Just got in a box of Tri-X.
I've read of folks rating it at 200 iso. Any thoughts here on how it should be rated?
My impulse is to rate it at the box speed. I got it because it's faster than FP4+ (of course) and I want that speed if at all possible.
Most of my shooting is in full light in AZ.
Do your personal Exposure Index (EI) testing. Why guess when you can know?Originally Posted by dazedgonebye
Different developers and processes give different EIs. XTOL 1:3 and rotary processing (continuous agitation) gives me an EI of 320 (box speed) for 5x4 Tri-X. Will that work for you? You have to do the testing to know.
Bruce Watson
As usual, I ask for easy answers and someone replies that I've got to work. What, have you been talking to my Father?
I plan to use Barry Thorton's 2-bath formula. It's my standard and about all I'm not too lazy to use.
I have been using XTOL 1:1 with the Jobo and have rated it higher than box speed. However I have been wanting to try XTOL 1:3 but have been discouraged. Out of curiosity, what is your developing time/temperature. I am assuming you are using the latest version of Tri-X.
When you do things right, you do them only once. That's the easy way.As usual, I ask for easy answers and someone replies that I've got to work. What, have you been talking to my Father?
Back to your question and FWIW, I tested Tri-X in 1:1 D-76 rotary at 68 F and found the true EI to be 160.
But that's my light meter, camera, shutter, tap water, thermometer and motor base and the way I use them. You could use all the same and still get different result. So, both your dad and Bruce were right...
For easy answers, maybe this will help a little bit. At what EI do you shoot your FP4? Are you satisfied with that, i.e. are the shadow details to your liking?
Now, once you have established an EI with one of the "good ol" norm films (I.e. one of the well known and much used films like FP4, HP5, TX, TXP, TMX, TMY ...), chances are that you should correct another "good ol" film in about the same way. E.g. if you shoot your FP4 at EI 80 (-2/3 of a stop), the TXP will need a similar adjustment, i.e. EI200 (-2/3 again). At least that is a good starting point.
//Björn
No. Mine.What, have you been talking to my Father?
Bruce Watson
Even assuming we are all on the same page with our field exposures, and that we are all developing for the same average gradient for a specific process, there is an important characteristic of TRI-X 320 that has not been mentioned. That characteristic is the shape of its characteristic curve, which with traditional developent has a very long toe and somewhat flaring shoulder. If you expose TRI-X 320 at box speed with traditional development you will put shadow values at the very end of the toe, which will give very poor separation in the shadows from the bottom of the curve until the point where the straight line begins. For this reason most Zone and BTZS photographers rate TRI-X at about 1/2 box spped, which pushes the shadow values up and gives them greater separation (or contrast).
Another solution is to rate TRI-X 320 at box speed and develop in a two-bath developer like divided D23 or Diafine. It has been my experience that two-bath development gives a much more straight line curve compared to traditional development. And the results are virtually ideal for photogrphers who plan to scan their film and don't need to develop to a specific CI.
Sandy King
I've pretty much forgotten. I was using Tri-X, then went on a color jag for a few years. When I came back to B&W I switched over to TMY-2 which I like considerably more than Tri-X which I had loved for decades.
I suspect that you'll get very similar results from 1:3 and 1:1. It's not much of a change, but it's useful if you are using developer one-shot like I do, or if you want longer development times. All other things being equal, it should be within 1/3 stop on EI, so your EI for 1:1 is a good starting point for your EI using 1:3 I would think.
Bruce Watson
What Sandy said !
It's never just some film. It's always some film, in some developer.
By the way, I never really had a look at the formula for Divided D-23. Man is it simple.
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