The Return of Kodak TMAX P3200
The detail of Archer Pavilion at Wrest Park comes out well despite the high amount of grain. Marks over the image are due to development issues. 1/250s 50mm F8.0.
A little over a year ago I was experimenting with the different types of Kodak’s black and white films available in 35mm. That was when I shot TMAX P3200 for the first time and it came with me on an exciting trip through the Alps. Those who read it will remember I was a bit disappointed with some of the results, as they didn’t come out as well as I had hoped based on what I’d seen online. Back then I shot and had the roll developed at ISO 3200 but this time around I decided to shoot and develop this roll at ISO 800, supposedly its real native ISO. One thing to bear in mind is that this and the other rolls I bought were more than a decade expired, but I had a hunch that this highly sensitive film may respond a little differently in comparison to lower ISO film stocks. All images were taken with my Kodak Retina iiiS.
The MG ZT V8 from a magazine photoshoot. The detail here is definitely better than the photos I took of the Michelotti Pura last year. 1/250s 50mm F8.0.
I shot this on several trips over many days, including my outing to Wrest Park (which will appear in a future blog next year) and my time walking around the nearby town of Hatfield. Unfortunately, it should have also included an outing to Camden, but a film insertion error meant all these images were ruined. I thought the film had loaded properly but when I got to frame number 7 the camera jammed and wouldn’t wind on. Despite attempts to fix it in the dark bag I ended up having to open up the camera in dim light, and it revealed an issue I didn’t think was possible. The film had come off of the take-up spool and wrapped itself around the sprocket wheel until it couldn’t wind on any further. I had to pull the film off, re-insert it into the take-up spool and make sure it was properly wound on before closing the back and advancing the frames. I actually ended up advancing way past where I needed to in order to get to film that had not been fogged. A shame to needlessly waste film but I did want to be sure.
I feel this photo of the Bath House at Wrest Park worked the best out of any images from this roll. The rough texture of the stone successfully hides the film grain leaving the viewer to focus on the shape and form of the subject. 1/250s 50mm F8.0.
The strong contrast of these white fungi against the dark surroundings, which has just enough fine detail, makes this image work. 1/60s 50mm F4.0.
I’ve always struggled with monochrome in woodlands as I think it often falls apart due to the lack of the depth perception of the human eye. The high levels of grain further cause the subject to merge with the background. 1/60s 50mm F5.6.
With a lesson well learned I could then continue shooting as normal. Upon developing I was mostly happy to have gotten anything after the difficulties I had, but I was satisfied with many of the images that showed decent amounts of detail despite the (expected) high levels of grain. It also held up well considering I didn’t give it any exposure compensation to cope with the fact it was expired. Perhaps these rolls had spent a while cold stored before I got them, or perhaps their higher sensitivity means they really don’t need the extra light. At some point I’ll have to pick up (much more expensive) fresh stock to compare.
I came across this cold water bather on my walk. Apparently the water stays the same temperature no matter the conditions as it bubbles up from a nearby spring. 1/125s 50mm F5.6.
Arriving at Hatfield train station. 1/250s 50mm F11.
In total I bought seven rolls of this expired P3200 and at the time of writing I have four left to experiment with, which I will probably use to test how changing the exposure and development times impacts the results. Given its high ISO properties it is popular for low light situations, but as you will see in images that will appear in next week’s Christmas blog, if it gets too dark you encounter what I imagine is heavy reciprocity failure. Sometimes there just isn’t enough light hitting the film no matter how high you crank the ISO. I suspect it needs overexposing by at least a stop and probably two in order to get a more balanced photo without heavily crushed blacks.
Under construction at the University of Hatfield. The bottom of the image with the people has been rendered underexposed whilst I exposed for the middle grey of the buildings. 1/250s 50mm F11.
A metal sculpture from the University of Hatfield Campus. I like the balance of contrast across the image. 1/250s 50mm F11.
If I’m honest I haven’t yet found a place for this film. It’s tempting to visualise images that would require much lower ISO and finer grain films, only to be disappointed with the results. However with such heavily pronounced grain I think you have to find a way to incorporate it into the look in order to get the most out of it. Black and white is most often used for detail, form and shape but detail is out of the window here so form and shape are what you have to use this for. It’s certainly versatile though, even stopping down to F8.0 or F11 you will have usable shutter speeds in almost any shooting condition except for seriously low light.
The Christmas polar bear stands guard at Hatfield Galleria. 1/125s 50mm F5.6.
The structure of Hatfield Galleria roof is well suited to monochrome and the strong shapes help overcome the high levels of grain. 1/60s 50mm F8.0.
The next thing I really need to do is compare this to Ilford Delta 3200 and see if there are significant differences in detail and sensitivity in low light. Frustratingly P3200 is still not available in 120 roll film unlike Delta 3200, as shooting in medium format greatly reduces that grain while keeping the versatility of high ISOs. Until then I will keep thinking about projects and shoots that would suit this grainy style, though it may work very well for something I hope to talk about more in 2023.
The Bunker - now part of Hatfield Police Station but was built originally by the de Havilland Aircraft Company which historically operated on the surrounding site and were one of the early pioneers in jet engines. 1/250s 50mm F11.
Shadows always make a strong subject for monochrome images. 1/250s 50mm F11.
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