TMax400 developing issues.

G

Guest

Guest
Well I have twenty rolls of 120 roll film. Developed one roll using Adox and when scanning with a Nikon 8000ED boy there is a lot of grain, actually it looks like gravel.
Can someone please give me either another developer that will reduce the grain or some times and temperatures. I do have a bunch of Ilford Perceptol that is waiting to be used as well.
I am rather shocked at the grain size. I scan to give myself an idea if the image is worth printing, saves paper but i thought it might not be as bad after printing on paper. Am I wrong with that thought ???????
 
What is "Adox"? They make several developers. If you mean Rodinal, then yes that is a grainy developer. Try D-76 or Tmax Developer. Either will give great tonality and much finer grain.

Keep in mind also that scanned film looks grainier than it looks when you look at the neg through a magnifier. I also have a Nikon 8000ED and I use a lot of Tmax 400 with great results. Judge the prints you make; they will look better than the scan does viewed at 100% on the screen.
 
HC110 is also good with TMax films. Even with Rodinal/Adonal @ 1:50, 120 grain shouldn't be too bad.

You have DigitalICE (or other dust/scratch suppression) turned off in your scanner software, right?
 
Hc110

Hc110

I also recommend HC110 - I use dilution H (1:63) for 11 minutes at 68 degrees with agitation for 30 seconds and then 5 inversions every minute. A bit of grain with nice sharpness.
 
Yep, sorry it’s Rodinal I am using. Nice to read I was right, prints better than the screen. I recon I will get some Kodak HC 110 and try that as well.
Now what on earth can I use since Fuji has stopped using my Neopan, I was using shed loads of the stuff, loved it. Royaly pissed off with that shocker.
Three weeks ago I slipped on ice at the Grand Canyon, HASSELBLAD SWC/M around my neck, Zeiss Super Ikonta 513/2 in pocket and a Rolleiflex F3.5 on right shoulder.
Slipped on the bloody ice and arsed down. Rolleiflex landed on the light meter and smashed that, now focus winder bent a little. Well Harry the Doc gave me an estimate last night after he got it.....$692.......going to be eating Mac and cheese for a while by the looks of it !!!!!!
Hasselblads are definitely stronger built cameras, they built them bullet proof....
 
MR Barnes, you live in England you must be a night owl. I was born there but left for the beautiful USA in 1990. A damp cold evening when you clicked them.....
 
I just developed some 4x5 Tmax400 in Rodinal (my first time with this film/developer) which I thought would be fine: it wasn't. In a print you wouldn't notice the grain but when I scanned and blew up; I blew up. For some films I like Rodinal but I won't be using it again for Tmax400 (at least for scanning only).
 
ID11 is the same as D76. Good for almost anything.

For 400-2TMY (the modern version of Tmax400) Perceptol is even better. Pour 1 part developer in two parts water @ 23 degrees C and develop the film for 10 minutes. Expose for 200 ISO. Finest grain you've ever seen on such a high speed fim and a wonderful gradation.

Erik.


46356006392_0572efd123_c.jpg



print on Adox MCC 110
 
'A damp cold evening when you clicked them....'

I do live in England - the north of England - the VERY north of England (Scotland is 22 miles away), and we occasionally ( :D ) get 'cold, damp nights'.

But, as from today, in theory, the days will get longer and I'll once again be able to get out with the camera when it's light, and I'll be able to shoot at faster than 1/2 sec without the need to plonk my camera on something solid!
 
I just developed some 4x5 Tmax400 in Rodinal (my first time with this film/developer) which I thought would be fine: it wasn't. In a print you wouldn't notice the grain but when I scanned and blew up; I blew up. For some films I like Rodinal but I won't be using it again for Tmax400 (at least for scanning only).

I used to develop film for a guy who was fixated on making TMY-2 work in Rodinal. This happens sometimes when you work for other people. Luckily, Rodinal in TMY-2 guy was flexible and smart enough to be willing to experiment. A ring around was a good start. In the end, we worked out that EI 200-250 by spot meter measurement of shadows, and EI 160 by reflected averaging meter, developed in 1+50 looked pretty good. The shadows and midtones are still depressed compared to an equivalent CI negative of the same film developed in Xtol or D76, but it had a certain look and it pleased the guy who was TMY-2 in Rodinal obsessed.

There are better, much more flexible developers for TMY-2. Erik’s photos in Perceptol look great, and you can get almost the same look at EI 500-650 by using dilute Xtol or DD-X. I don’t like making life harder for myself.

Marty
 
Best developer for TMax film is TMax RS Developer, using the secret formula:

Step 1: throw away the instructions
Step 2: pour the small bottle into the big bottle and shake to mix it well
Step 3: develop at 1:9 at 75F for 6.5 minutes

The time should just be a starting point for film testing, but it is what I use for TMax 100 (EI 50) and TMax 400 (EI 200).
 
I live in Phoenix, AZ, so my cold washing water out of the tap is around that temperature most of the year -- with testing, you can probably dial it down to a lower temperature more in line with temps in MN :)
 
Best developer for TMax film is TMax RS Developer, using the secret formula:

Step 1: throw away the instructions
Step 2: pour the small bottle into the big bottle and shake to mix it well
Step 3: develop at 1:9 at 75F for 6.5 minutes

The time should just be a starting point for film testing, but it is what I use for TMax 100 (EI 50) and TMax 400 (EI 200).




Is there a reason you choose Tmax RS over regular Tmax Developer?
 
Yes, once mixed, the resulting bottle will last a year or more, which is great when you don't develop a tank of film every week
 
Yes, once mixed, the resulting bottle will last a year or more, which is great when you don't develop a tank of film every week




Regular Tmax Developer has a very long shelf life, too. Back when Kodak sold it in opaque gray bottles, it lasted nearly forever. When they switched to transparent bottles, the shelf life of the concentrate decreased a lot, but if you store the bottle in the dark, it still lasts almost forever.
 
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