Tri-x 400 really is that good ... film review and darkroom prints
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- Опубликовано: 2 авг 2024
- I finally got to shoot a couple of rolls of Kodak Tri-X 400 in 35mm format and 120 format. After doing some research, it looked like everyone preferred this stock over TMax 400. Why ... I had to find out for myself.
0:00 Intro
0:47 Tri-x for street
1:21 Tri-x Grain
2:20 Exposure latitude
3:12 Strong highlights
4:34 Darkroom - 35mm
7:58 Darkroom - Medium Format
9:34 Which do you like better?
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Am I the only one who worries about Ribs phone living that close to that edge ? ;)
got you on the edge of your seat
I am now .. THANKS....
I was thinking the same thing, so close to needing a new screen :0
Um, nope, you're not. I had trouble concentrating on the subject matter because of it.
Man, I love that third portrait on the Pentax with the shadow casting on the wall, it's just great stuff. Can't think of anything wrong to say about that picture. Keep it going!
thats my favorite as well!
I totally agree. That is a great image.
You said you only start street photography quite recently - that’s insane because your street shots look phenomenal! Really great stuff, loved all of the prints. HP5 is usually my go to black and white film, but I guess I should give TriX a try ✌🏼
thanks for the nice words! 😊 can't go wrong HP5 but worth giving tri-x a shot
tri-x is my fav for both 120 and 35mm. Can't beat it. Keep it up man.
i can see why!
The joy in your face when you said "why are there so many pigeons?" Lol. Awesome.
haha 😅
You all prolly dont give a damn but does anyone know of a trick to get back into an instagram account??
I was dumb forgot my password. I would love any help you can give me!
@Leland Hamza Instablaster =)
@Jude Kye Thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site on google and im trying it out now.
Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later with my results.
@Jude Kye it worked and I now got access to my account again. Im so happy!
Thanks so much, you saved my account :D
your videos are great man, really love the content youre putting out!
thanks for watching!
Dude, I've been blasting Tri-X since 1985. Still using it in 35, 120, and even in pinhole cameras.
haha i like that phrasing
In my 20's I was a Press Photographer. I used Tri-X in 120 and 35mm format. Always developed in Kodak D76, rated at 400asa. I rarely had poor results and heavy grain, in the 120 formats, some gorgeous grain-free images. I could "push" to 800 ASA for sports and got more than reasonable images for press/newspaper reproduction...I was lucky to have had 3 years of training in darkroom printing. I agree that using Rollieflex TLR 120 films I could enlarge to very large prints without any problems at all. Loved the film and still love B&W.
yea i need to try different dev options!
I enjoy when you discuss the meaning in your shots when showing the prints :)
thanks! glad you enjoyed it
Finally someone actually making darkroom prints and utilizing films most important aspect. Great stuff
yea! darkroom printing is what its all about
I really want to try Tri-X now! Great work on this video and great images! Your film reviews are always so comprehensive
Exactly! I’ve really only had experience with tmax (thinking I’d like the smoother grain more) but haven’t loved it. Between Ribs and Kyle McDougall’s vids, I’m definitely itching to test it out!
Ribs I really enjoy your dedication to the full analog process.
Thanks for all the info and effort in your videos!
Reimann I stumbled on you channel not long ago. Great vids! Looking forward to more👍
@@jdsd771007 aye thank you! I will be posting plenty more videos on my channel📸🎞👌🏼
thanks for watching! 😊
much appreciated! thanks for the support
ill check it out too 😊
Well done. Great shots. Enjoy the happy times you can have with your gear. I envy you those walks. I am locked up indoors. My kid's kindergarten got one C19 case yesterday, and today all kids and parents are quarantined until further notice. Stay safe
ouch! hang in there you will see freedom in 2 week!
Incredible presentation! Love your work!
thanks for watching!
Nice video mang. Very much looking forward to shooting my first roll of Tri-X here soon. I recently shot multiple BnW films and have been saving the Tri-X for a trip to Osaka. I know I'll end up loving it. Your video is proving that to me. Keep doing this. I genuinely enjoy your opinions.
thanks for watchin! def give it a try
Another informative video. This is the film I shot while taking my first darkroom class in 1998. Love the 5:28 & 9:00 shots. Looking forward to the nest video.
awesome! i wish i had been doing photography back then
@@ribsy You're doing it now, that's what matters.
Love your shots with this film!! It really complements the subjects. I love Tri-X. Especially at 1600
nice! yea i need to try it at 1600
I have minolta srt 101 would you recommend to shoot at 1600 ASA ?
