Kodak Tri-X 400 .
There are icons. And then there are icons. Tri-X is an iconic film stock. Photo-journalists and street photographers often favoured Kodak Tri-X 400 for its character — grain, contrast and latitude were all characteristics that photographers could rely on. Many iconic images were captured with Tri-X. Many iconic names shot Tri-X: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank, Garry Winogrand, Don McCullin and Sebastião Salgado are just a few.
With that history it’s no surprise that Tri-X has been around in some form since 1940 — first as sheet film and later in 35mm and 120 formats. In 2007 it was refined with finer grain and smoother tonal transitions but maintaining the classic, unmistakable Tri-X character. Tri-X is available from both Kodak Alaris and Eastman Kodak — same film, same emulsion, different packaging.
Like most black and white film it's versatile — architecture, portraiture, abstract and landscape photography are all good choices when you have a roll of Tri-X in your camera. But if you're walking around a city with one roll of black and white, this is the roll.
Most photographers come to Tri-X eventually. It might not be your first roll of black and white — but once you try it, you'll understand why it's endured for over 80 years.
- + Street photography and documentary
- + Low light when pushed
- + Portraiture with character — visible grain, high contrast
- − Finest possible grain at ISO 400 — choose T-Max 400 or Delta 400
- − Low contrast, smooth tonal range — choose T-Max 400
- − Long exposures beyond a few seconds — choose FP4 Plus or Delta 100
more from their film.
Tri-X 400 renders grain that is genuinely visible and part of the film's character — medium grain by measured RMS (17), perceptibly coarser than T-grain ISO 400 films. In 35mm, that grain sits in the background of well-exposed frames at box speed and becomes a prominent structural element when pushed to EI 1600 or 3200. In 120, the same emulsion shows finer apparent grain at typical print sizes because the enlargement ratio is smaller — and the medium-format shadows and tonal gradation benefit from the larger negative area. Exposure affects grain as much as development does: a controlled lab test found box speed the best balance of grain and shadow, with one stop of overexposure improving tonal smoothness. Latitude is wide — Kodak explicitly says "rich tonality maintained with overexposure and underexposure," and one stop of underexposure can be developed normally with only slight shadow loss. At three stops under, push processing is required and results are acceptable for some applications, not all.
Kodak explicitly recommends Tri-X 400 for push processing — the TDS states this outright, which is unusual. Manufacturer-published push tables reach to EI 3200 (three stops) and apply to both 35mm and 120 — Kodak makes no distinction between formats. At two stops, grain increases and contrast rises noticeably; at three stops, contrast is high and shadow detail is further compressed. Plan exposure around shadows when pushing: metering the midtones and protecting the shadows will give more usable negatives than metering highlights. Because the film already has a high contrast character at box speed, pushed negatives will be dense and punchy. For portrait work in 120, exposure at box speed or one stop over will give the smoothest tonality.
Store unexposed film at or below 24°C in the original sealed package. Allow rolls to reach room temperature before opening if bringing film in from cold storage. Reciprocity failure is significant for long exposures: compensate with one additional stop at one second, two stops at ten seconds, three stops at 100 seconds, and reduce development time accordingly. Process promptly after exposure.