T-Max 100 Film and Developer Questions

Greetings!
Recently I have been having a lot of trouble with my T-Max 100 negatives, they are often over-developed, and I have to make some adjustments. I've been shooting this film at an EI=50, and developing it with T-Max developer according to Kodak recommendations in their publication #J-86, for example: at 1:4 dilution, for 6 and 1/4 minutes, at 75 degrees.

After a lot of reading, here and elsewhere, I have learned that: I could try rating the film at EI=80, be much less aggressive with my agitation since the film is very sensitive to this, give 20% less development time because I use a condenser enlarger, and use different dilutions such as 1:7 or 1:9.

And so, I have a few questions for other T-Max 100 film/developer users:
#1 Does anyone give 20% less development time for condenser enlargers? if so, then how do you handle development times of less than 5 minutes when you want to do N-1? Kodak does not recommend times under 5 minutes for this film.
#2 Does anyone have a reference for a time/temperature development chart for T-Max 100 film/developer for dilutions of 1:7 or 1:9? I found a number of recommendations for 75 degrees, but I don't know how to adjust from there and make a chart.
#3 Has anyone used Formulary Reducer 1 on T-Max 100 film?

BTW I love T-Max 100 film when I get it right, I had really wonderful results with my 35 mm camera/film and my standard procedures, things got trickier as I moved up to MF camera/film this past year.

I know this is a long post, and I apologize, it has taken me a week to compose it, and some nerve to post it (!), and I appreciate and thank you in advance for any help or references or referrals!

Blessings, K

I use TMAX100 4x5 sheet film developed in a Jobo CPP2 processor with 3010 drums. I use TMAX RS developer diluted 1:4. Based on my testing, my normal development time is just 5:15 at a temp of 21 Celsius. I think you need to do some testing and anticipate shorter development times and or increased dilutions to get the results you want.

Dear K,

While I have found that TMX works better without overexposure, my exposure and development tecnhiques are certainly a bit (at least) different than yours. Bracket around the box speed and develop at Kodak's advised time. (BTW: According to one of the "Photographic Myths" articles in Photo Techniques, TMax developer is not somehow optimized for 75 degrees F. The data was generated at higher temperatures to speed up commercial processing.). Once done, of course, you will have no trouble deciding how you would prefer to expose and develop to your taste.

#1 - You could try using longer times at lower temperatures.
#2 - I don't have one but you could use the Ilford temperature adjusting chart as a starting point.
#3 - Never tried reducer, I'm too much of a "wuss".

Neal Wydra

While I started using Tmax, I quickly changed to Tmax RS developer which I liked because it was replenishable so I didn't have to vary the times. I used it for a couple decades with TMAX 100 film (not that that solves your problem).

I don't currently use a condenser enlarger, but I've often had to adjust development times UP because I use a diffusion enlarger. I do have a condenser enlarger and coincidentally plan to pull it out of storage this weekend.

As for short development times, I've commonly developed Pan-F+ in Tmax RS for 4 minutes with perfect results. I think the key is to use a tank that allows very quick filling and emptying. I use a Paterson tank which does that very well.

It comes down to testing, while holding the variables as constant as possible. Settle on a dilution and an agitation scheme, and vary your development time until you get results you want at the EI you use. 80 is a reasonable EI for TMax 100 to start with.

I do all my film developing in a Jobo which makes consistency much easier; agitation (rotary) is fixed, temperature is highly accurate, so I have only to alter time and dilution.

BTW, Xtol is Kodak's recommended developer for TMax films; I use Xtol, Mytol, or PC-TEA (the latter two are homebrew cousins of Xtol) for 99% of my B&W film developing with stellar results. I have used TMax dev in the past with good results also, but like the others better.

How is your contrast at the times you are using? If you are over developing, you should be getting too much contrast, if you are over exposing, too much density but more appropriate contrast. It looks to me like you are overexposing by a stop. I usually end up reducing developing time if I down rate a film, so perhaps you shouldn't be down rating if you like the contrast, or you should be developing less if you think it has too much contrast.

In addition, it seems a bit odd that you are thinking about zone calculations but you haven't tested your film, or at least found what combo of speed and dev time works for you. I suggest you take a look at Les MacLean's film testing technique, it is super fast and works very well. Once you do that, you should be happier with your results and can start doing zone calculations.

