TMax100 / Direct Sunlight / MIcrodol-X, any idea?

[Juan Valdenebro]

Hello,

Today the woman I love took one of my cameras and for the first time she asked me to load it and meter light, and set aperture and speed for her… (TMax100 120, direct sun, spot f/2.8 ½ 1/1000 @25 on well placed Kodak’s gray card, Sonnar 150mm f/2.8 @2.8 ½…), and she made four photographs at 1/1000th, so now I have four latent images where I’m holding my Barnack, a IIIc with a red scale elmar, so I want to see the images: I want to develop… But… I’m far from having the slightest idea…

I have no experience with TMax100, none, and all I know and won’t change is I’ll develop it with Microdol-X 1+2. I mixed it a few days ago (it’s not Mic-X but Kodak’s Microdol-X, an old quart envelope) and yesterday I tried it with 35mm ISO400 film and it works like new!

Sunlight was close to cenital, (face with heavy shadows and spots of sunlight) so, even if I decided to meter and expose for skin hit by direct sun (leaving big part of my face dark…), I went for 50 instead of 100 considering the developer, and for 25 instead of 50 for filling the shadows a bit, thinking of a slight pull to control contrast, so I look for a short development because the film received a lot of light: the goal is a negative with kind of lowish contrast because I print with a condenser enlarger…

I couldn’t find information at all close to TMax100 @25, direct sunlight, Microdol-X 1+2.

Any idea will be great help!

 

[WilmarcoImaging]

Take a look here: https://www.digitaltruth.com/devcha...icrodol-X%&mdc=Search&TempUnits=C&TimeUnits=D

There isn't data for your specific situation, but it can be estimated based on what is listed.

I would estimate 14 minutes for 1+2 dilution at 20C.

 

[ic-racer]

Shoot a few more rolls and save that one until you have it figured out.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Thanks... The situation is a little odd because I ran out of 120 last week, and using the Hasselblad wasn't my plan: I was looking for a filter I keep inside its bag, and my girlfriend found a roll of TMX I didn't know about: exp. date 2015... I told her that's not too much for b&w film, so yes, use it, and suddenly when she was ready clouds went away and there was wide blue sky... I would have preferred overcast...

 

[Mainecoonmaniac]

How about shooting another roll under the same conditions then do snips test with it? Try different dilutions and times.

 

[MattKing]

Here is a link to an historical T-Max 100 data sheet which lists stock and 1+3 development times for T-Max 100 in Microdol-X. It recommends an EI of 50 though: https://125px.com/docs/film/kodak/f4016-TMAX-2007b.pdf

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Thank you very much, Matt!
I wanted to find that one precisely, but couldn't do it...

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Take a look here: https://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.php?Film=%Kodak+TMax+100%&Developer=%Microdol-X%&mdc=Search&TempUnits=C&TimeUnits=D

There isn't data for your specific situation, but it can be estimated based on what is listed.

I would estimate 14 minutes for 1+2 dilution at 20C.

Hi Wil,
Perhaps you were implying a dif. enlarger?

If Kodak's times were right for dif. enlargers and grade 3 @ box speed, it seems their publication recommends something like 15min. for 1+2 20°C @100...
@25 and with the high contrast I had, I think I'll try 9min. 1+2, 22°C. I'll use 200ml of stock + 400ml water...

I'm used to Ilford's agitation and Rodinal's agitation, so the wild shaking recommended by Kodak (cocktail shake every 30 seconds) got me thinking...
How would you agitate?

Thanks everyone...

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Negatives are a bit weak though I used Kodak's agitation (intense for 5 secs every thirty...), so I wonder, in case I use the same film in the future for direct sun again, could my negatives be a little flat because of film's exp. date? 3 years... Film was inside a bag, so, not in cold... 24°C/75°F commonly in my city...
As I spot metered at 25, I know light was enough, so the question is, was Wil totally right, or was he half right and the other half was caused by film age / heat?
No fog at all...

 

[MattKing]

I would suggest you print the results before you come to a final decision.
The T-Max films (100 and 400) have a slightly different visual appearance than more traditional films.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

You're right... Thanks again.
Anyway negatives are OK,,,
I guess they'll be OK for multigrade printing with filters 3 or 3 1/2.
When I print I'll come back to share,

 

[MattKing]

The T-Max negative for this looks very weak indeed:

 

[Christiaan Phleger]

Yeah this combination makes the tmax look relatively thin but it is good for scanning. Next time try the Tmax 100 at 50 and use Microdol-X 1:0. You may have to optically print to see whats in the denser negs but that combination for Bright Light has been a favorite of mine.
With Aloha
Instagram ChristiaanPhleger

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Matt, I had seen that image before, and it really impressed me: both its tone and the tonal vision while composing, were superbly achieved. And those low values are so clean and contrasty: a joy. Good to know the film can look like that...

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Chris, that's interesting... As film's so fine grained, I'd imagine stock can't pruduce its usual sharpness loss, so that's indeed something to try...

 

[Nokton48]

I always lose at least a stop when I process in Microdol-X. I routinely develop 25 minutes stock solution in a JOBO and the films I used are really not overdeveloped.

Works for me. And I love the tonality.