Kodak Professional Tri-X 400

Kodak Professional Tri-X 400 is one of the classic black and white films, known for its distinctive grain, strong contrast and ability to handle a wide range of shooting conditions.

Rated at ISO 400, it's fast enough for everyday photography, available light and action, while still producing fine grain and good sharpness. It has a broad exposure latitude, making it a forgiving film when you're working quickly or dealing with changing light.

Tri-X has a particularly recognisable look compared with the cleaner, more modern rendering of films such as T-MAX 400. It's a natural fit for street photography, documentary work, portraits and anything where you want the character of traditional black and white film rather than an ultra-clean negative.

It can also be pushed when you need more speed. Kodak lists EI 1600 as the maximum recommended push, with appropriate changes to development.

Best for

Street photography, documentary photography, portraits, travel, action, available light and everyday shooting.

What to expect

36 exposures at ISO 400, with the classic Tri-X grain structure, good sharpness and plenty of exposure latitude.

Shoot it at ISO 400 for its standard rendering, or push it when you need additional speed. Pushing Tri-X can increase contrast and grain, which is part of the reason it has remained popular for low light and documentary photography. Kodak's technical data provides development guidance for EI 800 and 1600.

Developing

Standard black and white processing.

Tri-X 400 can be developed using a range of black and white developers. Kodak provides starting-point development times for XTOL, D-76, HC-110 and T-MAX Developer.

For pushed exposures, development needs to be adjusted according to the exposure index and developer being used.