Also, I agree that lowering your temperature would help. If you don't get the results you like with TMax developer, try something else as well. There are plenty of folks here using TMX with lots of other developers.

Oh, the reason that Kodak doesn't recommend times under five min is that it is hard to get the consistency you want at shorter times because of pouring and other time discrepancies. Plenty of people have worked out techniques that give reliably good results at less that five min, but if you make a small error in timing, the impact on your film will be larger with a longer dev time.

FIRST-identify why your negatives are over developed. Is it because you are not controlling the temperature (allowing it to rise significantly at the development stage) or are you simply developing too long?
SECOND-Kodak's recommendations for time, temperature and dilution are nothing more than a place to begin. More dilution is fine as long as you use enough actual developer to get the job done. If you use at least 100ml of your T Max dev developer diluted 1:4 that will develop a single roll without a problem. You should feel free to further dilute that 100ml to any degree you desire as long as you test for appropriate times. Just as there is nothing sacred about 1:4 please don't feel constrained by 75*. You should be perfectly safe using any temperature from say 66* to 78*. Kodak's 6 1/4 min is no more than their effort to get you a printable negative. It is up to you to optimize by studying your results and making appropriate adjustments. It is called negative reinforcement. The key is CONSISTENCY - good temperature control of your developer, repeatable agitation, accurate timing and careful consistent dilution changing only one variable at a time while trying to produce the negatives that work best for you. I suggest time as the variable you adjust after settling on the other two.
THIRD-use changes in speed rating primarily to adjust shadow detail. If your shadows print with good detail change nothing. If shadows lack detail and contrast start lowering your E.I. Specific metering of the shadows is the most accurate way of exposing them. I suggest the minimum exposure that produces the shadow detail you want.
FOURTH-if less development produces the negatives that work best for you and times start to creep under 5 min not to worry as long as development remains even. If you want to extend times for safety, accuracy or convenience see above.
FINALLY-I know of no charts with suggested times for extended dilutions of T Max dev. The secret in all this is developing the ability to look at your negatives and knowing what exposure and development they need to produce the results that look right to you. Forget the charts and recommendations beyond simply "getting your foot in the door" so to speak.

If you're over developing sometimes, then your not being consistent enough with your developing. Though it's not always easy to tell if you have over-exposed or over-developed, you are more than likely actually over exposing some of your rolls of film especially high contrast scenes to. begin with. Your dev. times sound smack on for the temperature. The condenser/diffusion issue is a little tricky, because contrast is also affected by how large your enlargements are. Diffusion enlargements get more contrasty as you enlarge more, and for condenser enlargers I find it's the opposite effect. So it's good to have a negative with more contrast if you are doing large prints in a condenser enlarger. A least this is what I found out.

I have used farmers reducer, it works great. I have also chromium intensifier
which didn't work so great but I was trying to get something from almost nothing.

Thank You!

Thank you for your replies, there is a lot for me to consider so far.

I tend to shoot high contrast scenes, and the negatives look great contrast-wise and detail-wise, I just can't get them to print in reasonable times (under a minute), and so that is why I think it's about over-developing mostly, (and over-exposing occassionally I am sure).

I am very careful about temperature and time, using the Kodak chart as a guide for temperatures between 68 and 75 degrees, and always giving 20% less development for my high contrast negatives...

so when I read about T-Max's sensitivity to agitation (how aggressive is aggressive supposed to be?), and the 20% adjustment for condenser enlarger users (this I got from Kodak and a John Sexton article), and the higher dilutions (used by APUG-ers and in the John Sexton article), then I started thinking that maybe the problems I am having could be corrected by adjusting in these areas.

I am so technically-way-over-my-head trying to discuss these kinds of things, and I apologize for this, someday I hope to be able to understand and read negatives and prints with some confidence.

Thank you all again for your replies!
Blessings, K

Good Evening, K,

My normal procedure for T-100 is a 1:7 dilution. For normally-exposed film, either 35mm or 120, 10 minutes with agitation every 30 seconds seems generally to work well for me. For higher-contrast situations (on-camera flash, for example), I usually drop back to 9 minutes, occasionally 8 and 1/2 minutes. This is with the standard T-Max Developer, not the RS version. My printing is with a condenser enlarger.

