tri-x vs fp4

[jett]

Besides the obvious difference in speed, what are the characteristic differences between these two films? In terms of grain, tonality, sharpness, contrast, etc.

If developer matters, then rodinal.

 

[Rob-F]

FP-4 is finer grain than Tri-X and can resolve more detail. As far as contrast goes, you can control the contrast of these and other films by varying the development time; but that said, and all other things being equal, I would say FP-4 is more contrasty than Tri-X, while the latter has a wider dynamic range from highlight to shadow. Higher contrast tends to increase our subjective impression of sharpness.

FP-4 in Rodinal makes for a very sharp combination. Tri-X in Rodinal tends toward a gritty (but sharp) "photojournalist" look.

 

[Jockos]

I was just thinking the other day, when scanning FP4+, that if there was a 100 ISO TriX, it'd be just like the FP4+. It's pretty gritty for a ISO 100 (125), but then the range of tones is huge!
Like said, it's got a bit more bite in the contrast, but when scanning TriX I usually have to up the contrast slightly anyways.