Tmax 100 vs Ilford Delta Pro 100

[Emre Yildirim]

Which one has finer grain/resolving power? I can't seem to find any datasheets on the Ilford film, so I'm not sure. Which one do you use for 4x5?

[Moe_4073]

I've used both films in 4x5 and they are both produce excellent results. I prefer 100 Delta as it seems to be less finicky than Tmax to develop. As for resolving power, you are not going to notice much difference between the two. Purchase which ever one is on sale (or has the better delivery).

[Phong]

TMX 100 is my choice 0f B&W 100 ASA film in 4x5 because it is an excellent film which is available in Readyload. Availabilty in Readyload/Quickload is perhaps the single most important criteria for me in 4x5 film. I also believe that if a film is available in Quickload/Readyload, then it is a very popular film, and hence is a very good bet for long-term availability. But first you gottta love the film enough, which I do TMX.

Cheers,

[David Luttmann]

Emre,

I've found that Tmax (which is more difficult to work with, by the way) has finer grain, but Delta 100 is slightly sharper. It depends on which you prefer. Being that grain ceases being an issue for me when using 4x5, I chose Delta for the sharpness.

[Andrew O'Neill]

I've also noticed that Delta 100 appears slightly sharper than tmax 100.

[Oren Grad]

Both record fine detail with extreme fidelity, but in my experience as well, Delta 100 appears subjectively sharper. They also have a different tonal scale and overall subjective "look", which IMO is as important a distinction if not more so.

Ilford's data sheets are here (but they don't data on resolving power):

www.ilford.com/html/us_english/bw.html

[Chris S]

How is Delta 100 in pmk pyro?

[David Luttmann]

Delta 100 is OK in Pyro....but I find it doesn't stain quite as well as the old conventional films, like FP4 for example. As was previously mentioned, I'd care more about perceived tonality & spectral response as this will be more important than the grain.....because with 4x5, I find there is little grain from either in the enlargements I make.

[Joseph O'Neil]

I perfer Delta 100 over Tmax 100. I agree with others - Tmax has the finer grain, but Delta is a bit more forgiving, it has more lattitude, IMO, in some situations, and while Delta will stain in Pyro (yes, agreed, not as good as other films), Tmax and staining PMK Pyro is pretty much a waste of time.

However, if you use readyloads/quickloads, then Tmax is the way to go.

If you ahve never used Tmax films before, in any size/format, but you are used to "traditional" films such as Tri-X, FP4, etc, then use Delta. Tmax is great stuff, but's it's not a forgiving film at all, it's one of those "my way or the highway" kinda films, if that makes sense.

joe

[Emre Yildirim]

Everyone-

Thanks for all the suggestions. I actually did my research before I posted here, and had already ordered a 25-sheet pack of Ilford Delta. I just needed some more assurance from you experts Looks like most people on the internet agree that the Ilford film produces sharper images.

I've used Tmax 400 (4x5) and thought it was a horrible film. I was sort of desperate at the time, and wanted to buy some B&W film, but the local photo place only had 400. I found it to be washed out and not very contrasty...as well as very grainy. They probably didn't use the TMAX developer or something. Sad part is, I was so desperate that I bought a 50 sheet pack (because that's all they had). Now I have about 46 sheets left that I will probably never use