T-Max and D76

**Drew Wiley** · 31-Mar-2021, 14:28

Highlight control. I was doing a lot of mountain trips where the contrast range was extreme. Yet I wanted everything sparkly and well defined, gradation-wise, shimmering glacial ice clear down to dark pits in black volcanic rocks. That was in graded paper days. Having solved that issue with pyro, my main complaint with TMax 100 was its poor edge acutance - fine for portraits, unwelcome in landscape work. So I relied more on TMax 400 instead, or FP4 if the light was a bit softer. Then Quickload packets came out with ACROS in them, great for backpacking use - a film with about the same range and speed as FP4. The Kodak Readyload system was unreliable; it took them a long time to do correctly.

Nowadays I still use pyro for TMY400, FP4, HP5, Acros etc., but have switched to Perceptol 1:3 for TMX100. This gives me enhanced edge definition (unlike Perceptol 1:1). And modern VC papers give me more control over the highlights. The crucial role of TMX100 for me is in 120 roll film applications, where I need a film with a long straight line with excellent development versatility, yet fine grain. Once I get into sheet film sizes, grain is a non-issue.

Most of my D76 and older-version TMax development was actually for sake of Cibachrome masking, where a bit of an upswept curve was desirable. But nowadays, making for either color or black and white negs, I want almost a total straight line, yet of very low gamma. 76 won't deliver that. It's like power steering - gotta have a gentle touch. Ciba masking was more like using a sledgehammer. I don't use 76 for anything now.

**srpirolt** · 31-Mar-2021, 14:29

Originally Posted by Drew Wiley

I would do up to 12 4X5 sheets at a time in a tray containing 500 ml of 1:1 D76. Then I tossed the developer. Tanks never appealed to me, and certainly not re-use of any developer.

Drew, I am curious, that sounds like a lot of film for so little developer...at least based on Kodak's tech sheet. I usually use 1000ml for 10 sheets, one shot. No issues with exausting the developer?

**Drew Wiley** · 31-Mar-2021, 15:53

No exhaustion. No fog. This was mostly for finicky lab work, densitometer tested. I suspect that Kodak factored in quite a bit of safety margin for sake of less than ideal darkroom habits.

**robphoto** · 13-Apr-2021, 07:03

I also process my 4x5 TMAX 400 in 5x7 trays, up to 12 or so sheets, usually about 700ml of developer in the tray.

I use Sprint Standard Developer 1:9, which I think aims to be a Metol-free replacement for D-76 1:1, same basic setup since TMAX came out in the mid 80's