Ektapan To the Max!

The best 400 ISO film?

It’s been a while since I’ve used Kodak’s T-Max 400 (now also known as Kodak Ektapan 400) in 35mm.  I have used it occasionally in medium format, and the 120 version has been a good choice for a lot of things.  However, I just have not shot much of it in my 35mm cameras over the years.  Back in early May, I had two rolls from Ball Photo in Asheville, and took them with me on my trip to New York and Connecticut in mid-May. I shot them with my Nikon FM2N, a very reliable camera that I’ve owned since 2008, and have also not used it much in the past few years.  It was time to take it on a road trip and give it some love.  

First of all, the Nikon FM2N is one of Nikon’s longest-selling 35mm SLRs, and it is fully manual, with LEDs indicating the exposure with +/- and an “o” when the light meter determines the proper exposure.  Not really all that different from a Pentax Spotmatic F.  Since I’ve owned this camera, I’ve used it more for low-ISO films, since it has a range of 12-6400.  Being all-mechanical, it was also a good choice for winter photography when I lived in Michigan.  I have also taken it on trips as a back-up to my Nikon F3HP.  As you would expect from Nikon, it’s a very reliable camera.  Mine looks like it just came from the store. 

We drove our usual route to New York State, via I-26 to I-81, and then I-84 and the Taconic Parkway to Dutchess County.  The trip was to attend my brother-in-law’s wedding, and to also visit a spot on my “bucket list” - Steichen’s Pond in Connecticut.  On the return home, Adrienne and stayed in Winchester, Virginia, and also visited Luray Caverns on our way home. A lot of driving over 5 days, for sure.  

Besides the Nikon FM2N, I brought my Nikon Zfc and my Ansco Pix Panorama cameras. It was a short trip, so I didn’t plan on doing a lot for stopping and photographing.  I shot two rolls of Kentmere 400 and two rolls of T-Max 400 in the FM2N.  The Zfc was mostly used inside Luray Caverns (where it performed quite well).

From the Kodak/Alaris site

I developed the film about a week after I returned home, and used Kodak’s T-Max RS developer for the T-max 400 film.  The negatives were scanned on my Epson V700.  The moment I saw the negatives hanging up to dry, I knew that the T-Max 400 really delivered good images.  The Kentmere 400 negatives were likewise excellent (D-76 1:1).  However, I’m here to praise the T-Max 400.   

By this time, you have possibly seen something about Eastman Kodak rebranding T-Max 400 as Ektapan 400.  The Kodak-Alaris brand of T-Max is still available, and they are exactly the same films.  I’m glad that I chose T-Max 400 for the low-light shots, as they came out really well.  I used a 50mm f/2 Nikkor lens, and I’m really pleased with the results as shown below.

Some examples:

Poughkeepsie, NY

Chicago House, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie

Vassar College

A huge Sycamore, Vassar College

Steichen's Pond and house, Topstone Park, CT.

old train station, Winchester, Virginia

We stayed here in Winchester, VA. I highly recommend it!

I've shot T-Max films over the past 25+ years, and have generally been happy with my results from them.  T-Max 400 hits the right spot in terms of fine grain, sharpness, and shadow detail.  It also lies perfectly flat in the scanner, so that's another plus.  It's more expensive than Kentmere 400  and Fomapan 400.  I checked the B&H Photo its, and 36-exposure rolls of Kentmere 400 are $7.99, Fomapan 400 is $8.99, Ektapan 400 is $11.99 and T-Max 400 is $10.99.  So it's at least $3.00 a roll more expensive than Kentmere 400, which is my usual 400 ISO film.  It's only 50 cents/roll more expensive than Ilford HP-5.  B&H sells Kodak Tri-X for $8.99, and for more comparison a  36-exposure roll of Ilford Delta 400  (a T-grain film ) is $16.49!  So, T-Max 400 isn't the most expensive ISO 400 black and white film.  I'm definitely ordering more for future trips.

Is it the best 400 ISO b&w film?  It really depends on what one wants from their film, but I'd say that T-Max 400 is a film that I really like.  The photo of the train station and the hotel were taken near sunset, and there is a lot of detail. The grain is quite minimal, too. So, I'd rate T-Max 400 at the top.