My go to film, especially for darkroom printing. Glad you got a hold of some. I dig the man in the hat print, looks like its from and old school film noir movie. Happy shooting and printing. Cheers
haha agreed! i thought the same
Tri-x is so easy and fun to use!
Keep up the good work!
it really is! you can focus on everything else
Nice images!
One of my favorite images was one I tool a couple years ago with Tri-X. Three faces, backlit. Not the smartest film selection ... it made the faces look "dirty" when it was just smiling family members, not some random person in an urban setting. I do love it for buildings and stuff, just not people so much unless specifically wanting to "insert a gritty sensor into the camera."
I'd love to try it with medium format, if I ever buy a camera LOL. And your enthusiasm and advocacy for darkroom work is infectious.That's a frontier I don't know that I'm ready to explore just yet.
yea def do it! you won't regret the darkroom
thanks for the info man!!! great video!
thanks for watching! 😊
The guy in your photo!!! Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows...
Haha that is dramatic!
Back in the days of year 2000, I took a photography class and that was one of the films we learn on. I still use it this day and others b&w film. I also shoot it's 320 4x5
yea its a great film
The Man with the hat is my favorite. And the 120 shots are dope as well.
I develop the negatives myself, but now i also want to make some darkroom prints :) Good Video!
thanks yea i like that shot too!
Great images! I really enjoyed the video!
thanks for watching!
Tri-X was the workhorse in journalism, most notably in situations where you were working quickly without the luxury of always being able to compose, stage, meter and then get your shot. Especially in war zones (Viet Nam most notably and combined with the venerable Nikon F) and thank you (insert God of choice) for the innovation of the "seeing eye dog" that's through the lens metering by the way! Unless you were on assignment for National Geographic, or special assignment for Look, Life or other mags, you were shooting in a different way, and it was all about getting to print first! There was wide disparity in the quality of the publications such as news mags compared to National Geographic or fashion mags among others, first in the papers used then in the time between the photographer's exposure and the print run, not to mention the time the photographer took in getting the exposure. So, in news media applications where time mattered, Tri-X Pan was the go-to BUT it was grainy. We weren't looking for fine art prints we were capturing fleeting moments for news purposes, and which images were being printed on quite low-quality paper with not a lot of range and the final print size was small so the grain mattered little. All that being said when you could take your time with Tri-X, properly expose it and develop it yourself, making your own developer for a particular quality you would be looking for, you could then make prints as large as 11 x 14 with extremely fine results and very little graininess present.
Among photographers back then, you were either a commercial photographer or an "Art" photographer (I'm leaving out a lot I know, street & portrait etc.) and there was a rather distinct difference between them, in that the "Art" photographer NEVER used Tri-X and we're only talking Kodak here. It would be Panatomic-X ASA 64 or as low as 32 or it would be another manufacturer's fine grain, high edge acutance slow film. Plus-X was an ASA 125 stock that was still a good in-between and very versatile.
Where was I going with this? Well, there came a point where it became the rage to produce grainy images and it's still a popular thing. There's nothing at all wrong with that! For the most part, and Tri-X is very versatile in a wider array of situations and can be processed in ways that make it suitable for both "Art" & "Street" or spontaneous image making i.e. hand held. What I mean by "Art" is referring, not to any distinction making it better than or more legitimate than other forms of photography, but in the process and equipment used. I was raised on ONLY shooting from the tripod and using sheet film cameras, handheld wasn't allowed until I showed enough mastery of composition, metering & exposure (using the Zone System & my Weston II meter) to be given that freedom allowed by handheld. I learned not to waste shots, I still don't when I shoot digitally from mostly a tripod today, though I'm basically freer to do so.
Lastly, something you might find amusing: In about 1979, my father was living in New York and I was in college in New Orleans. As Mardi Gras day was fast approaching, my father called me to say when he'd be arriving and did I need film? Being that it was cheaper in NY than the small shops in New Orleans (I'd pay 50 and above for a brick IF they had it, and in NY it was 35 to 40 a brick), I asked him to bring me a brick of Tri-X for Mardi Gras day in the French Quarter. Olden was out of Tri-X so my father went to Adorama where they didn't know him. When he asked for 3 bricks of Tri-X the salesman asked him why did he need so much and what he was shooting and why such a grainy film? My father said I'm going to shoot Mardi Gras in the French Quarter. The salesman said WHY and don't waste your time buddy it's already been done! My father then said yes, I know and asked for the 3 bricks. Again, the guy said look, I'll sell you the film but you're wasting your time shooting MG! The guy put the 3 bricks on the counter and then he said look man, I'm telling you it's been DONE, Mardi Gras and you're wasting your time. Then he pulled out a very worn copy of the book, The Sleep of Reason, and plopped it on the counter. Look at this man, it's been done like I said. My father smiled and said I know because I did it! He had to produce a driver's license to prove he was who he claimed to be, the first serious B&W still photographer to shoot Mardi Gras starting in 1954 and not missing a single year until he stopped in 1989 and that negative archive is roughly 40,000 images! The salesman then went on the P.A. system and announced to the store, and everyone in the storerooms and every nook and cranny, to say he had Lyle Bongé at the counter and he was going to sign "Our" book!
