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

Everyday Urban Photography – Kodak TMax 400 (TMY2) in XTOL

#1 in B+W Film Micro Reviews

This first micro review focusses on what I consider to be my default film and developer combination for urban photography. Read on to find out why!

Nice shadow detail and creamy highlights TMY2 @ ISO 320, XTOL 1+1.5 @ 20C for 12′

If, for a given roll of film, you are unsure of the lighting conditions you may face, a reasonably high speed film is a wise choice. I typically use TMax 400 at ISO250 to 400. On bright and sunny days, I can still select a fairly wide aperture before reaching the 1/4000s maximum shutter of my Nikons. As such, depth of field control is still possible. When the light gets darker, it is nice to have the extra speed so you have more room to shut down the aperture for increased depth of field without needing a tripod.

Technically, this combination is fairly fine grained and quite sharp. TMax 400, being a tabular grain film, exhibits finer grain than more traditional films like TriX and HP5+. Developed in XTOL, the grain is visually present while having a nice texture. It is far from overwhelming. There are some situations where coarser, grittier grain suit an image. But, by default and for most situations, I find the grain qualities of TMax 400 in XTOL near ideal while being sufficiently sharp.

Sunny Day OK – TMY2 @ ISO 320, XTOL 1+1.5 @ 20C for 12′

The spectral response of TMax400 reveals another advantage. Less sensitive to blue light than most other B+W films, it is not as necessary to use a yellow (K2) filter to darken blue skies. As such, you do not loose the one extra stop of exposure required by the filter.

Finally, it has a very high latitude. There is still plenty of detail in overexposed areas that can be brought down in Lightroom after negative scanning,

So, technically, TMax400 in XTOL checks all the right boxes – fast, fine grained, sharp while possessing a wide exposure latitude.

Lovely tonality in overcast situations – TMY2 @ ISO 320, XTOL 1+1.5 @ 20C for 12′

The more important consideration deals with rendering. The rendering of images in both bright and dull conditions are generally quite nice (the photos in this post attempt to substantiate this). There is plenty of shadow detail, and the mid tones are pleasant. And, with tons of exposure latitude, there is plenty of dodging and burning room in Lightroom or the traditional darkroom.

In conclusion – in my opinion, TMax 400 developed in XTOL (1+1.5) is my default (a.k.a. first) choice for urban photography because it is a solid, flexible and visually appealing combination. I use unless I am intentionally after another look that offered by another combination.

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

Film	Kodak TMax 400 (TMY2)
ISO	320
Developer	Kodak XTOL
Dilution	1+1.5 (one part stock solution, 1.5 parts water)
Time	12 minutes
Temperature	20C, 68F
Agitation	5 seconds each minute
Digitization	Scanned with Plustek 8200i, processed in Lightroom and Nik Silver Efex Pro