Kodak Tri-X vs Double-X Black and White Film Comparison
Kodak Tri-X 400 vs Double-X 250
Guides and Tips
Black and White Film Comparison
Kodak Tri-X vs Double-X Black and White Film Comparison
Some say Kodak Tri-X 400 is the best in the world, it is a great journalistic style black and white film and also one of the easiest BW films to get in the market. Kodak Tri-X 400 uses classic grain structure, it is more coarse than T-grain or Delta film. This classic grain structure feels more natural than tabular-grain film.
Around 10 years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to the Kodak Double-X and it is a motion picture film and he described it as having magnificent exposure latitude and he highly recommended me to shoot at ISO400. So far I have been using this film for 10 years and it is one of my primary black and white films (sometimes I use HP5 or Ilford Pan 400 because I can push it and use it at ISO 1600).
If you like a more distinct black and white style probably Kodak Double-X is something more suitable to you but if you are mainly shooting during the day and you like that classic traditional black and white tone, Tri-X 400 may be the better option.
If you are looking for a cheap alternative to Kodak Tri-X or Ilford HP5, This Double-X film is a great option and most of them are bulk loaded. Let’s look into their tones and characteristics of both films.
Characters and Tones
Kodak Tri-X
- Overall greyish tone
- Photojournalistic with great texture for documentary
- Grainy (More Noise)
- Classic Black and white look
- T-grained film now more fine grained
- Easy to find online and retail
Kodak Eastman Double-X
- Finer grain
- Better latitude
- Less highlight details
- Better low light details than Tri-X
- Better contrast
- Great for pushing up to ISO800
- Usually bulk loaded or CineStill branded
Kodak Tri-X Samples
Kodak Eastman Double-X 5222 Samples
Review for Kodak Tri-X and Kodak Eastman 5222 Double-X
If you are new to black and white film and want to understand more about each of their characters. You can refer to my film reviews Kodak Tri-X and Kodak Eastman 5222 Double-X
Need Film Photography Assistance?
If you have any questions related to film photography or you would like to understand more about it, feel free to email me or simply comment below.
Recent Posts
Effortless Elegance: How the Nikon F6 Reigns Supreme in Travel Photography (For Film Shooters) by Kevin D
Lens Hood Options for Leica Summicron 35 KOB, Voigtlander 35/1.5 & Hasselblad Xpan
eBook – How to Inspect and Identify Issues in Used Camera Lenses without Losing Money
Photographer’s Showcase: Vasily Chan
MiNT 35mm Prototype – the New 35mm Compact Camera Update
Mastering the Art of Composition 101: Essential Photography Tips for Beginners
9 Comments
Leave a comment
To the best of my knowledge Tri-X still uses traditional grain and not T grain. I believe only the TMAX films use T grain.
Hi Erich. Thanks for pointing that out. Let me correct it!
Regards,
Anson
Very nice article. Loved the sample shots. It usually comes down to personal tastes, but I tend to prefer Tri-X to the Double X. However, your developer choice can make a huge difference, no matter which film you shoot though. I’ve used D76, Microdol X and Rodinal for Tri-X, and those negatives look completely different from each other.
Thank you Steve. Yes, I think the developer plays the major part. I am trying different developers but have yet to find the perfect one. Maybe it is good to just keep trying! Haha
Anson
Love the inquiry, posts, discussion, debate-it’s all informative and interesting! Remember, keep shooting film, it has a magic digital can’t touch!
A good and very subjective article. Each film behaves remarkably differently in different developers. Fp4 for example in rodinal has almost no zone 1 and 2 unless speed is rerated, whereas the same film in hc110 dilution B has substantially and far greater recording capabilities in those lowwer registers (L50 down to L0). Be mindfulnof generalisations like your reference to grey tones of tri x. Those tones are not a characteristic of the film, but are mostly
of the light exposure chemical and development. As im sure you get.
Thanks for pointing that out and I get what you mean. I am reading Ansel Adam’s book to educate myself better with zone system in order to describe film types and their character!
Why don’t you indicate what film was use, what you rated the iso for, and what the exposure was (shutter speed, f/stop, and iso/asa ) I like the shot of the man walking down the sidewalk at night, and I assume you handheld the camera? I also like the fact that the cars, well the one closest was somewhat blurred to show motion.
I am glad that you like my photos. You are right, I hand handheld all of the shots.I have indicated the film with the ISO rated for Double-X. And for the Tri-X I am only showing it at box speed. Unfortunately I couldn’t recall their shutter speed and aperture.