In the end all of that to say Tri-X is a versatile and seriously good film! We always pushed it to 1600 and made our own hot developer and got fine results as can be seen in The Sleep of Reason (which did not do the photos justice as the printer cut corners on paper, so the inks used lacked the range required) and in his second book, The Photographs of Lyle Bongé which was printed by Modern Age in NY, using the finest paper available. The Sleep of Reason is still a fine book, but the blacks are muddy compared to the original prints or the reproductions in the second book.
yup trix is the goat
I kept thinking your phone would fly from the table 😂jokes aside, I liked the video, I've 2 rolls of Tri-X in my fridge that I'm going to try very soon.
haha i have a carpet its ok
That shot of the guy with the mask and his eyes is really great!
i like that one too!
I love this film. I would like to buy an entire wagon of this film! Usually I develop it in D76. I love it. It is so crispy, nice grain... it is the best. It is expensive.. but It is simply the best.
I LOVE shooting TriX and developing in Rodinal. Love the gritty, contrastly look!
yea id love to try that combo
Thanks for the video! I always return to Tri-X!
thanks for watching!
Wow, Tri-X in 120mm is beautiful. I have a couple of rolls in my freezer I haven't used yet. I really think I need to (as soon as the rain stops.. lol) I think tri-x will always hold a place in my heart. hahahah
Your street photography is really improving. I can't wait to see what else you come up with. :-D
yea tri-x feels so different in 120. thanks for watching
sheeeeeeeeeet bro!!! Another great..GREAT video. such an on point review...especially regarding the comparison with Tmax over the differing formats. Really enjoyed all your prints as per...but the 67 pieces!!!! and the shot of the rapper with his rhyme book is just too killa. your a major problem with that pentax!! lol. I also love your authenticity with 35mm if that makes sense...? they boast that certain triX nostalgia for me, modestly grained...never over-clinical... and these BOSS compositions!! Your mocking it now haha. I learned a heap man. thanx
haha really appreciate the support! im having a good time with the 67
Great vid, really want to try Tmax and Trix now! However, I was getting anxiety about where your phone was placed! Thought you might knock it off at any time 😅. Love the shot of the pigeons!
haha sorry to make you anxious 😅
Cool shots man!
thanks! i appreciate it 😊
Tri-X is a beautiful film. You can push it to 1600 and still get great images. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this amazing film.
I just shot my first roll of your Classic film. Developed in HC-110. I’ll be scanning it this week. 😁
Yea it’s versatile
Grew up on Tri-X and used it exclusively for in the City, Los Angeles street photography. fast, grainy, gritty. Now I am doing more travel/California Sierra mountains'landscape photography so I've been using Agfa APX professional 100. Finer grain, great details, and good contrast. They stopped making the APX for a while, glad to see it back even if it's pricier. I am mostly shooting 35mm so the finer grain helps.
nice! i'll have to give it a try
Top comments are about the phone😂😂 all jokes aside love the video and love tri-x, its so nostalgic and dreamy especially on 120 top 2 for sure besides HP5
haha yup .. gonna have to keep teasing everyone with the phone
Wonderful pictures my man, great work! I was wondering, what size prints were the medium format prints?
those are 11x14 i think
BROOO WAS I YOUR 7000th SUB
Haha thanks for subbing! Much appreciated 🥳
Its such a beautiful and classic film i used it on a photo walk for the first time and was blown a way with it .
yea its def a classic!
I just bought a box of TRI-X 320 for 4x5. I have not shot it yet but i am headed for the city of Seattle in a couple weeks and plan to use it there. I have always been happy with TRI-X 400 in 120 and 35mm. But this will be my first time with 320 4x5.
i didn't even know that was a thing!
