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Thread: t-max 100 alternative

  1. #1

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    t-max 100 alternative

    I have been shooting with t-max 100 for years, I looked in my freezer today and realized I only have about 100 sheets of 8x10 left. I'm not really excited about paying $10 per sheet for a new supply. It looks like Ilford is about half the price and comes in 25 sheet boxes, I hate ten sheet boxes.

    My process has been to develop with t-max rs 1:9 for 12 minutes at about 75f, which has given me good results with Jobo autolab.

    So my question is, what film do you think best resembles t-max 100, and what would you do to process based on what I have been doing?

    Sorry if they seam like noob questions but I'm guessing some of you have already gone down this road and I would love to learn from your experience. Thanks!

  2. #2
    Vaughn's Avatar
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    Re: t-max 100 alternative

    I used a lot of TMax100 in the past, but gave it up when they started using a UV blocking layer in it (not good for alt processes). After 40 years of photography, I still don't see a significant difference between modern films. FP4+ has been a great alternative to TMax for me -- very adaptable to different processes.
    "Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China

  3. #3
    おせわに なります! Andrew O'Neill's Avatar
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    Re: t-max 100 alternative

    Delta 100.

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    Re: t-max 100 alternative

    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew O'Neill View Post
    Delta 100.
    +1

    TMX 100 and Delta 100 have nearly identical characteristic curves in a variety of general purpose developers. TMX is a little finer grained (doesn't matter for LF). The two films have different reciprocity failure characteristics for long exposures but that's not a problem. Delta 100 should work fine with T-Max RS. Development times will need to be adjusted (likely to be shorter with Delta 100).

  5. #5

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    Re: t-max 100 alternative

    Quote Originally Posted by Michael R View Post
    +1

    TMX 100 and Delta 100 have nearly identical characteristic curves in a variety of general purpose developers. TMX is a little finer grained (doesn't matter for LF). The two films have different reciprocity failure characteristics for long exposures but that's not a problem. Delta 100 should work fine with T-Max RS. Development times will need to be adjusted (likely to be shorter with Delta 100).
    Thank you Michael, that is the kind of information I am looking for!

  6. #6
    Mark Sawyer's Avatar
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    Re: t-max 100 alternative

    TMX 100 and Delta 100 are both tabular-grain films, the only 100-speed films of that sort I know of, so there's at least that passing similarity. Edit, just thought of another one, Fuji's Neopan.
    "I love my Verito lens, but I always have to sharpen everything in Photoshop..."

  7. #7
    Resident Heretic Bruce Watson's Avatar
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    Re: t-max 100 alternative

    Quote Originally Posted by John Brady View Post
    ...what film do you think best resembles t-max 100, and what would you do to process based on what I have been doing?
    The only other film still in production "like TMX" is Delta 100 AFAIK. It even has more or less the same reciprocity characteristics, which can be important to 10x8 shooters.

    That said, FP-4+ is quite a nice film. But it's a cubic grained film and has cubic grained reciprocity characteristics from what I remember. But very nice tonality.

    And with 10x8, graininess is almost a non sequitur so I wouldn't worry about that.

    As to your process, changing film is a good time to change developer. I'm a big fan of XTOL, if for no other reason that its considerably lower impact on the environment. That, and the two Kodak researchers who invented XTOL (Zadwicki and Dickerson) told me that they created XTOL using TMAX films and Jobo rotary processing. Since that's more or less what you're using, you might as well use a developer that was optimized for your workflow. You did ask "what would you do to process", right? ;-) IOW, feel free to ignore me. Most people do.

    Bruce Watson

  8. #8

    Re: t-max 100 alternative

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Sawyer View Post
    TMX 100 and Delta 100 are both tabular-grain films, the only 100-speed films of that sort I know of, so there's at least that passing similarity. Edit, just thought of another one, Fuji's Neopan.
    Nope... Acros is NLA.

  9. #9
    sepiareverb's Avatar
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    Re: t-max 100 alternative

    I will also chime in with Delta 100, and would agree with Bruce that FP4+ is worth a look. I switched to FP4+ from Delta 100 as I found better shadow detail with it in my workflow in smaller formats, and when I returned to 810 just stayed with it.

  10. #10

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    Re: t-max 100 alternative

    I'm fascinated by HP5, not a direct alternative because it's cubic and the 400 nominal speed, but the larger grain is not perceived in 8x10.

    It's difficult to me to explain why, but I like more hp5 than fp4 or d100

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