Tmax - Developer

Wolkenkratzer · 2011-08-28T21:18:44+00:00

Hallo Ich bin neu in diesem Forum und möchte mich kurz vorstellen. Meine Name ist Thomas B. und befasse mich seit Herbst / 2009 mit der SW-Fotografie. Ge...

Wolkenkratzer

Hello I’m new to this forum and would like to introduce myself briefly. My name is Thomas B. and I’ve been involved in black-and-white photography since autumn 2009. I’ve managed to gain some experience. I’ve had good results with HP5 and G512, and with APX100 and Rodinal 1+50. These combinations form the basis of my work. I started out using Foma paper and now I use Adox MCP. I’ve now reached a point where I want to improve, so I’d like to try my hand at the more challenging T-Grain films. To start with, I’ve stored a few Acros in my fridge. And I’d like to develop these in T-Max developer. Now my question: Can anyone give me any recommendations for the T-Max developer? I’d like to increase the dilution and thus extend the development time. To what extent can you use this for forced development? Thomas

Gast

Hello, This should be of help to you: http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.php?Film=&Developer=TMax+Dev&mdc=Search Tmax developer data sheet: http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/j86/j86.pdf However, I don’t think the Tmax developer offers any advantages over Xtol. Xtol 1:1 is considerably cheaper than the Tmax developer. Even Kodak now recommends Xtol as the standard developer for its Tmax films. Regards Wolfgang P.S.: Good Xtol website: http://www.joerg-bergs.de/de/home/technik/xtol.html?no_cache=1&tx_newloginbox_pi1[forgot]=1

mdeutgen

Hello everyone, Jörg has changed his website’s domain names. You’ll have to do a bit of searching to find what you’re looking for. However, you can also find the XTOL report as a PDF HERE . By the way, my tip for T-Max is to use D76 at 1+1; that’s what gave me the best results with T-Max 400 roll film. D76 is my standard, by the way; I also use it for development of Efke/ADOX (when I can’t be bothered with APH09 1+40 or Rodinal 1+50), as well as APX100/Retro100 (the same applies here), and actually almost any black-and-white film. Martin

Wolkenkratzer

Hello, Thank you very much for the information about Xtol. I’ve had my own experience with Xtol. I’ve already tried out various developers, including Xtol, and wasn’t satisfied with the results. I’ve already completed two test series with the T-Max developer, but a pinched sciatic nerve is currently forcing me to take it easy, so I haven’t been able to print any prints from them yet. I got the data from Digitalruth and the development was adjusted to a gamma of 0.67 (after two attempts). I really like the grain under the focuser; it’s comparable to Rodinal 1+50 at 16°C, but much finer. The acutance under the enlarger is also clear. I find the development times of 5:30 a bit too short. My question is for those who already have experience with the T-Max developer. How do grain and acutance behave when dilution, time and temperature are varied? Thomas

MirkoBoeddecker

I’ve already tried out various developers, including Xtol, and wasn’t happy with the results

Thomas, We’re very interested in this kind of feedback. What exactly didn’t you like about Xtol? Best regards, Mirko

ultra8

XTOL is extremely well suited to flat-crystal films. Sharpness, sensitivity utilisation and grain size are well balanced. Modern films can therefore be processed without any problems at a dilution of 1+1. Classic films are best developed at higher dilutions. An APX100 or PX125 produces significantly greater sharpness at a dilution of 1+2. Regards, Jü

Wolkenkratzer

I’ve already tried out various developers, including Xtol, and wasn’t happy with the results
Thomas, We’re very interested in this kind of feedback. What exactly didn’t you like about Xtol? Best regards, Mirko

Hello Mirko, 1. Powder 2. The negatives were too thin and somehow too flat. Something was missing. I can’t really put my finger on it. Neopan 1600 and the APX 100, compared to the CG512 and Rodinal 1+50 (16°C), weren’t that great. I can’t put my finger on it. At the time, I was looking for a developer that would produce fine grain on high-speed films with nice contrasts. I didn’t find one, and since then my many bottles of Neo1600 have been gathering dust in the fridge. 3. After 3–4 weeks, there was some strange stuff floating around in it. I hadn’t put it in there. No idea how it got in there. I poured the stuff away and sent the spare pack to Mainz to someone who likes working with Xtol. Regards, Thomas

Gast

Hi Thomas, Well, developing for longer helps with negatives that are too thin and flat. The times specified by Kodak apply to 5 brisk agitations every 30 seconds! Xtol is pretty much the ideal developer, especially for Neopan 1600. Rodinal and CG 512 can’t compete with it in terms of grain or speed! However, you shouldn’t expect too much from this film in terms of granularity either. I also don’t think the film, regardless of the developer, will deliver more than 800 ISO. At 1600 ISO, the shadows wash out completely. I find Tri-X-Pan or Tmax 400 pushed to 800 much more appealing in this respect. I always get flakes in the Xtol too; they disappear after a quick shake and have no effect on the result. Regards Wolfgang

Wolkenkratzer

Hi Wolfgang, That could well be true. Xtol was the third developer I tried, and to be honest, I don’t have years of experience with it. Looking at it from my current perspective, I might judge it differently. But if Xtol really is that good, why does Kodak sell this T-Max developer? Best regards, Thomas

Gast

Hi Wolfgang, That could well be true. Xtol was the third developer I tried, and to be honest, I don’t have years of experience with it. Looking at it from my current perspective, I might judge it differently. But if Xtol is really that good, why does Kodak sell this T-Max developer? Regards, Thomas

Hello Thomas, I’m afraid I can’t answer that either. Perhaps as an alternative for people who don’t want a powder developer? Personally, I just find the T-Max developer too expensive! 1 litre of X-Tol at a 1:1 dilution costs €0.82, whereas a litre of T-Max at the recommended 1:4 dilution costs €3.20. If 5 litres of Xtol is too much for you, Kodak D-76 (1:1 dilution) works in a similar way and is available from the forum host for €3.61 per litre. Regards, Wolfgang