The photo of the rapper on the steps is great. Haven’t used Tri-X yet, but keen to.
thanks! yea thats my favorite
I almost always shoot Tri-X @800, love the contrast I get, @1600 is a bit too much for me, but I have seen many others get great results @1600. I have preferred Tri-X since about 1986, so I guess I am one of the fan boys :) Always enjoy your vids, thank you for doing the work and providing us with enjoyable content.
Yea I’d love to try it at 800 as well
You woult recommend to shoot it 400 asa ? I have minolta srt 101
Yo Ribsy ! A lot of rock and roll pictures were taken with Tri X ! It’s expensive but if you’re doing special work, can’t go wrong with the contrast and grain.
oh yea def! ive seen many
nice video!! keep going
thanks! will do 😊
Sub'd. Great stuff man!
thanks for watching 😊
I've tried them all or almost all, Tri-X is unique and classical, my go to B&W. I love to shoot it at 320, 400, and 640. Xtol for 320 and 400, HC110 for 640. Rodinal for any if the image has a lot of metal texture and/or chrome. Tmax3200 is pretty amazing as well, I shoot that 800 to 3200. I prefer Tmax developer for that film unless I shoot a roll with various ISO frames, then I semi stand develop in Rodinal or HC110. Very nice production, you've created.
Thanks for watching!
Just got a few rolls of Tri X delivered a few days ago. I usually always use Ilford HP5 as it's so unforgiving and easy to push/pull too. I'm excited of trying Tri X out and comparing the two.
yea im def gonna compare the two soon
@@ribsy Looking forward to it! If you're ever up Sheffield side of the Peak District and need a film buddy to go hiking and photo shooting with give me a shout! @lewisryanphoto on Instagram.
I’ve never shot Tri-x but funny enough, I actually have about eight 120 rolls sitting in my fridge. Can’t wait to shoot this stock after seeing those buttery results 👍🏾
yea you def should! give it a go
Great shots and very interesting video! May I ask which developer you used for the Tri-X?
thanks! sure i used microphen
You should put that image of the three ladies in front of the bus up on your print shop!!’ That’s a great shot
maybe one day soon! print sales are alot of work
I used to use Tri-X in my college photography classes in the 90's, but these days I prefer HP5 and its cheaper cousin Kentmere 400 because their lower contrast makes them easier to scan. Plus Kodak films are way more expensive than they used to be, even though I'm in the U.S.
Yea makes sense!
I love Tri-X in 120, because you get all that rich tonality without the grain. Its also my go-to film whenever shooting a vintage-style camera for the look I get from it.
I'm actually not a fan of the grainy look, so I'm not sure I'd enjoy it as much in 35mm.
yea seriously! the grain dissapears
It is my favorite 120mm film. For my 35mm cameras I love the p3200 TMax
yea tri-x is cool!
Definitely one of my favourites. It's a good match with Rodinal. Shame it's so expensive
Definitely a shame, it's what's put me onto HP5 instead, haven't really given tri-x a decent try, only shot 4 rolls but shot 2 bulk rolls of HP5
good call. gonna have to try with rodinal soon
you aren't missing out with hp5 tho! that stuff is great too haha
I like to shoot tri-x at 250 and develop at box speed in rodinal.
I've also pushed it 3200 and developed in ID-11 at 3200. It's a very versatile film.
yea it is super versatile!
I‘ve never used either Tri-X nor T-Max but I‘ll start with T-Max 400 soon. Used HP5 nearly exclusively.
def give both a try!
Hello. Great post. Was wondering how well it will handle being overexposed and being close to 20 year old film. They state that the older film stock was better before 2007 , they had made some changes in the emolsion. But some others state that they don't see a difference.
thats a good question
Interestingly, I had the opposite reaction to Tri-X when I first shot it on 135 before shooting it on medium format. It could be how I developed it (of course, this is usually where most film photographers look first when b&w negatives don't look good), but it felt a bit too sludge-y for me on small frame, and I wasn't a fan of the built-in grain. However, I love it for medium format if I'm going for more contrast. I like TMax, but I think that's more a side-effect of shooting a few dozen rolls of it back when I was being taught how to do analog printing. I'd probably still use HP5 for push processed film and Delta for t-grain, but I certainly wouldn't ding anyone for using TMax and Tri-X.
can't go wrong with any of those options. BW is stacked with goodies
I used Xtol 1:3 which results in very small grain on 135.
At 4:40 you’re developing an image. I’m just new to film but how did you do that on paper if you’re shooting 35mm?
