4x5" B&W film preferences

[David Honey]

After getting stated with Polaroids, I just began looking at the 4x5 sheet films that are available.

B&W is my preference, and I'd be quite happy to go with Tri-X if I could count on finding it. However I fear from what I've read it's not the same as the Tri-X of old anyway, so maybe there's little point in following that route, besides sentimentality.

A few questions:

Does anyone use and like the J&C-brand 400 ASA B&W film?

How does it compare to Tri-X?

Thanks,
Dave

[Oren Grad]

David, if you're just getting started in LF for the first time, the important issue with LF Tri-X (TXP) is not whether or not it's the same as the old LF Tri-X (TXT), but the fact that it's very different in its characteristics from the 400-speed Tri-X (TX) that is popular in 35mm and 120. If your idea of Tri-X is based on experience with TX roll film, you might as well consider LF TXT an entirely new and different film.

TXT is a fine film, manufactured to a high and consistent standard of quality and capable of a beautiful tonal scale under the right circumstances. However, I'm not sure it's an ideal choice for a first film - it tends to give relatively low shadow contrast combined with steep highlight contrast, which can make negatives taken under contrasty situations difficult to print without elaborate manipulation. I think that HP5 Plus is more forgiving in exposure, development and printing, and also has somewhat superior reciprocity characteristics; that would be my recommendation.

I don't have enough experience yet with the JandC 400 to say anything useful about it. If I recall correctly, David Goldfarb - one of the regulars here - has commented in the past on the JandC 400 vs Tri-X comparison - you might go over to APUG and search the B&W film discussions there for some of his observations.

[Oren Grad]

Drat, I'll end up confusing everybody. The new ISO 320 TX sheet film is TXP and the old was TXT, as stated correctly the first time but garbled after that.

[David Honey]

Thanks Oren. I should say that I have read about the differences between the sheet and the 35mm types of Tri-X, mostly in thickness of the film base. And then the differences between the old and the new (in sheet form, not sure about 35mm but that doesn't matter).

Will look forward to more info...

Thanks again.
Dave

[David Honey]

After a bit of a search I found Defender Photograhic's 200 ASA Czech-manufactured film, which is claimed to be similar to Tri-X, but at half the price.

Any feedback on this?

[Jiri Vasina]

David, I have no experience with this film, but probably what you have in mind is a Fomapan 200 Creative (a link to more informations and a technical sheet is here [http://www.foma.cz/foma/produkt/FotoDetail.asp?ProduktID=11]). You can also find some info about Fomapan 100 Classic and Fomapan 400 Action.Jiri

[steve simmons]

My favorite films are Tri-X and FP4+. With these you have a lot of possibilities. Ilkford has made a real commitment to the traditional black and white market and Tri-X is Kodak's best selling black and white film (across all formats) so I would trust that both will be around.

steve simmons

www.viewcamera.com

[Ed Richards]

Do you want to do wet printing or digital printing? This makes a difference in what you want in a film. Tmax 100 is a good film for scanning. It is also nice to have a box of readyloads around for emergencies when you run out of holders or want to travel light.

[Joseph O'Neil]

Tri-X or HP5+. I live both films very much, but they are different from each other. You'll just have to "play" with them and find out for yourself which you like best.
joe

[Michael Kadillak]

Second the recommendation for FP4. Great film in the medium speed category and I use it regularly in 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10.

T Max 400 is a great film for the high speed category. Not as finicky as T Max 100 in the developer and this film will hold a linear relationship between exposure and density to the moon. Plus, it has much superior reciprocity relationships as compared to the European films in this speed category.

Cheers!