Tri-x Vs tmax400 tmax more grainy and bad tonality:

[Markok765]

why is tri-x less grainy than tmax400? here are 2 scans at 100%. tri-x and tmax 400 is labeled.Edit: the building is tmax.

 

[Petzi]

Kodak created a lot of confusion by naming entirely different films Tri-X. When you discuss Tri-X, you always have to say whether you mean Tri-X 320 (TXP) or Tri-X 400 (TX). TXP is very fine grained while TX is not.

 

[Markok765]

i only use 35mm so this is the 400 speed tri-x

 

[clay]

Actually the new 400TX is very fine grained. Much finer grained than TMax400 and Delta 400.

Kodak created a lot of confusion by naming entirely different films Tri-X. When you discuss Tri-X, you always have to say whether you mean Tri-X 320 (TXP) or Tri-X 400 (TX). TXP is very fine grained while TX is not.

 

[Markok765]

Actually the new 400TX is very fine grained. Much finer grained than TMax400 and Delta 400.

Really?

 

[Petzi]

There is a new TX? I thought only the TXP was new. I thought people were buying TX because it was giving them the "old" (i.e. grainy) look.

More confusion...

 

[Markok765]

its still grainy, in d76 and rodinal

 

[df cardwell]

Marko

Dumb question: are you printing these negs, and seeing TX less grainy than TMAX 400 ? Scanning is a whole set of problems, and doesn't always indicate what the film is really doing.

 

[Gerald Koch]

There was a review article in Photo Techniques soon after Kodak moved all their B&W emulsion coating to a single location. The writers of the article did indeed find that 400TX was finer grained than 400Tmax.

BTW. at this time Kodak also changed the names of their B&W films to emphasize that they were new. The new terminology puts the film speed first so TX400 became 400TX and TXP320 became 320TXP.

 

[André E.C.]

There was a review article in Photo Techniques soon after Kodak moved all their B&W emulsion coating to a single location. The writers of the article did indeed find that 400TX was finer grained than 400Tmax.

All help is welcome to increase sales of the new product!

Cheers

André

 

[André E.C.]

Dumb question: are you printing these negs, and seeing TX less grainy than TMAX 400 ? Scanning is a whole set of problems, and doesn't always indicate what the film is really doing.

Marko don`t know what he does and what he say!
He`s just someone, who have a desperate need to be noticed!

Cheers

André

 

[Markok765]

Marko

Dumb question: are you printing these negs, and seeing TX less grainy than TMAX 400 ? Scanning is a whole set of problems, and doesn't always indicate what the film is really doing.

These are 800 dpi scans of prints. and in the prints i do see that. tmax has such an ugly grain.

 

[Petzi]

There was a review article in Photo Techniques soon after Kodak moved all their B&W emulsion coating to a single location. The writers of the article did indeed find that 400TX was finer grained than 400Tmax.

BTW. at this time Kodak also changed the names of their B&W films to emphasize that they were new. The new terminology puts the film speed first so TX400 became 400TX and TXP320 became 320TXP.

If Kodak really changed TX to the extent that it is now finer grained than T-Max 400, I wonder why there wasn't an uproar in the community because people lost their favourite film, missing the classical look etc.pp.

I understand that TX has a loyal followership, so it would surprise me if Kodak could make such major changes to the product without getting infinite amounts of harsh criticism.

Actually I believe Kodak would have been glad to discontinue the old films (Plus-X, Tri-X) when they introduced T-Max film, but they couldn't, because their customer wouldn't let them.

 

[Markok765]

Marko don`t know what he does and what he say!
He`s just someone, who have a desperate need to be noticed!

Cheers

André

tsk, tsk.. young andre. with those answers, YOU have a desperate need to be noticed!

 

[Lotus M50]

why is tri-x less grainy than tmax400? here are 2 scans at 100%. tri-x and tmax 400 is labeled.Edit: the building is tmax.

You really should compare similar subjects under similar lighting. Open skies or large undifferentiated fields without detail usually make the grain more obvious. Compare the film under the same conditions and situation for a more accurate comparison of grain.

 

[clay]

They really did change the film so that it is finer grained. Even in Rodinal, it is noticeably finer grained than the version they sold five years ago. The reason there was no uproar was that the tonality, the S-shaped curve, the push-ability were all retained. It is a fantastic film for 35mm.

 

[df cardwell]

Well, Marko

If you aren't getting grainless 8x10s from TMAX400, with D76, you're doing something wrong.

 

[fhovie]

TRI-X is and always has been one of two films I use mostly. It is because of its dynamic range that I keep it in the arsenal. The fact that it has less grain now is mostly a benefit except that it has slightly less accutance than it had before - there is always a trade off. T-Max 400 has its advantages. When developed in XTOL, it still has finer grain than TRI-X (as I have and continue to observe) I also use TMAX for very long exposures. TRI-X has wicked rediprocity failure where TMAX holds it own quite well. It is definatley better for pinhole photography.

 

[Petzi]

They really did change the film so that it is finer grained.

OK, I believe you. Thanks for the information that was new to me.

 

[Gerald Koch]

I understand that TX has a loyal followership, so it would surprise me if Kodak could make such major changes to the product without getting infinite amounts of harsh criticism.

Actually I believe Kodak would have been glad to discontinue the old films (Plus-X, Tri-X) when they introduced T-Max film, but they couldn't, because their customer wouldn't let them.

The formulation of Tri-X has been changed several times since its inception and with each change the grain has become finer. AFAIK, Tri-X users have always been happy with the changes.

Tri-X is Kodak's B&W bread-and-butter film. A large amount is used by professional photographers probably more than the T-Max's and Plus-X. It will probably be the last B&W film that Kodak makes.

 

[Tom Stanworth]

IMO the current TriX 400 is relatively fine grained and finer than HP5 now by a fair margin. It is however not finer grained than Delta 400 in any form I have ever seen it. Delta 400 is the finest grained 400 on the market...not that I use it!

 

[Helen B]

Here's a link to the article in Photo Techniques.

Best,
Helen

 

[Amund]

Here's a link to the article in Photo Techniques.

Best,
Helen

Damn, they want us to pay for reading the test now!

 

[tim atherton]

Really?

I remember when the new versions came out a few years ago - that couple of retired Kodak Engineers (forget their names?) did an article that pointed out just this

 

[Markok765]

Photo engineer is a retired kodak engineer