Update:
I took two decisions about Tri-X at 3200...
1) I am waiting for materials (film and developer) to start testing the developer I consider, after checking on screen for days basically all that's around, the best one for this push without clear grain: it looks like it's Xtol. I'll test stock, 1+1 and 1+3, and then pick one.
2) Obviously, apart from the best possible Xtol push at 3200, I'm very interested in the best possible Rodinal version, for crisp grain images, so I did it... I tried a three hours semistand: 18C, 1+100, agitation every 30 minutes... That produced a bit of uneven development, so I imagined that dilution/agitation/duration scheme was a too weak/long one... Then I did some experiments reducing time, using a stronger dilution, and agitating a bit more... My final best 3200 push for Tri-X in Rodinal (Adonal) is: Dilution 1+50 (for my tank 8ml+400ml), Temperature: 18C, Time: 2 hours, Agitation: constant, decided, for the first minute; 5 decided, complete inversions including twisting, every 15 minutes, and hitting the tank 3 times (not too kindly) for possible bubbles: that makes a total of 8 moments of agitation...
Negatives show a complete tonal range; it's not a wild contrast push look; although present, grain is beautiful and controlled for being Tri-X, Rodinal and 3200; there are differences between dark grays, and also between high grays, and blacks and whites find their places too... I'd love to see other members' examples, with this development, wet printed, because I don't have any enlarger with me, and I don't like the noise scanners tend to produce, mostly on black zones on prints...
Maybe we'll soon see another forum member's wet print, kindly shared, using this development: if the scene is not a high contrast (sunny/direct light) one, results will be really fine...
About metering:
For all my testing, I've used my handheld Sekonic meter, both checking incident reading and reflected reading on a Kodak gray card... It amazes me that both readings are sometimes identical, but sometimes they're half a stop and even a whole stop away, and I know how to place the gray card... But what was new to me this time, was finding, after scanning lots of frames with a grey levels card, that the most accurate metering mode is definitely the reflected light one with my handheld meter (spot)... Incident metering can differ depending on the qualities of light, but every single time both of them were different, the reflected one was the right one to keep all levels of gray well recorded on negatives... My Bessa's in camera reflected light metering, leaving out white walls, light sources, etc., provided me with readings as precise as my Sekonic's spot readings, so I trust my cameras 100% now for metering, even for a situation that requires such precision as pushing 400 film at 3200...
I'll be very happy after seeing some wet prints scanned from any member... Thanks for reading!
Cheers,
Juan
