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Raw Materials – Part
One: Film
ISO 400 Black-and-white chromogenic films - Ilford XP2 and Kodak TCN-400
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Tri-X
"Pushes" Fifty
Is it fair to call Tri-X a Super film? We think so. In the days of Max-this and Plus-that,
Kodak's Tri-X 400 has provided a steady and predictable high-quality black-and-white film
for photographers interested in shooting subjects under available light conditions. Ever
since it was introduced back in 1954, it has been a more or less steady-seller, and though
there have been one or two tweakings by the chemists at Kodak along the way, our
contemporary Tri-X 400 is basically the same film that news photographers and other
black-and-white aficionados have been using since its introduction.
We know that ardent champions of Ilford's 400-speed black-and-white negative film and Agfa
or Fuji enthusiasts might argue with us about the supremacy of Kodak's Tri-X. We would be
happy to respond to anyone's comments regarding those 400-speed films in another
installment of B2B&W. But, for now, we think it's high time to celebrate a legend.
After all, for the past few decades, across the country, at the end of a press conference
or news event, it's been those green, yellow, and black Tri-X boxes that litter the wake
of the working photo press.
When Tri-X was first introduced, it was the fastest film generally available, with a
(then) ASA (now ISO, see our "historical note" below) rating of 200. No, it
wasn't originally a 400. All films at the time had a built-in "safety" factor.
If you exposed the film over the ASA rating, the result was an overexposed negative. This
was okay if you were shooting 4 x 5 film, because even if you were to make a mistake, you
would still be able (given the size of the film) to get a printable image. However, if you
overexposed a smaller piece of film, like the 35mm, it would, of course, be deadly to the
quality of the film. So photographers clamored for a removal of the "safety"
factor. Kodak responded, and Tri-X became a 400 film.
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İNYI
Student Rose-Marie Boller
 "Tri-X
was the film that ushered in available light photojournalism," said Jason Schneider,
editor-in chief of Popular Photography. "With handheld 'miniature' cameras . . . the
35mm camera and high speed lenses like f 1.5, 1.4, even f1.1. and f1.2...photographers
could take photos in almost any light."
"1954 was kind of a seminal year," Schneider added. "Photojournalism
converged around this combination of a faster film and people using fast lenses and
shooting in available light."
Bob Shanebrook, Kodak's former world-wide product manager for all black-and-white products
and current manager for all of Kodak's color negative film, echoed Schneider's sentiments.
"We joke about Tri-X here at Kodak, that the people who developed this film hit on
the right combination at the right time. They managed to balance what the technology could
produce with what the photographers needed."
Have their been any significant changes to the film since it was first introduced in 1954?
İNYI Student Galen Mark Eversole
 "Certainly the
materials have changed," Shanebrook explained. "But we haven't made any major
changes since about 1960. We've tried to keep it the same, because people have become
accustomed to the film. Photojournalists have said, don't mess with our Tri-X. Most of
these guys were raised on the film, they've become very dependent on it. They expect it to
perform as it always has. And it does. Granted it may not have the fine grains that T-Max
films have, but for many photographers, Tri-X does what they want it to do."
Tri-X is a very forgiving black-and-white film. It can be overexposed and underexposed,
pushed and pulled, with good results. The images are grainier than Kodak's own T-Max 400,
and grainier in general than most of the newer ISO 400 films. Some say, too, that it's not
really as fast as 400 and rate it instead at 320 or even 250. But it is, quite rightly,
known for its fantastic tonal range and quality.
As Jason Schneider explained it, "Tri-X offers advantages in available light for a
photographer who wants a certain kind of picture. For example, available light situations
are often high contrast shooting situations. Tri-X is better for that."
Shanebrook described the excellent shadow and highlight detail of Tri-X images by
describing the problems that occur when photographing someone at a window
"You can burn in the window, which is probably ten times brighter than the room, and
still get detail. Tri-X records much of the information that is there."
Shanebrook was on the ground floor during the development of T-Max. He wrote the original
spec and gave the press conference. Despite his allegiances, he still uses Tri-X
occasionally in his own work.
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İNYI
Student Fitzroy Rodney
 "My personal hope
was that we could take the technology of the 1980s and replace what we had done in the
fifties and sixties," Shanebrook confided. "Certainly the grain is much sharper.
It's a finer film. But Tri-X has a certain something intangible about it that makes it a
great film. I sometimes use it in my own photography. The tonality is very good. The way
the highlights are kept even if the exposure isn't quite right. T-Max doesn't do quite as
good a job with that. I would say there's room in the photo bag for both films."
"But those that have switched to T-Max are learning to get the same degree of
perfection from their film as those that are used to Tri-X," Shanebrook added.
"It just takes time. Our obligation is to make the product as consistently as we can
so that what you learned last year when using the film can be applied this year and two
years from now."
Despite the introduction of T-Max and its characteristic advantages, Tri-X is having no
trouble holding its own within the black-and-white world.
As Schneider put it, "T-Max may be the faster car, but Tri-X, tends to have much
better handling, and on certain circuits it will get around the track faster and
better."
Tri-X Tips and Contest Items
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İNYI Student Blake Newman
 Tips
on Developing Tri-X: The faculty at NYI shoots Tri-X 400 at a variety of ISOs. Click here to receive an e-mail of some of our favorite
formulas for developing the film when shot at speeds under or over the recommended ISO.
Historical note: For those of you new to photography who may not recognize the term
ASA, it was just a different acronym for film speed. ASA stood for the jingoistic American
Standards Association, while ISO represented (and still does) the International Standards
Organization. Unlike Fahrenheit and Centigrade, ASA equals ISO.
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Portions of this article and all images have been generously
provided by the
New York Institute of Photography. http://www.nyip.com |
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