On 24 Dec 1998 02:41:08 GMT, ungvioa@aol.com (Ungvioa) wrote:

>Tmax 400 is an awesome film! Try that out. You are right...plus x is VERY
>contrasty!

Huh?!?!
My experience with some B&W films:

T-Max 400 in D-76 1:1 has virtually no shadow detail, and rather
contrasty highlights (I chased this film down to 25ASA once
[with developer compensation] and NEVER got shadow detail from
it!) - and a useable speed of around 200...

Plus-X at 100 in D-76 1:1 (cut back about 1/4 from recommended dev.
time) has a very wide, smooth response curve - with lots of shadow
and highlight detail...

T-Max 100 (at 40 in D-76 1:1) can also be fine (with better grain
and sharpness characteristics than Plus-X), but I find it unreliable
(sometimes great negatives, but often useless unprintable negatives
result - not something I can put up with for commercial work...).

Tri-X in D-76 1:1 can provide full, real 400ASA, with nice tones,
moderate grain, and excellent sharpness (with Plus-X slightly
better in all respects but speed), and a real 800ASA in Acufine,
with some cost in sharpness, grain, and tonality...

Fuji Neopan 400 at 250 in D-76 1:1 produces the widest range of
tones I've seen (short of below...), but still with good local
contrasts and feel of brilliance - a good choice for harsh
sunny conditions when shooting against the light...

Tri-X at 25 in POTA developer can record a printable range
of about 20 stops!!! I produced a show years ago with this
combination (it traveled to a couple of dozen museums...;-)
called "Soft Images". It is fun to be able to include in
the same unmanipulated print things like the interior of
a building (seen through a window) and the sun-lit street
outside, or the sun in the sky and the shady underside of
trees and bushes - nothing in front of the camera is lost
off the high or low end of the film response curve...

As you may have gathered, I find Tri-X and Plus-X the most
useful and dependable B&W films, with others used for
particular purposes...