Konical

Thank you Konical for your reply, I am glad to know that this dilution and these times with standard agitation work well for you with a condenser enlarger, I will give this a try!

Thank you Paul for referring me back to Les McLean's book and film testing procedures, I have the book, I even took Les' printing workshop last year, which was awesome and helped me trememdously, now I think I am ready to tackle the negative and get a better control!

And thank you All again, as I re-read your replies, I am understanding a little bit more each time!
Cheers, K

If your negs have the right contrast but seem to take to long to dev. it is definitely an exposure issue try setting your ISO to 100 or 125. Your camera meter may be a bit off, HAve you tried other films?

radiantdarkroom said:

If your negs have the right contrast but seem to take to long to dev. it is definitely an exposure issue try setting your ISO to 100 or 125. Your camera meter may be a bit off, HAve you tried other films?

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Greetings Radiant! or Radiant Greetings!
Yes, after re-reading these replies and other resources, I am starting to believe that you are right about over-exposure. I shoot macro and do so mostly outdoors, the metering is often difficult and the light changes all the time, and I just started playing around with reciprocity and compensations, so there's a lot of room for error here.

Yesterday I shot a roll of T-Max and I rated it higher at EI 80, and I will try developing with a higher dilution, which seems like a good idea because I worried a bit about fill/pour times affecting development, but I will do the Les McLean film/development test this week (it's simple enough) because I think I now "get it" and want better control.

Have I tried other films? Just one because I had to for a class, and I hated it. My first instructor had the same 35 mm camera that I did, a Canon A1 oldie but goodie, and he used T-Max, I loved the results, and so I just stuck with the film as I moved on and up to MF.

Thank you for taking the time to read my posts and replying, it has been most helpful!!!
Blessings, Krystyna

Within limits, overexposure affects mainly shadow areas, which will of course be the thin regions in the negative. Since those areas have relatively little exposed silver, they reach full development with even minimal development time; thus, they are but little affected by development time past this "threshold" time.

Based on what you've written, I think that overdevelopment is by far your biggest worry. No other way around it than to pick an EI (80 is fine for starters) and then adjust your development times accordingly.

MikeSeb said:

Within limits, overexposure affects mainly shadow areas, which will of course be the thin regions in the negative. Since those areas have relatively little exposed silver, they reach full development with even minimal development time; thus, they are but little affected by development time past this "threshold" time.

Based on what you've written, I think that overdevelopment is by far your biggest worry. No other way around it than to pick an EI (80 is fine for starters) and then adjust your development times accordingly.

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Thank you Mike for replying again!
I'll be doing some testing and making other adjustments to minimize both over exposure and over development. I know it is hard for you all to know what's going on without being able to see my "bullet proof" negatives, and so I am grateful that this discussion has pointed me in many good directions. BTW I heard good things about Xtol, and I'll give that developer a try, when I use up the gallon of T-Max that I have left.
Blessings, K

Just to add another comment to the excellent ones already here. I tested my TMX 100 4x5 using the Beyond The Zone System method and Ilford DDX diluted 1:9. In the CPP 2 ,and the expert drum at 75 degrees. There is a different developing time for each scene's brightness range as determined by meter readings, the BTZS "program" ( as devloped by Phil Davis ) and by the film curves obtained by densitometer testing. Thus far, the developing time has been some-where between 5 minutes 20 seconds, and 5 minutes 40 or so seconds, but there are exceptions. To date the negatives have been completely satisfactory. The process of testing is really rather painless now, and is not costly. Fred will expose the film for you. You do the developing at parameters he suggests ( i.e., at a small range of dilutions of developer ) in your own dark room with whatever developer and method you prefer. You mail the developed film back to him. He then plots the densities using his densitometer, and furnishes curves based upon your own developing techniques. Using a very cheap power dial one can determine a scene's brightness range, and can determine the exact developing time needed so as to render the negative easily printable on whatever grade and type of paper you desire. One can go to theviewcamerastore.com for an overview, and call Fred for details. Please feel free to contact me by private email if you need further information. I am hardly an expert, but I am learning! Allow me to add the strong disclaimer that I have absolutely no financial or other interest in suggesting the BTZS method, or in recommending Phil Davis or Fred Newman! Furthermore, I am certain that there are other methods for determining the ideal developing time for the range of brightness that one encounters in a given scene.

