Looks distinctly different from digital, available light, big grain, can be very contrasty, very sharp, high accutance, impressionism, latitude, dynamic range

None, it does what it is is designed to do well. Some people don't like grainy photos and they are not appropriate for all shoots but there are finer grained alternatives to choose. If you want big grain, however, which many people do like and is appropriate for some photos, this is the best stuff around!

Kodak TMAX P3200 has become a staple film for me. I use it to document a night on the town with my friends, laughing and having fun under street lamps. I also have come to rely on it for available light wedding photography. This stuff is amazing for dance photos at the reception. Drag the shutter a little bit, push the ISO and let the grain do its thing. I also use Ilford Delta 3200 and Ilford XP2 under-rated to 3200 with no special processing. Examples:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnnymartyr/sets/72157623186806047/with/8046977336/

Similar Products Used:

Ilford Delta 3200
Kodak TMAX 400
Ilford XP2 400
Kodak bw400cn
Kodak Tri-X 400

I have used Kodak products of all kinds over many years and have always found them to be of the highest quality and have never been let down by them. However for a recent photo-essay project I have been using TMax 3200 with Xtol developer. My concern is that while TMax 3200 is clearly advertised as a high-speed film and Xtol is a recommended Kodak developer - I found that when used precisely as recommended the results were between 2 to 3 stops under-exposed. So the advice is very clearly to do a series of tests before using the film. Am I being cynical in suggesting that by promoting the film as a high speed product, the TMax 3200 label on the box is really a bit of over-enthusiam on the part of Kodak's marketing department. In reality I found that the film works best at ISO 800.

High speed. If you love grain, this is your baby.

Limited range. Extremely high price for film. Actual film speed is 800, not 3200.

Unlike the other reviewers I was distinctly dissapointed in this film. I have shot about 6 rolls of this film but discontinued using it in favor of Fuji Neopan 1600 as I found that pushing the Neopan one stop got better results than using the Kodak at its advertised 3200. I expected large grain and was not troubled by this, but found that my photos came out flat when shooting in club situations when other film and digital came gave me a better dynamic range.

Similar Products Used:

Fuji Neopan 1600, Ilford Delta 3200

Very high speed, suitable for Neighborhood Watch to photograph crimes in progress.

rather grainy

This is an excellent low-light film. I have gotten good results at EI 50000. You rarely need anything faster. Because of its extreme speed, handholding a 1000 mm lens is possible in fair light, 500 mm lens in dim light. At EI 6400, it prints beautifully on Polycontrast III RC

Superb grain for the speed. Very atmospheric. Immensely flexible, just use an ND4 or 2 for outdoor shots. No need for a flash indoors usually.

Tricky to develop manually - shoot a couple of test rolls at least if you want to develop this yourself. Otherwise take it to a good prolab. Metering is critical, especially outdoors.

This is my favourite B+W film bar none. I don't like flash photography indoors despite owning 2 high-end flashguns, and P3200 gives me the flexibility to do without the flash. Using a fast prime lens you can shoot in very dim conditions to capture images of people without the spoiling unnatural effect of a flash. One point worth considering though: watch your metering! If taking a shot at a high shutter speed, meter for a shadow area (or Spot-meter it) to avoid underexposure. This goes doubly for landscape shots using ND filters to bring the shutter speed down to a reasonable level. Like all TMAX films, this one's high-contrast and perhaps not ideal for portraiture.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Ilford FP4, Tmax 100 & 400, Acros 100, Neopan 400.

-Fast! Allows you to take pictures you normally couldn't take
-You can use an SLR for concert photos without the mood shattering flash
-Grain structure is amazingly fine for a warp speed film
-Push for even cooler grain structure

-Expensive for B/W film. It just seems weird to spend that much for B/W.
-Touchy to process at home. Just pay attention.
-Not a good beginner film.

Very good film for capturing indoor events in dimly lit situations without totally wrecking the vibe of the pictures. Pushes very well. I would definitley recommend trying a few rules in non critical situations to dial in your time/developer combos. Other than that, shoot away!

Customer Service

Kodak's web site has extensive tech info on all film and papers. Very good site.

Similar Products Used:

all B/W films.

It gives amazing effects when blown up. I like the grainy images it can produce - very surreal.

None.

If you have not yet tried this for portraiture with the final product enlarged substantially, you must give it a go!

Similar Products Used:

None.

If you buy it at B and H, it costs as much as regular film.
It has a great look to it.
Needs very little light for exposures.

Requires very long processing times.

If you like grain in your Black and white pictures, this is a great film to use. Nice and fast too, great for shooting outdoors late at night, or indoors without a flash. And while some people have complained about the price, if you shop around, you can find it for much less.

Customer Service

None needed

Similar Products Used:

Nothing that fast, I also use T-max 400

Exposure laditude, speed, box is easy to pop open with my thumb :)

processing instructions....I wonder where they came from.

I use steal reels and 75 degrees temp and can pull and push it all over. I like to rate it at 800 (great), 3200 (great), and 6400 (O.K.). Sometimes, I mess it up at 6400. Adgitation is a bit touchy and must be rolled in total darkness to avoid fogging. I shoot about 12 rolls of this film on average each week. 6.5 min. @iso 800, 9.5min. @iso 3200, 11min. @iso 6400. I twist/adgitate the tank 2-4 times depending on iso. I only use T-max developer not the RS kind. I use a #3 Ilford filter and Ilford multigrade paper and get great results.

Customer Service

for film?? Sure, I'll send it in to have it cleaned lubed and adjusted ;)

Similar Products Used:

nothing like this in B&W

Great speed and grain is not bad at all

Easy to underexpose if you don't watch your metering.

I use this in situations where I can't or don't want to use a flash. The grain is certainly evident, but it is quite well controlled and lends a sort of gritty cinema verite effect to the photos. This is one of my favorite black and white films. The Ilford 3200 is a touch smoother and has perhaps finer grain, but the T-Max is excellent on its own terms in these regards. This film is best used with a fast lens in natural light. Your metering has to be carefully chosen or you risk underexposure. I use my partial meter and meter on a shadow area, or use my evaluative meter and add a 1/2 to a full stop of exposure compensation. I watch my shutter speeds, and if they are high enough I have a tendency to add more exposure. In natural dim light, there usually aren't any hot spots that will cause blown out highlight problems when using this film.

Customer Service

not used.

Similar Products Used:

Ilford 3200, Neopan 1600