High-speed films: Ilford Delta 3200 and Kodak TMax 3200

The TMax 3200 is back!

Today, on 23.02.2018, Kodak Professional announced the resurrection of the TMax 3200 film. The market is enriched again with a film that offers enormous flexibility. This completes the TMax series. First, the TMax 3200 will enrich the market as a 35mm film.

Curve of Ilford Delta 3200

Some important backgrounds to the TMax 3200 and Delta 3200 film

Interesting is now a comparison of the two 3200er films. Looking at the technology of both films, we find that both are tabular grain films. Classic films like the Kodak 400TX or Ilford HP5 or FP4 have cubic crystals. The differences between the two film genres are blurred and are no longer as clear as they were in the 1980s and 1990s. tabular grains are flatter than silver crystals. These have a larger surface area and less depth than cubic silver crystals.

This results in a difference between Kodak and Ilford tabular grain films: The grain of Ilford Delta films has a smaller surface than that of TMax films and is deeper. Fine highlights are better reproduced with the Delta. Common to both films is, that the sensitivity specified by the manufacturer in the data sheet should be considered rather than that printed on the packaging and film canister.

According to the data sheet, the TMax 3200 is an 800ASA film, while the Ilford Delta3200 is a 1000ASA film. Why are both films sold with this high ASA number?

If you look at the density curve of the 3200 films, you will notice a pronounced “S” curve. In the high zones (area of the lights) the density decreases. The curve of a TMax 100 or Delta 100 runs almost linearly (depending on the developer used). If a film is pushed, the curve getting higher. All zones gain in density with prolonged development. The problem with low-speed films under high contrast scenes is, that the lights are far too dense and can not be scanned or printed without much effort.

Both 3200 films works better for push. A push ups the curve and the result becomes more contrasting. However, the lights are only slowly increasing in density and are still under control. These films can be pushed up to two steps without any problems and deliver a visually better result than other films that pushed with the same steps and thus turn out to be rich in contrast.

You have to tell us what speed you used!

A short watch onto both films

In the lab we test all brand films with our chemicals. The Kodak TMax 3200 reaches full 1000ASA, the Ilford Delta 3200 full 1250ASA. With this ASA, both films deliver their maximum and best result. At higher sensitivities there are some differences. The following table provides a small overview:

Film:	Kodak TMax 3200	Ilford Delta 3200
Real speed in our lab	1000	1250 (you can use 1600 without any problems)
Push 1	1600	3200
Push 2	3200	6400
Grainsize	noticeably (35mm)	noticeably (35mm), fine (120 film)

The grain of both films is very noticeably, but the Kodak is slightly finer. Since we have switched off the electronic grain reduction on the scanner, you will enjoy the full benefits of these films and their properties during processing. The scan is extremely close to the handcraftet print, which stood by our profiling. And: The Ilford Delta 3200 is available as rollfilm!