May 102013
Kodak Tri-X 400TX Professional ISO 400, 35mm, Black and White Film
- Fine grain, high sharpness.
- Medium contrast, moderate degree of enlargement.
Kodak Tri-X is an all-purpose panchromatic film for subjects requiring good depth of field and high shutter speeds, and for extending the flash distance range.
List Price: $ 6.99
Price: $ 1.00
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If you shoot b/w, but haven’t shot Tri-X, just do it!,
Tri-X is a classic among classics. A Kodak rep, in a recent article about their film division sang the praises of the recent new formulation of T-MAX 400 even mentioned that they haven’t dared to touch Tri-X because of it’s standing as a true classic. When I first got into photography, I immediately felt disdain for Tri-X. I considered it a ‘student film,’ the mark of a true amateur! Years down the road, I became less snobby and less foolish, and it has entered my top three film choices of all time (Acros and PanF+ are the other two, for the curious…)
So, for those who don’t know, here’s the skinny on Tri-X. It’s a classic grain emulsion. And, that grain will probably show, but it will look smooth and sexy. It’s closest competition in the market, Ilford HP5+, has much sharper, in-your-face grain, in my opinion. You can push and pull Tri-X 2 stops in whatever developer you ordinarily use without really batting an eyelash.
You can abuse Tri-X. One doesn’t typically encouraging abusing things, but Tri-X takes what you throw at it in stride. I keep it in the camera that stays in my trunk, because situations might not necessarily allow me to get a proper exposure at all times, and I don’t have the luxury of picking a film for a specific situation with that camera. I respool Minox with it for the same reason. In fact, it’s a go-to film for any camera without a meter, where one has to assess exposure in one’s head. With that much room for error (for me, at least… I never said sunny/16 was my forté!), a forgiving film is handy. And Tri-X forgives and forgives…
Tri-X looks good, gives consistent results, and allows the photographer to make mistakes. The only thing it does not do well is age — please shoot this stuff before it expires. Expired Tri-X tends to get blotchy, like it has the measles.
All in all, a good price for a great film (36 exp in 135 format). You know you want to!
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simply the best,
Kodak Tri-x 400 is my favorite film. Images are hella crisp, with the right amount of grain. There’s nothing like it. I like to buy one when ordering around $20 of books, and then the shipping’s (usually) free. or even better, get them from CVS. If darkrooms are hard to come by in your useless town, try thedarkroom.com. Super great results in about three days.
This sounds like a sketchy advertisement but i’m super genuine in my creepy corporate loyalties.
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<3,
buy it while it lasts, its my favorite B&W film it sits next to my Portra. I love it. Feel free to buy me some too. lol
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