Picking up the Minutiae in an Autumn Forests – Kodak TMax 400 (TMY2) in Rodinal

#5 in B+W Film Micro Reviews

Forests, with incredibly fine details, in Autumn on a slightly overcast day presents challenges:

• Rendering incredible amounts of detail requires a very sharp film
• Autumn light is weaker than in the summer, and overcast conditions coupled with tree cover makes reduces available light
• Small apertures are often required to ensure sufficient depth of field

It is as if there is an epic battle. Sharpness is typically associated with slow films. Yet, the ability to use small apertures without a tripod in subdued light requires fast film to realize sufficiently short shutter speeds for hand-held shooting.

What is the solution to the problem? We have no choice but to use a fast film. Any slow film resolution gains will be wiped out by camera shake due to lower than practical shutter speeds. Fortunately there are ways to attain sufficiently high resolution from fast film.

• Use tabular grained films like Kodak TMax 400 or Ilford Delta 400
• Select a sharp developer – like Rodinal

VW – TMY2 @ ISO250, Rodinal 1:50 10′

But what about the grain? Many find Rodinal and high speed films too grainy for most applications. The Volkswagen on the left, taken with TMax 400 developed in Rodinal is certainly sharp, much more so than a developer like XTol. However, the smooth metal surfaces expose rather excessive grain that detracts from the photo. The same will be true for gray skies, peoples faces and just about any smooth surface.

A forest, however, is capable of hiding many things – including grain. There is so much fine details everywhere, and smooth or flat areas tend to be few and far between.

In the photos below, the grain is certainly there, but it is inconspicuous. Furthermore, it is sufficiently sharp.

Fall in Gatineau Park – TMax400 @ ISO320, Rodinal 1+50 11′

Normally, I develop TMax 400 in Rodinal for 10 minutes at 20C. As the day was fairly dull, for the fall forest photos, I increased the development time 1 minute to increase the contrast.

Fall in Gatineau Park – TMax400 @ ISO320, Rodinal 1+50 11′

TMax400 in Rodinal results in extremely sharp images that can be made without the use of a tripod inside a not-so-bright forest. To my eyes, the tonality seems to nicely complement forests.

For photos in this post, exposure and processing information is given below:

Film	Kodak TMax 400 (TMY2)
ISO	250 or 320, depending on the development time.
Developer	Rodinal
Dilution	1:50
Time	10 (ISO250) or 11 (ISO320) minutes
Temperature	20C, 68F
Agitation	5 seconds each minute
Digitization	Scanned with Plustek 8200i, processed in Lightroom and Nik Silver Efex Pro

B+W Film Micro Reviews – ReadMe First!

Index of B+W Film Micro Reviews

What is a film Micro Review

There are countless film / developer / processing combinations that, for a given subject, give very different results. Part of the fun is discovering combinations that work for the photographer.

The purpose of Black White Film “Micro Reviews” is to share film, developer and processing combinations that render particular subjects and/or lighting conditions in some noteworthy manner.

Each review will focus on a type of subject, such as cars, people or buildings taken under some lighting condition and explain why a combination is a good fit.

As indicated by the name, a micro review is short. In showing readers a combination that works, and why, they will hopefully shorten their own discovery process on selecting the best film and developer for a given situation.

Please check the review index and enjoy!

Notes on Developers

Developer selection can be overwhelming. It is not possible to proficiently use every developer on the market. Yet, different developers can attain wildly different results. Furthermore, some developers are known to work well with some, but not all films. That being said, over years of experimenting, I predominantly use 2 very different developers for the majority of my work.

Kodak XTOL – All Around Solid Performer

XTOL in a nutshell:

XTol is a very good general purpose developer for a wide range of films. I use it for traditional films (PanF, TriX etc) as well as tabular grained films like TMax.

• Environmentally friendly (when compared to most other choices)
• Reasonably sharp (when diluted sufficiently)
• Fairly fine grain
• Inexpensive
• Relatively long-lived (I have used 1 year old stock solution stored in full, air tight bottles)

Dilution Notes – am I the only one diluting 1+1.5?

People tend to use XTOL stock (undiluted), or diluted with one part developer with one, two or three parts water (1+1, 1+2, 1+3). As you increase the dilution, the sharpness increases (as does the developing time).

Most of the time, I use an unorthodox 1+1.5 dilution for a very good reason:

• Kodak’s XTOL Technical Data “recommend[s] always starting with at least 100 mL (3.5 fluid ounces) of full-strength developer to prepare the diluted solution for each 135-36 or 120 roll”
• My 35mm developer tank takes 250ml of liquid.

As such, if I should always have 100 ml of solution in the mix, and I want to maximize sharpness given my 250 ml tank size, then 100 ml of stock solution + 150 ml of water is the way to go.

Agfa Rodinal – SHARP but at what cost…

NOTE: Due to copyright reasons, Rodinal is sold under a host of other names like Blazinal.

Rodinal in a Nutshell

Due to a cult following, Rodinal is often referred to as “holy water”. In some situations, it can be absolutely amazing. Some key characteristics:

• Very sharp – noticeably higher than XTOL
• Grainy – especially with higher speed films
• Lasts forever – undiluted, Rodinal can last for years even after opening the bottle
• Very inexpensive

For slower films like PanF or TMAX 100, Rodinal provides extremely sharp negatives without excessive grain. On higher speed films, grain can become very noticeable that may or may not be desirable for a given situation. I use it a lot for slow films, and sometimes for fast films.

Dilution Notes

I generally dilute Rodinal 1:50, or 5 ml Rodinal added with water to make 250 ml of solution. This tends to be the most popular dilution. People also use it 1:25 or 1:100 depending on the film and desired result.