PDA

View Full Version : Tmax 100 vs Ilford Delta Pro 100



Emre Yildirim
15-Jan-2006, 04:51
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
15-Jan-2006, 06:19
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
15-Jan-2006, 08:24
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
15-Jan-2006, 08:56
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
15-Jan-2006, 09:14
I've also noticed that Delta 100 appears slightly sharper than tmax 100.

Oren Grad
15-Jan-2006, 09:29
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 (http://www.ilford.com/html/us_english/bw.html)

Chris S
15-Jan-2006, 10:02
How is Delta 100 in pmk pyro?

David Luttmann
15-Jan-2006, 10:18
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
15-Jan-2006, 10:30
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
15-Jan-2006, 19:30
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 :(

Oren Grad
15-Jan-2006, 20:00
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

Emre, TMax 400 certainly poses challenges, but it's also capable of producing excellent results if handled properly. What you've reported sounds to me like the consequence of exposure and/or processing error, not some problem with the film itself.

fred arnold
15-Jan-2006, 22:34
Emre,

I've shot 400 Tmax in 120, (my budget doesn't currently permit it in 4x5), and found it behaves very nicely in XTol 1:1, per the massive dev chart times. Your local shop probably just treated it wrong. You should just get a tank, (or a dark closet in which you can set up trays), and do it yourself. I have some cityscapes with very nice tonality from it, so it works for at least one person.

Unfortunately, black and white is one of those, "If you want it done right..." mediums. The good part is that it's not hard, and can be quite relaxing.

Joseph O'Neil
16-Jan-2006, 11:17
> 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 :(

I would not give up too soon. Learn to develope yourself. Been a while since i have seen good B&W processing at a commercial lab. Not saying it isn't done (somewhere), but just haven't seen it much.

Another thing- Tmax film, believe it or not, the best devloper for it is not Tmax or Xtol developers, but plain old D-76. Pay close attention to both aggitation and temperature - almost like you are developing colour film - and you'll get good results out of it.

joe

Ron Marshall
16-Jan-2006, 17:47
I've found T-max 100 in D76 1:1 to be a good combination.

T-max 100 has better reciprocity characteristics than Delta 100, but the best is Acros.