Kodak Ektapan 100 Is a Smooth, Sharp, and Beautifully Detailed Film
Key Points:
- Kodak TMax 100, also known as Kodak Ektapan 100, is part of a family of black and white films that includes TMax 400 and TMax P3200, with a history dating back to the 1980s and recent rebranding under the Ektapan name in 2026.
- The film's key distinguishing feature is its tabular grain (T-grain) emulsion, which differs from traditional cubic grain emulsions by providing finer grain, smoother dispersion, and increased sharpness without larger grain size.
- TMax 100 offers exceptional sharpness with a resolving power of 200 lines/mm, making it ideal for high-resolution photography and lens sharpness testing, often delivering medium format-like detail in 35mm format.
- The film is versatile, with a wide effective exposure latitude from ISO 25 to 200 without development changes, and it can be pushed up to three stops with increased grain and contrast, while maintaining smooth tonal transitions in shadows and highlights.
- Overall, Kodak TMax 100 is praised for its smoothness, detail, and sharpness, making it a valuable addition to photographers' film selections alongside classics like Tri-X and Ilford HP5, and is available for purchase and development services at Blue Moon Camera and Machine in Portland, OR.