New Improved TMax400

charjohncarter

charjohncarter

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Good news! Kodak is still developing and refining film. In recent email from John Sexton, he seems very excited that Kodak is still in the game.

Some bad news, the time times of development have changed slightly so you have to start testing. But at least they show you how to tell if you new or old TMax400.

Here is Kodak's information on New TMax400.

http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=2709&pq-locale=en_US&gpcid=0900688a807d5fe1


http://www.kodak.com/global/plugins/acrobat/en/professional/products/films/bw/bwFilmQAs.pdf?id=0.2.22.14.17.14.6&lc=en

I won't copy John Sexton's email because I do not have permission. But he did state in that email: He processes the new T-MAX 400 120 film in D-76 1+1 for 7 minutes at 68F with manual agitation for 5 seconds every 30 seconds for normal development. He has been using an EI of 250 with the new emulsion.
 
I just posted 39 shots done with the new Tmax-2 400 on my flickr site. Kodak very generously gave the attendee's at the LHSA (Leica Historical Society of America) rolls of the new film. As most of the 150+ people who where there shoot digital, I managed to get a brick of the film+ some loose rolls.
There was no information about developing times with the film, so I proceeded to test it in my regular soups.
In PCK (Patrick Gainer's Vit. C concoction) it looses about a stop to a stop and a half so realistic speed in PCK is around 160 asa.
In Beutler (home made) it gives me a true 400 asa. Beutler is not a fine grain developer per se, but the improved grain structure of the new film makes it a viable "soup". Very sharp and even with Beutler it looks more like a 100 asa film than a 400 asa one! I do Tri-X/Fuji 400/APX in Beutler for 11 min ( 5 reel tanks with 3 inversions/60sec) and this time seems to work well with the new Tmax-2 400 too.
My standard test procedure is Rodinal 1:100 for 19/20 min (3 inversions/60 sec). This works well for the Tmax-2 too. Very sharp edge to the structure, decent grain and very little 'frying " of the highlights.
I think the new film is big step forward for Tmax films. I hav always had a rather ambivalent relationship with the Tmax films. They are sharp and under controlled light they work well, but for outdoor light with huge contrast levels - they are tough to master. The new emulsion seems to have cured this.
I still have to do some more tests with D76/ Rodinal 1:50/ HC 110 (what is the standard dilution you use with HC 110/Tmax 400?) I usually stay away from HC 110 for 35mm film as I find the grain to rough for my taste.
It is nice to see Kodak doing something for us "analogs" and bl/w shooters. We were also told at the LHSA meeting that all Kodak bl/w are now coated in Rochester!
 
Tom: Thanks for the further information, esp. regarding how you agitate. (And thanks again for literally tossing me a roll!)

I am going to use Rodinal 1:100 @ 20 min, but I will adhere to my current agitation of 3 gentle inversions every 5 minutes. I guess that's semi-stand. If I shoot primarily in flat light, I might increase the agitation to every 3 minutes, but the last results I got with both TX & APX100 using the reduced agitation were so good that I want to try TMY-2 this way, too.

I'm tempted to try the Rodinal-Xtol combination, but haven't used it at all yet, so am not comfortable with times.
 
Tom,

Thanks for the info. I may have to give TMax a second look.

Bob
 
Tom A said:
As most of the 150+ people who where there shoot digital, ...
Click to expand...

Leica has only one digital camera and almost all attendees of the LHSA meeting shoot digital? Wow.
 
There were enough M8's around to make an "analog" shooter despair. However, here and there M6's, MP's and even a couple of IIIF's and IIIg's stood out. The favoured DSLR's were actually Canon's 20D and 30D's with R lens converters. In short, everybody was chimping away, whilst the film users kept shooting. However much you stare at the back of your M2 or MP, nothing shows up!
 
Nice looking shots, Tom. It definitely lacks the muddy look I experienced with the previous version, although I'm not sure how much of that is your developing and how much is the film. Have you used much Delta 400? How does this new Tmax compare, in your opinion?

