Digital BW, The Print

Paul, the TMX in Microdol 1:3 is an excellent call.  I shy away from it
because of the longer development times and the slightly sharper grain at
the loss of finer grain when comparing D76 1:1 to Microdol-X 1:3.   But I
have seen excellent results with your combination and I forgot to mention
that.  The contrast should be flatter in Microdol also, which may make
scanning even easier.

Perhaps Xtol will work better with the "new" TMX100.  I thought it one of
the worst developers with the original TMX, giving mushy grain and a
decidedly soft look.   I'm glad to hear Kodak has discontinued recommending
Xtol at dilutions great then 1:1.   If you go back over past posts in
rec.photo.darkroom, you will consistently find people who have occasional
inconsistent and poor results with Xtol, even experienced darkroom workers.
I sometimes think it to be "The VooDoo Developer From Hell".

Rick


>I really believe in KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid).   Tech Pan is an
>phenomenal film, but slow, fussy & very contrasty quite quickly.  Next best
>thing, and grainless in an 8x10 print, is TMX100 developed in D76 1:1.  ...

There is a lot of merit in this recommendation.  I rejected TP and used Tmax
100 for years in a relatively traditional developer (in Microdol 1:3) --
very consistent and reliable.  I may end up taking this same approach again.

But the seductive siren song of ultra-fine grain keeps luring me onto the
rocks.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com