T-Max Developer: 24C/75F?

[seadrive]

So, I noticed on the box that holds the five rolls of T-Max 400 I just received, that there are "New Developing Times". They (Kodak) refer you to a page on their web site: www.kodak.com/go/bwfilms .

Upon visiting said web page, I clicked on the "Processing Times" link, which pulls up a PDF. On the development chart, I noticed that Kodak provides development times for four of their developers: XTOL, D-76, HC-110 and T-Max Developer. Development times are only provided for one temperature for each film. In the case of XTOL, D-76 and HC-110, that temperature is 20C/68F. For T-Max Developer, however, the temperature for which the development time is shown is 24C/75F.

Is there a reason why Kodak recommends that T-Max developer be used at a higher temperature than its other developers?

I could understand it if the development times for 68F would be very long, but they're not. On the contrary, the times shown for 75F are very short; some are shorter than Kodak's minimum recommended development time of 5 minutes. Why give me a development time for Tri-X that you admit "may produce unsatisfactory uniformity"?

Just wondering! :confused:

 

[Oren Grad]

I don't remember why Kodak settled on 75F for its standard recommendation for T-Max developer. But it doesn't much matter - as with their other developers, they provide a detailed set of recommendations for other commonly-used temperatures as well:

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/j86/j86.pdf

 

[Gerald C Koch]

Sone years ago Kodak changed their recommended time for all their BW films to 24 C. This reflects the fact that modern emulsions are better hardened than in the past. Just follow Kodak's instructions.

 

[MattKing]

Sone years ago Kodak changed their recommended time for all their BW films to 24 C. This reflects the fact that modern emulsions are better hardened than in the past. Just follow Kodak's instructions.

Jerry:

I have seen similar posts to this from you a number of times. I'm not sure this is right.

As I understand it, when the T-Max developers were designed the concerns of commercial developers were a focus, and it is advantageous for commercial developers to work at higher temperatures. For that reason, T-Max has a recommended developer temperature of 24C for many (but not all) films.

If you refer to Kodak's technical publication for the T-Max developers (j86) you will see a recommendation (they are in bold text) for 24C for many films, but you will also see some examples of the exceptions - for example, the recommended temperature for Tri-X Professional is 18C.

In other cases (e.g. in j109: the technical publication for X-Tol), there is very little in the way of temperature recommendation, except that times less than 4 minutes are not recommended.

 

[Roger Cole]

I settled on 75F for all my black and white. This was spurred back when by the introduction of T-Max films and developers but then I got a Jobo and my reasons are simple - I have a CPE2 which has a heater but no way to cool. I can almost always heat up my solutions to 75F (except in the hottest part of summer when they will occasionally be perhaps 76 or 77 ambient in my darkroom) and that gives me automatic temperature control.

There's nothing magical about 68. It was chosen decades ago because films were softer and, more importantly, it was cool enough you could warm developer to that temperature in most all darkrooms without too much trouble. Just settle on a temperature and then work out your time accordingly.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

Matt,

It's been a number of years but I do remember seeing an announcement about the new recommended temperature of 24 C. This applied to all the Kodak films and not only TMAX. I think it was in one of the photomags.

As far as 320TXP is concerned both Kodak F-4017 and J-24 do not give any prefered developing temperature. They list times from 18 to 24 C and none appear in boldface. So which publications are right?
Jerry

 

[TareqPhoto]

Well, i don't care to use the dev at that higher temp when i always settle it at ~20C, i may consider to go with higher temp 24C if the developing time will be shorter than 8-10 minutes but longer than 5 minutes, also TMAX is my best developer i have been used so far out of 3, not sure for other developers i have already, but TMAX will be one of my favorite standard one mostly with Acros and TMAX films.

 

[seadrive]

I don't have a problem with the idea of using a temperature higher than 68F. Hell, in the summer, it would be more convenient, as the room temperature is closer to 75F than 68.

But I do have a problem with using developing times shorter than 6 minutes; it just doesn't seem right. If your standard development time is 5 minutes, and your time is off by 30 seconds, that's a bigger difference than if your development time is 10 minutes, and you're off by that same 30 seconds.

I tried using Kodak's recommended development time of 6 3/4 minutes at 68F with a 1:4 dilution for a roll of TMY-2 that I'd rated at 400. It was too much; the value I'd placed on VII wound up at VIII or better, so I needed to develop for less time, or use a higher dilution. I chose to try 1:7.

At 6 1/2 with a dilution of 1:7, the high values fall where I placed them. I'll try developing a test roll at 75F for 5 1/2 minutes, and see what happens. I just don't feel comfortable with a development time shorter than that.

Thanks to everyone for your input!

 

[Roger Cole]

Short times can be a problem, at least in making timing critical - I've never actually seen the unevenness that supposedly can result from them and I've used times as short as 4 minutes. Since I use the Jobo with a lift this seems much less of a problem. Fill and empty times are very short and the film is being agitated as the developer flows in, and is removed from it virtually simultaneously for all the film in the tank. I use a GraLab 300 for timing, and I am careful to be consistent about when I start and stop the timer with regard to start/end of fill/drain. (I start the timer when I start pouring and end it when I start draining. Some people do other things, like starting the drain 10 seconds before time is up or whatever. Any system like this will work as long as you are consistent.)

 

[Ian C]

Regarding the original question,

I don’t think that the abbreviated temperature/time table given on the PDF you refer to REQUIRES processing at 24C. It’s just the only combination listed for T-Max 400 film in T-Max Developer in this short table.

The first table on the top right on page 4 of the October 2007 Kodak PDF F4043 shows small tank development of T-Max 400 of 5 ½ minutes @ 24C along with temperature/time combinations at 20C, 21C, 22C, and 24C in T-Max Developer at the standard dilution 1 + 4.

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/f4043/f4043.pdf