Exposure mistake TX 400

trondsi · Nov 15, 2015

I have been using ISO 100 for ages, I just realized that I have exposed (out of habit) a whole roll of Kodak 400TX at 100 ISO on my Rolleiflex Automat. Is it a goner, or do you think it will look ok if I inform the local lab that it should be pull processed? I have pushed before but never pulled

MattKing · Nov 15, 2015

What was the light like when you exposed the film?

Contrasty, or flat, or some mix of same?

Do you mind a little extra grain?

In most cases, I would suggest that you develop normally.

Sirius Glass · Nov 15, 2015

Listen to the man. He is bestowing you with words of experience and wisdom.

trondsi · Nov 15, 2015

Some of the pictures are definitely contrasty, but not all. Wouldn't normal processing leave the film terribly overexposed?

MattKing · Nov 15, 2015

trondsi said:
Some of the pictures are definitely contrasty, but not all. Wouldn't normal processing leave the film terribly overexposed?

Pull processing will also leave the film overexposed - just with less contrast.

There are lots of people who normally use TX 400 at an EI of 200. From their perspective, your film is just one stop overexposed.

I would normally only pull the development if I had consistent, high contrast lighting throughout the roll.

If you had a choice of developers, I'd recommend something like Perceptol, which gives less emulsion speed.

Even HC-110 gives a little less speed than some.

TooManyShots · Nov 15, 2015

Not exactly and depending on how you meter the scene. If you meter everything at zone 5 (ie incident metering or ambient light metering), your shots would be fine. Normal processing should give you OK shots.

trondsi · Nov 15, 2015

Ok, I'll try with normal development and see how it goes.

MattKing · Nov 15, 2015

trondsi said:
Ok, I'll try with normal development and see how it goes.

For clarity, I thought I would mention that much of my advice here is predicated on the film involved. TX 400 withstands overexposure quite well.

RobC · Nov 15, 2015

trondsi said:
Ok, I'll try with normal development and see how it goes.

Should be fine with that particular film. The film density in the highlights will be denser than normal but contrast should remain same as normal. Shadows will have great separation.

trondsi · Nov 15, 2015

Thanks guys!
I'm just curious: what could go wrong if I ask them to pull one stop? Is it just that nothing is gained by doing this?

Sirius Glass · Nov 15, 2015

One stop is close enough to box speed that the negative density would be higher but the exposure would be well within the film's latititude.

RobC · Nov 15, 2015

it will reduce negative contrast.
Normal contrast means a certain steepness of the negative curve. Pulling dev reduces that steepness. Pushing increases that steepness.
Over exposing, which is what you have done, does not alter steepness. It just shifts everything up the curve. There is no means to shift everything back down the curve.
So why would you want to pull or push development?

markbarendt · Nov 15, 2015

trondsi said:
Thanks guys!
I'm just curious: what could go wrong if I ask them to pull one stop? Is it just that nothing is gained by doing this?

You might want to adjust the paper grade a bit to print nicely, given that's the norm, very little if anything is to be gained. There was more to gain in Ansel's hey day; today, not so much.

Contrary to popular urban myths, with negatives development adjustments do not "fix" exposure issues, ever.

Development adjustments control only the contrast rate of the film curve, not the placement on the print; that is controlled by print exposure.

I happily shoot TX at 100 and use normal development.

markbarendt · Nov 19, 2015

So trondsi,

How did it go?

trondsi · Nov 19, 2015

markbarendt said:
So trondsi,

How did it go?

The pictures are actually pretty clear (the guy in the store convinced me to pull one stop though), but the photos aren't the best. The reason is simple (at least partially) : I thought I was shooting in color

Anyway, I think I found this much from this little experiment: I seem to like this TX film more than T Max (that I tried before). I'll try it again, at box speed and without all the focus on colorful things

trondsi · Nov 19, 2015

By the way, thanks for the input here guys. I had no idea that any film had this much exposure latitude. It comes from years of shooting slide film I suppose.

Exposure mistake TX 400

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Exposure mistake TX 400

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