How would you push TMAX100 to 800?

Andrey · Oct 14, 2008

I didn't have any other film at that time and I have to push it 3 stops now.

I don't like it too much, but I did get a good exposure at ISO800 and the darkest shadow that I need is about 2 stops below gray at ISO800. (zone 3? )

Is there a magic recipe for Tmax? All I know is that it's somewhat finicky.

EDIT: This is 66 120 film, the largest enlargment will be 8 by 10

edtbjon · Oct 14, 2008

Check Tmax developer or Diafine developer. But whichever you choose, you cannot reach a true 800. What you really do is to sacrifice the shadows and add a LOT of contrast. (Which always happens if you push process any film above its inherit limits.)
Now, as you are saying that the darkest shadow is at zone 3, it sounds like you have some latitude to play with.
The best would be if you could test with an extra film shot at similar settings and light conditions. You can easily cut a 120 into say 4 pieces after shooting but before processing. Then you can try four different developing times to see which one suits your needs best. This is what I would do if I was in your situation with a film that is "wrongly exposed" but valuable enough to be saved.

//Björn

David A. Goldfarb · Oct 14, 2008

If you were photographing under contrasty conditions, light urban street photography at night, you could try the Perfection XR-1 formulas described from a patent at unblinkingeye.com. I didn't test with TMX, but with other films I found I could get an honest two stops, but not as much contrast as I'd like for normal lighting conditions, but for contrasty lighting, it might work.

Otherwise, the normal speed developers like Microphen and Acufine should get you a one stop boost, and if you extend developing time, you get a little more with disproportionately more contrast, but it might give you something printable. TMX has a very long, straight curve, so you can underexpose it a stop or overexpose a couple of stops and usually have something printable without any special developer tricks.

Neal · Oct 14, 2008

Dear Andrey,

Assuming there was neither time nor opportunity to make some tests, I would use T-Max developer per the instructions on the TMX data sheet: http://www.kodak.com/global/en/prof...s/f4016/f4016.pdf?id=0.2.26.14.15.16.14&lc=en

My completely unscientific feeling from using T-Max developer is that it supports shadow detail at the expense of a little granularity. For your format and enlargement that would seem a good tradeoff.

Good luck - Neal Wydra

Andrey · Oct 14, 2008

I don't want to cut the negatives up - doing it in the dark will just lead me to screw up two negatives per cut. lol

I don't want to test it either, because I have backup with ilford delta 400 and 50/1.4 lens.

In the end, I'll end up doing the TMAX developer for 10/11 minutes at the temerature kodak tells me to. It's still scary

kodachrome64 · Oct 14, 2008

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry 8300: BlackBerry8300/4.5.0.55 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

I also vote for TMAX developer. It is a good push-processing developer. For Tmax 400, I've pushed 2 stops by souping in TMAX 1+9 for 30 minutes STAND. That means after initial 1 minute of agitation, let it stand for the rest. This is the best way to keep contrast down. But it is a great push processing developer and I think it is highly underrated here on APUG.

Andrey · Nov 1, 2008

I've tried tmax for 12 minutes and the negs are really thin. I don't think I've agitated enough.

I can still print them though.

2F/2F · Nov 1, 2008

Those thingies that you think are on zone III are now on zone 0. Nothing you can do will give you detail or texture there. The best you will be able to get there is some tone, via increasing the fog on your negative and your printing. What you can do is try to get the rest of the tones as high as possible by increasing development, but it really depends on where they fell in relation to where you wanted them to fall.

Paul Verizzo · Nov 2, 2008

You absolutely can't get a faster film? I've seen Tri-X at Walgreens not so long ago.

The T-grain films don't push so well, so starting two stops under is an uphill battle. Get some Tri-X if you can.

T Hoskinson · Nov 2, 2008

Andrey said:
I didn't have any other film at that time and I have to push it 3 stops now.

I don't like it too much, but I did get a good exposure at ISO800 and the darkest shadow that I need is about 2 stops below gray at ISO800. (zone 3? )

Is there a magic recipe for Tmax? All I know is that it's somewhat finicky.

EDIT: This is 66 120 film, the largest enlargment will be 8 by 10

No magic recipes! Buy a higher speed film. If you are forced to use TMAX 100: pre-exposure of the film to a light source can give an honest film speed boost. It is the only procedure that I have found effective to use for boosting my film speed when I'm out in the field with the film loaded into the camera.

When I use this procedure to boost my effective film speed, I pre-expose to a Kodak gray card or to open sky.

If you have already taken your pictures, using a developer like Perfection Micrograin may provide some help.

Andrey · Nov 2, 2008

Paul Verizzo said:
You absolutely can't get a faster film? I've seen Tri-X at Walgreens not so long ago.

The T-grain films don't push so well, so starting two stops under is an uphill battle. Get some Tri-X if you can.

No, it was ONE shoot at ONE particular time. I'm in toronto, so we do have some ISO 400 films around.

Drew B. · Nov 8, 2008

just a bit different here....how about pushing tmax 100 to 400? Is it as difficult as going to 800?

Paul Verizzo · Nov 8, 2008

Drew B. said:
just a bit different here....how about pushing tmax 100 to 400? Is it as difficult as going to 800?

Ummmm......of course not.

T grain films just generally do not push well. I've read (only repeating, don't know for sure) that T grains are much more consistent in grain size. Hence, best at one speed will sharp fall offs.

Conventional films are much more heterogeneous, mixed grain sizes. More likely that a few big grains are in there to catch that low light exposure.

df cardwell · Nov 8, 2008

KODAK SPEC'D XTOL 13' 1+1

Works fine.

It isn't 1968 anymore, we have a few different choices than Acufine, D-76, and boiling Dektol.

TMY and TMX DO 'push' quite nicely, particularly in XTOL which pulls more shadow speed out of the films than any other developer. So, it really isn't comparable to old style 'pushing'.

Of course, that isn't based on anything that I've read, ,
other than Kodak's suggestions. And it worked fine.

.

Paul Verizzo · Nov 8, 2008

df cardwell said:
KODAK SPEC'D XTOL 13' 1+1

Works fine.

It isn't 1968 anymore, we have a few different choices than Acufine, D-76, and boiling Dektol.

TMY and TMX DO 'push' quite nicely, particularly in XTOL which pulls more shadow speed out of the films than any other developer. So, it really isn't comparable to old style 'pushing'.

Of course, that isn't based on anything that I've read, ,
other than Kodak's suggestions. And it worked fine.

.

I hear ya. I was thinking on the lines of classical push processing of two stops and more for midtones; shadows be damned. Note that the P3200 films are really ISO 800-ish, but they are designed to be pushed. Yes, Kodak doesn't even change most development times for the TM films if shot at 800.

How would you push TMAX100 to 800?

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