POLL: T-MAX or Delta if/when Acros disappears...

If Acros 100 is discontinued, which tabular grain film will you choose?

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locutus

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sorry to be that person.....

This needs options 'Never liked Acros and will stick to $foo' or 'Never used Acros'......
 

Sirius Glass

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This is a useless thread. No one is going to drop tabular grain film which uses less silver than traditional grain. I will use traditional grain film when possible. Next there will be a thread about not taking Kodachrome away.
 

NB23

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Please, Delta is way too far from the look in question. Tmax100 is very close, but let’s note that Tmax 100 is the Daddy here.

Delta100, to me, looks very traditional. I like its tonal response, subdued reds, and this is where it could substitute Acros.

Jeez (!) do I hate red extra sensitive BW films except for the specific occasions.
 

zanxion72

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From just these two, T-Max all the way. Much more flexible and fault tolerant than Delta.
 

removed account4

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not sure what i will use. i onlty got acros from expired film lots i purchase. so it will depend
what i can find expired in the format i am looking for.
 
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bvy

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bvy said:
I wonder if Delta 100 is just as orthopanchromatic as Acros...
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Bad joke. Sorry.

One thing I like (liked?) about Acros, aside from its unique spectral response, is that the film clears like glass. The Ilford films (Delta and HP5+) are always pink or purple and the base kind of foggy. (I haven't used T-Max, so I don't know.) Maybe it's just a perception thing; I've had not trouble printing either when properly exposed and developed.
 

jim10219

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I had been using TMX for the longest time and last month decided to switch to Acros. I liked how Acros was less picky about development and had better reciprocity characteristics. I liked the look of TMX better, but only slightly. But the main determining factor for switching from TMX to Acros was price. Acros was a bit cheaper.

But now it looks like I'm switching back. No big deal for me. I was happy with TMX and the price difference isn't/wasn't huge. The main question for me is, what do I do with all of the Acros I just bought? Do I freeze it and sell it after the prices rise? Do I just shoot it like normal and switch back after I run out of Acros stock? Do I save it for special occasions where I have super long exposures and could benefit from the reciprocity characteristics? Do I burn it in protest and post the video of me doing that online?
 

Anon Ymous

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TMax 100 has a fairly clear, neutral gray base, as most other BW films out there. If not washed long enough, it might have a purple - magenta tint. The same is more or less true for Delta 100 as far as I can tell. It's not detrimental, but keep in mind that these films don't look "foggy" when properly fixed, even if a little magenta. Dmin might not be very low, but this doesn't matter if you're printing/scanning. The only case where a totally clear base is a bonus is for projection/reversal.
 

dwross

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If the poll responses are expanded, I'd love to see "make my own film" included in the options.
 

cramej

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FP4 for me. Never liked any of the Tmax varieties.
 

DWThomas

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It's funny, when I first came back to B&W film shooting and tried medium format (circa 2006) I shot quite a bit of Acros, partly because at the time it was dirt cheap. As I rolled along, I picked up on Plus-X as a sort of return of an "old friend" and did much of my general MF shooting on 400TX. When the Great Yellow Father puiled the plug on Plus-X I started shooting some FP-4. So I've noted my use of Acros has tapered off over the last few years. I've shot a roll or two of 100Tmax and Delta 100, but not what I would consider a "serious" evaluation. My gut feeling is I would go for the Tmax. I don't shoot very much 35mm, but over the last two years I found myself liking 400Tmax when I did. Enh, stay flexible! I'm pretty confident for the type of stuff I shoot that I can adapt to whatever I can get, I'd just like not having to re-adapt every two or three years!
 

Lachlan Young

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Try C-41 fix, it'll get the residual dyes out spectacularly well. The Delta's have a clear base in 120 - clear enough to make them worthwhile reversal films - what developer are you using?
 
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bvy

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Lachlan Young said:
Try C-41 fix, it'll get the residual dyes out spectacularly well. The Delta's have a clear base in 120 - clear enough to make them worthwhile reversal films - what developer are you using?
Click to expand...
XTOL or DDX. It's not any kind of problem; I know my fix and rinse steps are adequate. It's just something I notice when I compare the film to Acros.
 

Anon Ymous

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bvy said:
... I know my fix and rinse steps are adequate...
Click to expand...
Your film can be adequately fixed and washed and still have this magenta cast, caused by residual, harmless dyes. C41 fixers are more effective at fixing film, as well as getting rid of this dye. A wash aid, or a sulfite bath also helps, but the simplest thing to do is let your film soak in water. Do whatever wash you do and leave it in a tankful of water for 15, 20, or 30', whatever you want. Collect this water and observe its colour. You might be surprised.
 
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