T-Max 100: fine grain developer or something „normal“?

[Odot]

The 100 is already going to be fine so i wonder, if using a fine grain developer will make it too slick or is it actually intended for a film such as the 100.

Also, what are the possible image characteristics, if i didnt use a fine grain developer and chose something more „normal“(lack of a better word)? I wonder if it would give the film more grit, which would be an interesting look for a fine film.

 

[trendland]

The 100 is already going to be fine so i wonder, if using a fine grain developer will make it too slick or is it actually intended for a film such as the 100.

Also, what are the possible image characteristics, if i didnt use a fine grain developer and chose something more „normal“(lack of a better word)? I wonder if it would give the film more grit, which would be an interesting look for a fine film.

Both I would say : try Perceptol (on E.I ISO25) and it is extreme fine.
Try X-tol and it is fine.
For normal use try D76, Tmax developer a.s.o.
But pls.don't try special methods in developement to have more grid (grain?).
Kodak has a "heard" for such people (who want to have) therefore they offer you
Tmax 400/3200 !
with regards
PS : the difference is with the tonals

 

[Anon Ymous]

TMax 100, and any other fine grain film for that matter, will look fine in whatever developer you use. It will look fine grained even if you use a rather gritty developer and develop it to a normal contrast. In this case you gain some accutance, without getting much coarser grain. When using an ultra fine grain developer like Perceptol, you get grainless negatives that still capture a great amount of detail, but have a smoother look. TMax 100 is an inherently sharp film anyway.

 

[Down Under]

+1 for trendland (#2) who summed it up just fine for me.

By "grit", do you mean a definite grain pattern, Odot? If so, Tmax 100 and D76 is the way.

I've shot a lot of Tmax 100 in my time, in my usual now-and-then way, 35mm in my Nikkormats, 120 with my Rollei TLRs. I long processed it in D76 1+1 in a Jobo, which produces the results I like. For a few years I played around with home-brewed Thornton's two-bath (The Ansel Adams brew for higher contrast) and thought it was OK, but last year I had a lengthy printing session to catch up on a few years of shooting, and I found the grain pattern and the contrast with the Thornton's were somewhat too soft for my liking. With D76 1+1, all was well and good.

I like to take my time when experimenting with new developers, but of late I've been reading older APUG and I like what I've read about using Xtol as a one-shot. So I'll do some tests in July and August, when I'm home again from my wanderings in Asia. Xtol may be better with Tmax 400 than D76. Dunno - I'll shoot and test a roll in the two brews and work it out for myself.

One of the few friends I have left in Australia who still processes film at home, does it with Rodinal (am unsure of his mix, but I believe he moves between 1+25 and 1+50 depending on the contrast of the scenes) and his prints have a LITTLE more obvious grain than mine, but nothing to worry about.

I first used D76 in the mid 1970s when I shifted from exclusively 120 to about an even mix of MF and 35mm. It has always been my go-to developer when I want nice, clean negatives with the best tones for normal light scenes. Shooting in Australia and also in Asia as I often do, the harsh daytime light can be a problem and here D76 also works well to tame the high contrast. I hope Xtol will do the same.

Looking forward to others' posts in this thread. Good info always available on APUG. Many thanks to you all!

 

[darkroommike]

TMax 100 is not a "normal" film, it is very fine grain and will look fine grain in almost any developer. In the past I have used everything from D76 1:1 to Diafine's Acu-1 and been satisfied with the results. Using a fine grain "special" developer with TMax 100 only gets you longer processing times and a lower EI.

 

[NB23]

Tmax 100 was developed with D76.

That film is smooth that I’m always looking to give it some grit. Ilfosol-3 is the sharpest developer out there and I’ve made it my combo of choice.

 

[jim appleyard]

I've never been a fan of t-grained films, but my best results have been with Rodinal. Anything else gave me flat, lifeless negs. Rodinal gives me a "full-bodied" negative that is easier to print. My $.02. I've never tried t-grains in a staining dev, I wonder what that would do?

 

[DREW WILEY]

You aren't going to affect grain structure much. TMax 100 has relatively poor edge acutance to begin with, and so-called fine grain developers aren't going to help
or give you any advantage in this respect. They might be OK in other respects. I prefer PMK pyro for its ability to rein in the highlights, but over the years have used
a number of the usual suspects, including D76, Perceptol, HC-110, etc. The gentler edges of TMX, while holding a lot of detail and a long contrast range, make it
nice for 35mm portraiture (and in larger format work too!). For landscape and architecture, I prefer the crisper edges of TMY 400.

 

[Pioneer]

TMAX100 works in a lot of different developers.

Lately I have been using it with Beutler and have been very happy with the results. I also like d-23. For me these are easier alternatives since I mix up fresh batches all the time.

Of course with this film I think you have to look hard for something that doesn't work.

 

[mrosenlof]

I usually expose TMX at e.i. 50 and develop in Rodinal 1:50 for about 12-14 minutes. I expect that I would be plenty happy with in in HC110 also.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Xtol 1+1 for a "normal" developer. Pyrocat-HD for an "abnormal" developer.

 

[Svenedin]

I don’t have experience of TMax100 in lots of different developers but I’ve been happy with it in ID-11, Ilfotech DD-X and most recently Xtol 1+1. The grain is very fine in Xtol.