I've been testing this TMax developer time & time again with TMax 400, and p3200. . and all i'm getting is MILKY MILKY GREY .. negatives i'm sure my exposures are right, and i'm using the Kodak recommended 'starting point times'

but my negs just keep looking thin, and under-developed!

I have a feeling that I'm not mixing the Developer right ? ?

Is there a special way to mix this developer?

I KNOW IT'S NOT THE FIXING Either, because i called kodak to figure that out! So, i'm sure it's the Developer!

my times are for p3200 : 11 min @ 70F for 400 : 7 min @ 68F

has anyone out there found more acurate times ? ??

this has really gotten me frustrated lately, and I'm about to give up on TMax developer!

thanx, Adam Southerland

P.S. . . . I am, however, having EXCELLENT results with XTOL at 1+1!

-- Adam Southerland (stitcher@iquest.net), September 16, 1997

Answers

Milky negs

When you say milky do you just mean thin or is there also 'milky' film base - even between frames? If you haven't already tried it increase the development time by a couple of minutes but make sure that overall lighting of the subject is the same as the other films.

-- Andy Laycock (pbrlab@unixg.ubc.ca), September 17, 1997.

I assume you are using fresh film and fresh developer. T-Max 3200 goes off rather quickly.

It sounds as if you have found what works for you -- XTOL -- so you are probably better off giving up on T-Max dev.

I do use T-Max dev as follows, all at 1+4 24 deg C:

TMY EI 160 5 minutes TMY EI 320 7 minutes TMZ EI 800 9.5 minutes

I rinse the film for about 30s between dev and fix. If you don't rinse or use stop bath, this could explain it.

Note that TMZ isn't normally EI 3200, despite it's name.

You should find that the area between frames and at the film edges are almost clear.

I don't understand "milky". This normally means the film has light patches/streaks/areas when viewed by REFLECTED light, ie put the film down on paper, with the light above it, and look down. If the film is white, this is milkiness due to inadequate fixing.

On the other hand, what happens when you look THROUGH the film? Is the film mostly clear, especially in the shadows (underexposed)? Or are the highlights light grey instead of black (underdevelopment)? The film at the beginning, that got thoroughly exposed when you loaded the camera: is it deep black?

-- Alan Gibson (gibson.al@mail.dec.com), September 17, 1997.

Reply to milky negs

The recommended temp for TMAX developer is 75F and the time for TMY is, I believe, 6.5 minutes. This developer is quite "touchy" and works best at 75F. It looks to me as if you are underdeveloping by quite abit!

-- Chuck Baker (cbaker@skypub.com), October 01, 1997.