A Film for All Reasons

Early in my career--and I realize I'm dating myself here--Kodak Tri-X black and white film was the industry standard. As years passed and technology advanced, the same company introduced a new film that at first was greeted with apprehension and skepticism, but eventually became accepted for what is was: a quantum leap forward in black and white image quality. This didn't happen overnight as most photographers complained and struggled with the care and effort one had to practice to properly process this film. But once these techniques were mastered, most shooters raved about the film's exceptional latitude and highlight and shadow detail even when pushed two stops to 1600 ASA! To this very day, I haven't found a 35mm black and white film as versatile, sharp, or simply beautiful as Kodak T-Max 400(not to be confused with its 100 ASA counterpart--stick with the 400 unless dealing with studio lighting conditions). The trick I have found is to "soup"(process)this film with Kodak D-76 developer rather than the recommended T-Max developer--even in push-processing situations--as I've noticed finer grain and better highlight and shadow detail. Bear in mind this film is somewhat fussy, and optimum results are obtained with development temperatures of 75 degrees and strict agitation cycles(5 tank inversions every 30 seconds). If you adhere to these few simple rules, I'm certain you'll be amazed at the results. For those brave souls(like me)that insist upon shooting black and white film, rely on T-Max 400--it's the film for all reasons!

P.S. The photo: NBA basketball action, 1/500th at F2.8, 1600 ASA, T-Max 400 film