> Does anyone have any thoughts on the TMax vs. TMax CN. I
> usually shoot plain
> ol' TMax but the idea of taking the CN stuff to the corner
> store is kind of
> nice.
>
> Is the quality any different?
Huge difference. If your primary printing method is scanning
and digital output, I'd pick the CN. But for darkroom use, I
wouldn't touch the stuff. You're much better off spending $40
USD on a new tank/reel and some chemistry. Rolling your own is
fun, easy, fast and doesn't take much space.
If you do choose to use C-41 based B&W film for wet darkroom
printing, I'd highly recommend the Ilford XP-2. The tonal range
is good and the base is almost clear like normal B&W film. If it
still has a dark tint to it, soak it in water for an hour. Most
C-41 processors don't wash the film long enough to clear the
base.
Your main difference between C-41 B&W films and traditional B&W
films is the shoulder and toe. Traditional films typically have
long straight-line sections and small curves at the top and
bottom of the response. C-41 B&W films start the shoulder (top
curve) about midway in the response and get continually
compressed as you go up. Same with the toe. The toe (bottom
curve) is so long that you do gain some shadow detail, but it's
hard to get a good DMAX (solid black) in your prints. These
long curves are nice for exposure flexibility (under/over expose
by two or more stops), but this flexibility comes at the expense
of tonal seperation. You'll lose those lovely smooth gradients.
TMAX 100 (in TMax developer) and Delta 100 (in DD-X developer)
have incredibly long and flat straight-line sections and well
behaved shoulders and toes. This translates into a smooth,
linear gradient from the highest value to the lowest value--very
realistic. Other popular film/developer combinations tend to
produce two distinct shoulders. A gentle curve will kick in at
the mid-tones which raise the tonal values about 1/2 a Zone, and
then the primary shoulder is short but capable of producing
high-key response without washing out the details. These films
are generally really good for portraiture as they raise
skintones without losing control of the highlights. TriX, HP5,
Delta 400, PlusX, and FP5 are examples of film with this
characteristic.
Ilford PanF has a long straightline response with a slight curve
which barely is a curve. More like a knee. Tonal response is
linear right up to the point where you hit DMAX on the film. It
isn't forgiving to over-exposure, nor to under-exposure. A
difficult film to work with (and slow), but extremely rewarding
when you get it right. Probably the most rewarding
general-purpose film you'll ever shoot. You will have "arrived"
when you can consistantly get good results from PanF.
How a film responses to color is another main difference. A
film, such as Delta 400, has an extended red sensitivity which
helps lighten skin tones and also reduces skin blemishes. Most
C-41 based films depress skin-tones a little.
I'd also be selective about films for scanning. Of the various
B&W films on the market, I've gotten the best scanning results
from Delta 100, followed by Delta 400, followed by T400CN,
followed by PanF. Ilford XP-2 scans pretty good, but no better
than PanF. Oh, Portra B&W scans very well (good thing since
it's worthless in the wet darkroom), but my experience with the
Kodak "Select" BW C-41 films have been dismal.
If I sound like I'm partial to Ilford, well, I am. I've said it
a couple dozen times before and I'll say it again. Ilford Delta
400 processed in Ilford DD-X is my all-time favorite
film/developer combination. You can shoot/process it at ISO
400, 520, 640, 800 and 1600 with little no visible difference in
grain or tonality. Delta films have a slightly fogged base
which makes them much better for scanning too. Too each his/her
own, but D400/DD-X is my money film.
(In larger formats, HP-5/DD-X (1:9) is an excellent choice)
AG-Schnozz
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