Edwin

Mahler_one said:

Just to add another comment to the excellent ones already here. I tested my TMX 100 4x5 using the Beyond The Zone System method and Ilford DDX diluted 1:9. In the CPP 2 ,and the expert drum at 75 degrees. There is a different developing time for each scene's brightness range as determined by meter readings, the BTZS "program" ( as devloped by Phil Davis ) and by the film curves obtained by densitometer testing. Thus far, the developing time has been some-where between 5 minutes 20 seconds, and 5 minutes 40 or so seconds, but there are exceptions. To date the negatives have been completely satisfactory. The process of testing is really rather painless now, and is not costly. Fred will expose the film for you. You do the developing at parameters he suggests ( i.e., at a small range of dilutions of developer ) in your own dark room with whatever developer and method you prefer. You mail the developed film back to him. He then plots the densities using his densitometer, and furnishes curves based upon your own developing techniques. Using a very cheap power dial one can determine a scene's brightness range, and can determine the exact developing time needed so as to render the negative easily printable on whatever grade and type of paper you desire. One can go to theviewcamerastore.com for an overview, and call Fred for details. Please feel free to contact me by private email if you need further information. I am hardly an expert, but I am learning! Allow me to add the strong disclaimer that I have absolutely no financial or other interest in suggesting the BTZS method, or in recommending Phil Davis or Fred Newman! Furthermore, I am certain that there are other methods for determining the ideal developing time for the range of brightness that one encounters in a given scene.

Edwin

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Thank you very much Edwin for your reply!
I remember reading about the BTZS film testing service here on APUG a while ago, and I dismissed it at the time because it seemed too technical, but maybe now I can handle at least some of it (hopefully!), I checked out the website, and I'll e-mail them with a few questions just to be sure.
Thanks again for reading and replying to this thread!
Blessings, Krystyna

Hello K: I must agree with the majority here concerning the need to test your own techniques, and merely use the Kodak spec sheets as a starting point. A relatively simple approach to the technical side of the process would be to determine your own film speed and developing curves using the services available via Fred Newman at The View Camera Store. For a very reasonable cost Fred can produce reliable curves that will give you the "correct" developing times based upon the subject brightness range of your subjects. Such curves are constructed by reading densities from the film you use ( in this case, TMax 100 ), exposed "with" a step table, and then developed in your own darkroom using your own techniques. Rather then bore those here who already have developed their own data, if you are interested please feel free to Email me privately. Of course, I have no financial or other interest in Mr. Newman's operation or
The View Camera Store. An in depth discussion of one approach to the construction and interpreation of such curves can be found in "Beyond The Zone System" by Phil Davis. Best of luck.

Edwin

Edwin

TMX Development

I have never liked the Kodak T-MAX developers. My best results with TMX have been with undiluted Ilford Microphen. Straight D-76 also works well. TMX is a very sharp film and using a developer like Microphen or D-76 at full strength has little or no edge softening effect. It keeps grain small and also seems to help control contrast better. Many TMX users complain about not being able to get the box speed of 100. With Microphen this is not a problem. I agree that consistency is very important. I have used essentially the same agitation technique for more than 35 years. If I have to adjust my time I do but I keep the agitation the same. Some people claim that when using Rodinal they agitate more gently and less frequently. They may also use stand development. Shooting some test rolls with carefully kept notes can also help. There is a certain range in which a film/developer combination will work nicely. A small amount of underexposure combined with a small amount of overdevelopment will work as will a small amout of overexposure combined with a very small amount of underdevelopment. The key is to fine tune things so you have a repeatable method.

I've never been terribly impressed with either TMax or TMax-RS developer. Both seem to have been developed to suit the commercial processing market more than the home user. I've standardized on using XTOL for TMax films and have never looked back. Using XTOL 1+1, I've no trouble obtaining box speed without excessive contrast. If anything, I often find the contrast to be a little bit on the low side for some subjects when using the Kodak recommended times, though shadow detail is excellent. Of course, you might not like the fact that you must make XTOL stock solution in batches of no less than 5 litres, and that you start with a powder rather than a liquid concentrate. For me, this is no problem. I happily give up the convenience of mixing working solutions from liquid concentrates in favor of the economy of use and excellent results I get with this developer.