help! questions about developing tri-x in tmax dev

[knodd]

Hello,

I'm pretty new to film developing, and i have this roll of tri-x (exposed at iso 400) which i have high expectations of, and i really don't wanna screw up. i'm quite sure the timing should be 6mins at 20 degrees c, but i'm not sure what method of agitation i should use, i seem to be getting different things from different sources:

1) on the back of the tmax dev bottle it says: 5 seconds of vigourous agitation (5 inversions in 5 seconds) every 30 seconds

2) digitaltruth.com: 30 seconds of continuous agitation followed by 10 seconds of agitation every 30 seconds (3 inversions in 10 seconds)

3) the local film guru at the film supply shop: 3 inversions every minute (for high grain / high contrast) or 1 inversion every 30 seconds (for low contrast)

I'm really confused as to which method to use, was hoping for some help and advise! Thanks in advance!

Shaun

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

THe standard developing time is pretty short. I develop Tri-X in Tmax developer diluted 1+7 instead of the standard 1+4. This gives longer developing times, which helps prevent uneven development. Time at 1+7 is 9 minutes at 20C. Agitate first 30 seconds then 4 vigorous inversions every minute. The agitation the bottle recommends is too much for Tri-X, it will increase grain a lot. That instruction on the bottle is for Tmax films, which do better with more agitation.

 

[oftheherd]

Interesting question that I want to see the answer to myself. I wouldn't have thought TMax developer would have been the developer of choice, but something like D-76, or Rodinal.

EDIT: Well, there you go, an answer already. Chris, does the TMax developer really do well as opposed to D-76 or Rodinal?

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

These were from a roll of Tri-X developed in Tmax Developer 1+7 as described above.

 

[LeicaFoReVer]

I have t-max developer and tri-x roll to use so I can use this infor for myself too, thanks.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Interesting question that I want to see the answer to myself. I wouldn't have thought TMax developer would have been the developer of choice, but something like D-76, or Rodinal.

EDIT: Well, there you go, an answer already. Chris, does the TMax developer really do well as opposed to D-76 or Rodinal?

I think Tmax Developer works fine, but I prefer either D-76 1+1 or Rodinal 1+50. The tonality looks a little nicer with D-76 than with Tmax in my opinion, though Tmax Developer is not at all bad. I think the midtone contrast is a bit flatter with Tmax Developer when Tri-X is developed for normal overall contrast. I'm scanning my negs too, so the results might be different if you are printing in the darkroom. If you have some Tmax Developer, try a roll with the times I gave and see what you think. It is certainly convenient not dealing with powdered chemicals and the relatively expensive Tmax Developer is not so costly when diluted 1+7 instead of the standard 1+4

I like Rodinal a lot for some things with Tri-X, it gives a gritty but very sharp look and interesting tonality.

Above are two examples with D-76 1+1

The two above are Tri-X in Rodinal

 

[HMFriedman]

If you've got something important on that roll, shoot a couple more under similar conditions and try the various methods. Experiment with times and agitation to find out what suits your vision before developing the roll(s) you care about.

Film is cheap; reshoots can be expensive, and are often impossible.