Awesome channel thanks.
hey - its the darkroom printing process using an enlarger
@@ribsy Thanks man. Ive got lots to learn.
i was taking pictures in seattle this weekend and a homeless guy said a guy with a medium format camera took his picture recently. i showed him your picture and asked him of it was you. he said no but that hes seen you around. He said "that guy is always around here taking pictures." lol
haha in seattle? i haven't been there in ages lol
i think you are confusing me with Vince Perry Jr ....
@@ribsy lol yeah i totally am. my bad. you should come here sometime though. a lot of good film stores
I like Tri-X 400 a lot but I mostly shoot with Ilford HP 5. When I'm going for cheap black and white film I shoot with Kentmere 100. I'd love to see you test it in both 35 and 120.
yea def gonna get around to kentmere soon!
@@ribsy word. 💪🏿
When I did Tri-X in Xtol 1:3 it on 6x6 the grain was invisible for all intensive purposes.
Interesting
Hey man I've been struggling in the darkroom getting a thick border, have you got any tips? Or how would you go about doing it?
Usually you get it on your easel setting the edges up and you can also use bigger paper and either a bigger easel or card to make a mask
Just affirming what Resgerr said above. The easiest way is to leave extra space on the paper between where the negative will be projected by your enlarger and where your easel holds the paper. However, if you're cropping, you may have to do some trickery with a masking card and blasting the edges of the paper with unfiltered light from the enlarger.
yup!
that works!
just make sure to use heavy card so that the enlarger projection doesn't leak into the image below
35mm Tri-X at 1600 looks great, grainy but not overpowering, with good contrast. Haven't shot it in 120, but my favorite is TXP 320 on 4x5 processed with HC110.
i need to try that! i haven't been pushing film recently
Can’t beat the classic....
exactly! i get it now
For 35mm I prefer Tri-X 400 at 800 and for medium format HP5 at 800 or Kosmo 100 at 400.
Yea good stuff
I’ve been shooting cheaper films since the Pandemic started and i’m not making as much money, HP5 and Kentmere for b&w, but your video is making me miss Tri-X which I was using exclusively when I was employed full time.. I may have to splurge..lol
haha save it for something special!
Damn dude. I love medium format so much. The 35mm was nice but when you showed the 120 I was drooling 🤤
thanks man! 😊 yea the 120 was clean
I love Tri-X and really don’t use T-Max anymore! The Tri-X is my go-to for that perfect grain. Too bad it’s expensive.
haha yea! its quite pricey
great video, the boarders you put on your pics ruins it for me though but still great none the less.
Thanks! I like borders 😀
2:31 I can see a slight tint of red and blue in the union flag. I also saw the same thing a a shot of an Underground sign which I took on black and white film. Obviously there isn’t any colour there which the eye is seeing, so I think it must be the brain just filling in colours which it expects to be there. Has anybody else noticed anything similar?
na i don't see it
do we need grain ? or not ?
Love the portraits! SW2 respect! An old stomping ground from my days living in old Blighty
ayeeee cheers!
Years in the lab made me dread seeing Tri-X come in. That emulsion just got gooey and squeegees would just scrape it off like spreading jelly on toast with little effort.
really? i had zero issues with it
They don't sell it anymore but plus x pan is great too.
oh nice. i gotta research it
People tend to rate it at 320 or even 200 depending on the way they develop it.
Yea makes sense
Trix is ol reliable.
Haha I think so!
😂😂😂😂😂😂 I told you so brother 😎😎✌️✌️✌️✌️
haha for sure! 🤟🏽
Love Tri-X but even bulk loading it is too expensive for me. HP 5 is so much cheaper...
for sure. its a tough reality
Next time try shooting it at 800.
will do! on my list 😊
Please move the phone away from the edge of the table...! Hehe
is it stressin you out? 😂
Whoa dude, don't put your phone and camera right on the edge of the table where you can knock them off!
is it making yo anxious? 😅
@@ribsy yes it is. Please be more aware!
How did you end up in England? You sound American.
Yup I’m American. Work got me to london
But dat phone doe....
got everyone on the edge of their seat
I always overexpose.
gotcha
No offence, but these photos look like u just accidentally pressed shutter button. No idea, out of focus etc..
I might be wrong, but that what I see.
oh yea every single photo was accidental. My hand was jittery that day and it kept triggering the camera. All 36 exposures in the roll
@@ribsyI’ve said that’s my own opinion, yours can be completely different. Many famous photographers had their own style which is debatable for many people. So as I said, that’s my own opinion and don’t get offended by anything I say.
Wanted to add that pictures in your insta page are actually really really dope. I like em a lot, especially the way u use surroundings, light and overall composition, that’s really cool.