MCM 100 and Tmax 3200

I've ,mixed my last MCM 100 kit and found a roll of Tmax 3200 that has been in the freezer for a year or so. Shot it at 1600 in Minolta 800si, 100 to 300 APO zoom, developed for 28minutes at 70 degrees. I've only developed Tmax 3200 in DDX or Tmax developer, looks a bit sharper in DDX, but grain is more appealing in MCM 100. The lion was heavy back lit, 4 stops, printed on Ultrafine Elite with 2 /12 filter, developed in Clayton P20 1:9. Some of the softness is likey the zoom at 300.

All in all not too bad, I might shoot another roll of Tmax or Delta 3200 at 3200 or even 6400, down side is adding up to 60% more time when base is already 28mintues.

Looks pretty good in terms of grain! The front whiskers of the lion look tack sharp, therefore I believe, that the blurry eyes come from suboptimal position of focus plane or too narrow DOF, not inherent softness of lens. Yes, development times can become a bit long with these 3200 speed films, but with 135 format you at least get 36*n negatives at once. Scanning or enlarging takes much longer

MCM-100 is a very nice developer. However, care needs to be taken to ensure that the ingredients are mixed in the right order. Formulary data sheet gives the correct instructions for mixing. However, the formula for this developer elsewhere in the internet specifies PPD before Sulphite and if you mix it in that order, it's quite likely that you get something different than expected. It seems PPD is unstable in water without Sulphite and decomposes quickly. So, if PPD is dissolved before adding Sulphite, the resulting developer will be both weak and inconsistent as I found out recently.

I have always used PF kits and follow the enclosed directions, never had any issues with consistency. I printed on my Metopa with Wollensake 50mm, 12 seconds full frame. When I push to 3200 I'll add 10% but develop in a rotary film drums with motor base, so 31 minutes at 70degrees.