Tmax 400, Pyrocat HD

I've just used up the last of my 8x10 Tri-x (old version), which I develop in pyrocat and contact print on AZO. I like the final prints very much and would normally just buy a box of the new Tri-x.

However, I find that reciprocity is much more of an issue than with my 5x7 - I'm often shooting at f45 or f64 and getting into multiple second exposures. Tmax 400 would be appealing to minimize the problem.

Any experiences with Tmax 400 in pyrocat? Would it be a particularly good combination for AZO printing? I'm always sensitive to blocking highlights with Tmax. Any recommendations?
Thanks,
Tom

I can't comment on your question about contacting printing on Azo. I use pyrocat-hd with TMY in 120 and consequently enlarge my negs. I have no problems with blocked highlights. This is using a condenser-enlarger which doesn't make things any easier (I am about to install a second enlarger with a diffuse light source side by side to it and do my own comparisons after reading all the condenser/diffuse-lighting ramblings on photo-net).

From my limited experience with TMY I conclude that TMY developed in D76, XTol or pyrocat-hd is easier to work with than one might think after reading all the negative comments. If your first negs look thin don't increase the development until you printed them.

best

Stefan

Tom Duffy said:

Any experiences with Tmax 400 in pyrocat? Would it be a particularly good combination for AZO printing? I'm always sensitive to blocking highlights with Tmax. Any recommendations?
Thanks,
Tom

Click to expand...

Tom,

I have not used Tmax 400 in Pyrocat-HD for printing with AZO but I have used the combination for printing with both carbon, kallitpye and Pd. Tmax is in my opionion the best all-around film for these processes for several reasons: high ISO, great for both expansion and contraction development, has a very straight line curve, and has very good reciprocity correction.

It does not have, however, the development latitutde of TRI-X so if you over-develop you might indeed get too much contrast in the highlights, even with alternative processes.

Unfortunately Tmax 400 is not ordinarily available in sizes over 8X10.

Sandy

Sandy