Tmax 400-D76 mystery

[KenR]

Has anyone every been able to resolve the discrepancy between the different times published for Tmax400 and D76? Kodak publication F4016 (10/07) lists a time of 12.5 minutes for D76 1:1 at 68 degrees, whereas Kodak publication F-4013 (also 10/07) gives a time of 10.25 minutes also at 1:1 and 68 degrees. Chris Crawford likes 9 minutes for the same film/developer. Help!

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Has anyone every been able to resolve the discrepancy between the different times published for Tmax400 and D76? Kodak publication F4016 (10/07) lists a time of 12.5 minutes for D76 1:1 at 68 degrees, whereas Kodak publication F-4013 (also 10/07) gives a time of 10.25 minutes also at 1:1 and 68 degrees. Chris Crawford likes 9 minutes for the same film/developer. Help!

The problem is that Kodak changed the formulation to Tmax 400 (the new version is TMY-2) but instead of updating the developing times in the Tmax Films datasheet (F-4016) and the D-76 datasheet (J-78), Kodak issued a new tech sheet for TMY-2 (F-4043).

So, if you have the Tmax Films datasheet (F-4016), the developing times it gives for Tmax 100 and Tmax 3200 are correct, but the times for Tmax 400 are NOT correct!

Likewise, the D-76 datasheet (J-78) has incorrect times for Tmax 400 because it was not updated when TMY-2 was introduced.

Bloody Hell! In the old days, Kodak would never have been so sloppy.

Here's a link to F-4043, the correct datasheet for the current version of Tmax 400 (TMY-2).

http://imaging.kodakalaris.com/sites/prod/files/files/products/f4043_TMax_400.pdf


I was just on Kodak's website and found that they have made a new Tmax datasheet that removes the info for the old Tmax 400 and for Tmax 3200 (3200 was discontinued years ago), and is now just for Tmax 100. Here is it:

http://imaging.kodakalaris.com/sites/prod/files/files/products/f4016_TMax_100.pdf

 

[Ronald M]

If you develop film based on a data sheet, you are doing it wrong. That is good for a start point, but it must be customized to condenser/diffusion enlarger, enlarger and camera lens contrast, water quality, thermometer accuracy, and printing paper.

If you do not get this right, you will fight every print forever and ever.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

If you develop film based on a data sheet, you are doing it wrong. That is good for a start point, but it must be customized to condenser/diffusion enlarger, enlarger and camera lens contrast, water quality, thermometer accuracy, and printing paper.

If you do not get this right, you will fight every print forever and ever.

Sure, but to start, you need a time to begin with and the OP was confused because different datasheets gave wildly different times. My experience with Kodak products is that their datasheets give times that are very close to spot-on for me. I use distilled water for all of my chemicals, which eliminates the water quality issue, and my thermometer is a Kodak Process Thermometer. Its accurate. Kodak's times assume use of a diffusion enlarger.

 

[Steve M.]

What Ronald said. It really IS necessary to shoot a roll or two and check your exposure and developing times and temps, along w/ checking different types of agitation schemes. Pity the photographer that develops in Rodinal, gets their times and temps from the film box or the internet, and then agitates "normally". Good luck on that one. The basic info for the film is just the starting point, and it's often wildly wrong on some developer/film combinations. Make your tests yourself. Get it right, not "good enough".

My film developing times and temps and someone else's may be exactly alike, yet the negatives will be very different if the film is exposed differently, and if our water and thermometers are different. As anyone that darkroom prints understands, you need to expose and develop for your enlarger. A diffuser enlarger will need different negs than a condenser, and what paper you print on will determine how you want your negs. The idea that there is one way to develop the film, or that I can get the data online or off the film box, is not gonna happen.

 

[KenR]

Mystery solved

Mystery solved

Thanks for all the input solving the Kodak data sheet discrepancies. After not having used D76 for many years I decided to make some up as I previously bought a bunch of chemicals to make up D96 for Eastman 5222. I just took 20+ rolls of 120 sized TMY-2, so I thought that I would make up the D76, but as I noted previously, I was confused about which time to start with. I'll run a couple of test rolls and see "what develops". Thanks again for all help.