# Trix 400 b&w film?



## kevinfoto (Jul 15, 2011)

Should Trix 400 B&W film be shot at 200 ISO?


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## Proteus617 (Jul 15, 2011)

No, maybe, it depends.  TriX has loads of latitude so you don't need to muck about with it.  Having said that, shadows are more affected by exposure, highlights by development.  After you get the hang of TriX, overexposing a touch to get more shadow detail then pulling development a bit to keep your highlights from blowing might give you what you want.  You can also overexpose and overdevelop for that harsh, gritty Ralph Gibson look.  If you are sending it to the lab, expose at 400.


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## ann (Jul 15, 2011)

I tested for my 90s and f100 and use it 160 for one 250 for the other.

With my beginning students I recommend that they take a roll and use half at 400 and half at 200 and then we compare the prints.  My advanced students like to test and nail down the EI and development types for better control.  We also adjust the development times ; however the above response is addressing that option.


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## Derrel (Jul 15, 2011)

Tri-X "can be" shot at differing EI's; EI stands for Exposure Index, and it differs from ISO. An EI is arrived at for each person and his/her personal exposure metering, exposure technique, and darkroom methods. Some of the absolute best articles about arriving at Personal Exposure Indices for Tri-X were written by noted photojournalist and author Bill Pierce, back in the late 1970's, when he was writing for either Popular Photography or Modern Photography magazine. I cut the articles out an photocopied them.

A basic concept is this: meter and expose for the shadow values; develop for the highlight density required to print a somewhat "thin" negative that isn't uber-grainy, on a grade 3 to 4 paper. Do this by down-rating to EI 200,250,or 320, and then develop in a highly-diluted developer using a long period between agitations, like 10 seconds of agitation each minute.

Thinner negatives are, I think, easier to print, and I prefer the look of Tri-X exposed this way and developed in D-76 diluted 1:1 or HC-110 Dilution B.

When shooting at an EI, the user needs to take into account a whole slew of factors, including one's thermometer and its accuracy, developer characteristics, and enlarger/paper characteristics.


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