New Kodak T-Max 400 Black-and-White Film

Kodak Confirms Their Commitment to Film

On Tuesday, Kodak announced their first traditional black-and-white film technology 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, world’s finest-grained 100-speed black-and-white film*, has an RMS of 8.

A new emulsion is a big deal for dedicated film photographers. 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 custom film processing and black-and-white film photography can be very subtle and nearly impossible to reproduce digitally. There’s also the question of process. A photographer with film in the camera will likely approach a subject differently than a photographer with a digital camera. Not being able to see your results immediately may make a photographer more cautious and lead to more varied exposures and angles.

Although there has been a lot of doubt about the future of film, it’s likely that the real differences between film and digital photography are just starting sort themselves out – especially in the fine art photography community. A recent Kodak study found that over 50% of photographers who shoot black-and-white prefer using film for their B&W work. The new Kodak T-Max 400 offers a new black-and-white film option and affirms Kodak’s commitment to professional photographers who choose film. Kodak continues to invest in film technology and expand their professional film portfolio. Last year they updated their professional C41 (negative) film line with new Portra negative film emulsions. Kodak continues to provide a full line of professional film products for professional photographers who choose film.

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Kodak T-Max 400 press release
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*Kodak T-Max 100 information page