Kodak T-Max 400 Traits?

Villanova

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Hi APUG,

I'm thinking of switching my daily film to Kodak T-Max 400. Can anyone comment or link me to a site that sums up its characteristics/tonality (aside from the finer grain)? (I was/am a regular HP5+ and Tri-X 400 shooter.)

Thanks!
 
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removed account4

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hi villanova
you might find it to be a little more finicky with exposure than those 2 films ( less leeway ).
have fun !
john

ps really enjoyed your website !
 

MattKing

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Unlike jnanian, I find that it is more forgiving in many ways than Tri-X when it comes to over-exposure. Most likely that is due to the very long, very straight section in the middle of its characteristic curve. If you are willing to use darkroom printing techniques, you can recover amazing amounts of highlight detail.
Looking at your avatar, I do have to wonder though: Which is more "Dylan" like - Tri-X or T-Max 400?
 

Svenedin

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Aside from finer grain you might find TMax 400 a bit bland compared to HP5. It has a different "look". I don't actually find the grain a problem with HP5 in Xtol. Suggest you try a few rolls and see what you think. I like HP5 and TMax 400; I would have a hard time choosing just one of them.
 

ic-racer

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Go ahead and switch. I use T-max 400, Tri-x and HP5 interchangeable and don't see that much difference in the prints; I use whichever is available.
 

Bill Burk

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For 35mm I prefer to have my nature photography shot on fine grain film so I keep TMAX-100 handy. For 4x5 the additional sharpness of TMAX-400 gives me just what I want so that is all I use. For 35mm, I feel my prints lose out on some of the detail I like when I shoot TMAX-400. The gamble I have to take is, what kind of light and will I have a tripod. My worst nightmare was having TMAX-100 in the camera when shooting Maria Muldaur on stage at an intimate venue where there wasn't enough light for that film and getting called out for it. Now in my dreams I still see the glaring scowl and hear the contemptuous "What are you doing?"
 

Cholentpot

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I love the Tmax line, far much more-so than Tri-x. It gives me the look I want with no issues. It's the film I learned on along with Tmax 100 which IMO is the greatest 100 b&w film ever made. But that's like, my opinion man.
 

pentaxuser

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Bill Burk said:
My worst nightmare was having TMAX-100 in the camera when shooting Maria Muldaur on stage at an intimate venue where there wasn't enough light for that film and getting called out for it. "
Click to expand...

I am not surprised. The light is very poor when it's "Midnight At The Oasis" Barely enough light to put your camels to bed

pentaxuser
 

GarageBoy

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Who called you out and why?
TMAX is so smooth and clean
 

DREW WILEY

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It needs to be metered more carefully than the other two films you mentioned, esp for shadow placement. But then you get far better shadow gradation in high contrast scenes, because TMY has a steeper toe and overall longer straight line. It's also a higher acutance film. I shoot it in all formats from 35mm to 8X10, and develop in PMK pyro. HP5 has lovely "watercolor"grain in modest enlagement, but this starts looking mushy around 4X, so I never shoot it in any format other than 8x10, and only for modest-contrast scenes, unless I mask it, which I have often done. I've never cared much for the gritiness of Tri-X, but did print a little of it last week. I think TMY is far more versatle if you have a spotmeter.
 

Cholentpot

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Funny, I just eyeballed sunny 16 my rolls of Tmax-400 and have never had an issue. Seems pretty bulletproof to me.
 

DREW WILEY

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Where do you live? Here in the redwoods, you can start with a gentle light ratio in morning fog, like a natural softbox, then suddenly turn to a 12-stop contrast range. Or try high altitude work with both black volcanic rock and sparkly ice or snow in the same scene. Now that true straight-line films like Super XX and Bergger 200 are gone, and Foma 200 is afflicted with issues, TMY has a lot to offer. And if you treat it like the high-performance vehicle it is, you might be surprised at just how much more it is capable of, versus "sunny 16". Of course, when I'm out snapshooting with a hand camera, sometimes I guess exposure myself. The success rate is so-so, but so is fleeting wildlife etc. And TTL metering has an even lower success rate for me with this particular film.
 

DREW WILEY

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Should have added that when one shoots TMax in 8x10, you quickly learn either the necessity of a good meter, or how to rob a bank !
 

Harry Lime

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400 speed with the grain of a traditional 100asa film.
Spectral response is a little different than Tri-X
Shadows seem more linear. Pushing TMAX to 1250-1600 in Diafine is really nice.

Nice film.
 

Bill Burk

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GarageBoy said:
Who called you out and why?
TMAX is so smooth and clean
Click to expand...

Maria, for taking photographs after they explained their philosophy behind why they don't want you to take pictures... so you can enjoy the moment. But the moment was her silver jewelry and dress, and it was a visual experience best recorded on film... hard to explain at the time.
 

RalphLambrecht

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Villanova said:
Hi APUG,

I'm thinking of switching my daily film to Kodak T-Max 400. Can anyone comment or link me to a site that sums up its characteristics/tonality (aside from the finer grain)? (I was/am a regular HP5+ and Tri-X 400 shooter.)

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I like Tmax400 for its smooth skin tones and high density range.
 

jimjm

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TMax 400 and 100 are two of my favorite films. They seem to have a bit more "modern" feel to me, a bit smoother than Tri-X and HP5. Whether you like TMax or not will probably depend on your preferred subject matter and how you process and print. I like to overexpose them about a stop. The negatives look dense, but I get good mid-tones and lots of shadow detail. I've never had any problem printing down the highlights, if needed.

This one's TMax 400, developed in D-76 1:1 and printed on Ilford MG paper. Leica M2 and 35/1.4 Nokton lens.

 

DREW WILEY

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Once you start using TMax films for technical applications like tricolor separations, advanced masking, or old-school pre-digital art forensic work, you'll understand how very versatile they are compared to other pan films. I've sure plotted way more than my fair share of T-Max densitometer curves!
 
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