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03/16/2010 (3:09 pm)

3200 speed black and white?

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  • I had someone give me a roll of 3200 speed black and white. What would this film be good for? Thanks


  • 3200 film is VERY sensitive to light. Therefore it is useful in situations where you don't want to use flash, but do want a proper exposure, and it is dark.

    It is very grainy, or noisy and your images will be very grainy.

    Rob


  • Read the tech pub on Tmax 3200. Notice they put a "P" in the name somewhere. The "p" stands for push. The only difference between then and now is that it used to be "Tmax 3200p", and now they call it Tmax P3200."

    If you read the Ilford literature you'll find a similar situation with Delta 3200. Fuji Neopan 1600 may be the fastest BW film available, although I notice they recomend shooting it at ISO 800 outdoors, and ISO 1250 for certain developers, so they too may be exaggerating the number so they can put a big number on the label.

    Tmax 3200p is ISO 800 in regular developers, and ISO 1000 in Tmax developer. Here's a link to the tech pub, and what it says about exposing Tmax P3200.

    http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/f4016/f4016.jhtml?id=0.1.22.14.23.18.16&lc=en#kodakprofessionalt-maxp3200film

    KODAK PROFESSIONAL T-MAX P3200 Film is specially designed to be used as a multi-speed film. The speed you use depends on your application; make tests to determine the appropriate speed.

    The nominal speed is EI 1000 when the film is processed in KODAK PROFESSIONAL T-MAX Developer or KODAK PROFESSIONAL T-MAX RS Developer and Replenisher, or EI 800 when it is processed in other Kodak black-and-white developers. It was determined in a manner published in ISO standards. For ease in calculating exposure and for consistency with the commonly used scale of film-speed numbers, the nominal speed has been rounded to EI 800.

    Because of its great latitude, you can expose this film at EI 1600 and yield negatives of high quality. There will be no change in the grain of the final print, but there may be a slight loss of shadow detail. When you need a higher speed, you can expose this film at EI 3200 or 6400. At these speeds, there will be a slight increase in contrast and graininess with additional loss of shadow detail.

    The "great latitude" that Kodak touts is pretty much similar to what you'd get with any modern film underexposed a stop.

    Obviously there are people using these films at ISO 3200 and higher speeds with great results. I just feel like the manufacturers are sort of playing marketing games with us by labeling ISO 800 to 1000 film at 3200; would we pay as much for ISO 800 film as we do for ISO 3200 film? ;) I've experimented quite a bit with Tmax 3200 and Delta 3200, and I've found that I prefer the results I get when I push Tri-X or develop it in Diafine. Low light photography with high speed films is definately an area where personal testing is going to be important. What works for one photog, may not be the best for the next.


  • I once shot a set of portrait type shot of my wife. She had my black bikers jacket on and it was against a grey background.

    I also had a fairly stong light on her so it almost blew out the image. But it came out well.

    Well I liked it and so did she. ;) (it's a bit big sorry)

    http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y213/Lensmeister/People/model-01.jpg


  • What brand is it? There is actually no such thing as ISO 3200 BW film (at least on the regular market). If you read the fine print you will find that it's probably ISO 800 to 1000, but designed to react favorably to a 2 stop push with the right developer.

    I would say use it for anything where you desire grain.


  • 3200 speed film is good for low light conditions as mentioned above, as well as stop motion if used properly. You wont be able to photograph a speeding bullet, but you can stop cars speeding by, catch fast action, etc. When used properly, it can also give off a wonderful retro-look. It can be 'pushed' to 6400 speed for even greater effects, but needs a faster apature.

    3200 speed does have one inherent flaw. As stated above, it is VERY sensitive to light. That also makes it VERY sensitive to heat, and x-rays. DO NOT PUT IT IN CHECKED LUGGAGE!!! Do not leave it in your car, and it is best handeled until fully developed in low light or total darkness.Similar to IR film. When developed, follow the reccomeded directions EXACTLY, otherwise you will have film that will look 'burned'. Best to keep it in a sealed container in the freezer until you are ready to use it, but give it several hours to thaw out to prevent condinsation which can be deadly to it.


  • [QUOTE=ksmattfish]What brand is it? There is actually no such thing as ISO 3200 BW film (at least on the regular market). If you read the fine print you will find that it's probably ISO 800 to 1000, but designed to react favorably to a 2 stop push with the right developer.
    [QUOTE]
    Kodak do a T-Max 3200.

    Well they used to a few years ago.


  • City scenes at night in low-light conditions.

    Dave







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