nice while drying. Compared to some of my negatives I would say it seems perfectly normal to the naked eye. There are some evident focus errors, underexposure here and there, blank frames in the middle of the roll... but that is not my problem

It is the first TMY version by the way.

Thanks to all of you for your help!