Thanks,
Paul
 
Thanks for the times, temps, agitations, Tom. I am like you, I have never warmed to TMax400. But when I used it I did 12 minutes, 68 F, 30 seconds to start then 3 inversion each minute. That was in HC-110h. I didn't like the results so that was my only roll. If I can find the 'new' I may give it another try. I looked at your flickr photos and they are great. I'll let you know if I get a result worth talking about. You sure have a great collection of gear.
 
charjohncarter said:
Thanks for the times, temps, agitations, Tom. I am like you, I have never warmed to TMax400. But when I used it I did 12 minutes, 68 F, 30 seconds to start then 3 inversion each minute. That was in HC-110h. I didn't like the results so that was my only roll. If I can find the 'new' I may give it another try. I looked at your flickr photos and they are great. I'll let you know if I get a result worth talking about. You sure have a great collection of gear.
Click to expand...

I am going to try the Tmax-2 in HC 110 later (when it stops raining!) - I have always found HC 110 a bit rough with 35 film. Great for 120 and large format stuff though.
Please, it is not a "collection" of gear - it is an accumulation of gear! A collection implies that I collect, a horrid thought as most collectors rarely take anything out of the boxes! They are also in to "mint" stuff, and my stuff is far from that! I have been shooting with 35 for close to 50 years now and I am a lousy salesman of used stuff, so often it is easier just to keep it!
Kudos to Kodak for doing the Tmax-2! It does imply that they have some faith in the future of film - though I dont trust any large corporation and still keep at least 800-1000 rolls in the freezer - just in case. I might add some Tmax-2 to it once it is available. Never thought that i would say "adding Tmax film" to my stash!
 
photophorous said:
Nice looking shots, Tom. It definitely lacks the muddy look I experienced with the previous version, although I'm not sure how much of that is your developing and how much is the film. Have you used much Delta 400? How does this new Tmax compare, in your opinion?

Thanks,
Paul
Click to expand...

Paul, I have used a fair bit of Delta 400 and 100 over the years. My only problem with them here in Vancouver's water is that they cause "foaming" in the tank - to the point that the lid almost pops off! Tried to ask Ilford about it, but they claimed that this was something they never heard about!
The Delta 400 is very similar to the Presto 400 - slightly higher contrast, but very sharp grain and nice tones.
Unforunately, Ilford's new management has decided to cash in on film and locally a roll of 36 exp. Delta 100/400 is close to $8! Fuji 400 is about $5 and Tri X is less, though not by much! Not a huge deal if you shoot 50-100 rolls/year, but it hurts if you are shooting 700-800 rolls per year!
 
Hi All & Tom,
I really look forward to Tmax 2.

I've been using the "old" Tmax 400+HC-110 dilution H with a great deal of satisfaction. It makes sense, once we get beyond dilution B [1:9] to clarify our numbers game. For me it is 30ml of the European syrup in 430ml water for a 2-reel stainless tank.

Agitation is 30 seconds continuous, then 2 turns of the tank every 2 minutes. In the summertime, I develop at 75f because the wash water comes out warm. Thus my development time has been 10.5 minutes. This will be adjusted to fall conditions with cooler wash water... times for 68-70f. Here are links to 2 sample photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikegoldberg/1173098215/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikegoldberg/1320606580/in/photostream/

And, sometimes I'm "lazy" and shoot in BW 400 C41. This is NOT as good as real BW, and I have to pull the saturation down in editing to get rid of the magenta cast 🙄

Cheers,
 
Thanks John for the good words... and Wayne for the pdf Link.

Does anyone know just when the new version is available? Further, it seems to me
that BOTH the old and new are called Kodak Professional Tmax 400 Film...
with Tmax 400 like this, in the new one.

This is for Tom or anyone who can get his hands on the new Tmax 400:
I'd love to see comparison development tests with Tmax developer and HC-110.

Thanks and cheers,
 
Last edited:
Well, Mike, I intend to get some as soon as I can, but it will be over a month (personal reasons). And I will be using HC-110h. If you don't hear from me first, please send me the information, thanks

Carter
 
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