Rendering profile
- Sharpness
- very high
- Tags
- t-grain, fine-grain, professional, modern, versatile
- Best use cases
- street photography, documentary, portraiture, low-light, push processing
Film stock wiki
Kodak T-Max 400
Kodak T-Max 400 (TMY-2) is a professional ISO 400 black-and-white T-grain negative film offering best-in-class combination of fine grain, high sharpness, and wide exposure latitude at ISO 400, available in 135 and 120.
Key specs
- Brand
- Kodak
- Model
- T-Max 400
- ISO
- 400
- Process
- BW
- Formats
- 135, 120
- Production status
- In production
- Introduced
- 1986
Grain
fine for ISO 400 (RMS ~10–11)
Contrast
medium
Saturation
Unknown
Latitude
very wide (ISO 200–3200)
Technical details
- Push/pull
- Push to ISO 800 (minimal grain increase), ISO 1600 (good), ISO 3200 (acceptable). Pull to ISO 200 for lower contrast.
Handling notes
- Exposure
- Rate at ISO 400; latitude is wide and permits significant over/under-exposure.
- Development
- Kodak T-Max developer or Xtol for finest grain; D-76 1:1 widely used. HC-110 Dilution B for push processing.
- Storage
- Refrigerate for long-term storage; bring to room temperature before use.
Profile notes
Introduced in 1986 and significantly reformulated in 2007 as T-Max 400-2 (TMY-2), Kodak Professional T-Max 400 is widely considered the finest-grained ISO 400 black-and-white film in production. The second-generation TMY-2 emulsion delivers measurably tighter grain (RMS granularity approximately 10–11), improved tonal gradation, and enhanced push-processing latitude compared to the original TMY. T-Max 400 uses tabular grain technology across multiple emulsion layers optimised for maximum efficiency, enabling clean performance at ISO 400 that rivals some ISO 100 conventional-grain films. It is highly versatile — equally at home in street photography, portraiture, landscape, and documentary work. The film pushes cleanly to ISO 800 and 1600 with minimal grain penalty and can reach ISO 3200 for extreme situations. Compatible with all standard B&W developers; Kodak T-Max developer and Xtol produce optimal results. Available in 35mm (135) and 120 medium format. In active production as of 2026.
Aliases
T-Max 400TMYTMY-2Kodak TMYKodak Professional T-Max 400
Related stocks
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Kodak Tri-X 400
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Kodak 5222
Kodak 5222 Double-X is a classic panchromatic black-and-white cine negative film rated ISO 250 (daylight) / 200 (tungsten), known for its rich contrast, wide tonal range, and distinctive gritty grain — a staple of Hollywood cinematography for decades.
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Kodak T-Max 100
Kodak T-Max 100 (TMX) is a professional ISO 100 black-and-white T-grain negative film celebrated for its extremely fine grain, high sharpness, and wide tonal range — one of the finest-grained B&W films available in 135 and 120.