Kodak TMax Pro 400 - 35mm 36Exp

A recent Kodak study found that 55% of photographers who shoot black-and-white prefer using film for their black and white work. It was therefore interesting to note that at PMA 2008 Kodak announced their first traditional black-and-white film improvement in about 20 years.

Their new T-Max 400 black-and-white film has a level of sharpness and grain size comparable to what most people expect from ISO 100 films. The RMS (root mean square - a grain size measure) of the new emulsion is 10, compared to an RMS of 11 for the previous T-Max 400 emulsion. For reference, Kodak T-Max 100, their finest-grained 100-speed black-and-white film, has an RMS of 8.

Film choice isn't just about choosing the right ISO for your light conditions. Every film type has its own unique tonal curve and photographers often choose a specific film type for its tonal qualities. Add the subtleties of custom film processing and black-and-white film photography and you find it nearly impossible to reproduce digitally. There's also the question of methodology.

If you have film in the camera you will likely approach a subject differently than if using your digital camera. Not being able to see your results immediately may make you more cautious and lead to more varied exposures and angles.

Although there has been a lot of doubt about the future of film, Kodak's T-Max 400 offers a new black-and-white film option and affirms Kodak's commitment to professional photographers who choose film. Noted photographer and master print maker John Sexton said, 'The new T-MAX 400 film provides a grain structure that is superior to anything I've seen in a 400-speed film and combined with Kodak's legendary quality control and consistency, makes this film a most valuable tool.' We recommend it for photographing dimly lighted subjects or fast action, for extending flash distance range, and for photographing subjects that require good depth of field and fast shutter speeds with maximum image quality for the film speed.