Response to How to get finer grain negatives

Conventional 400 speed film will always have a bit of visible grain. T-grain emulsions can be better and Kodak's TMax 400 is a good example. Try to keep your processing chemicals, including the wash, at exactly the same temperature, and don't process too hot. 68 degrees F is tried and true unless the primary process recomendation says otherwise. For years I agitated too often and too vigorously. Do it for ten seconds every minute, and fairly gently. Another thing that really helps is to shoot "full frame" as much as possible. If you have to enlarge a small portion of the negative to get the cropping you want, expect to pay the price in grain. I often print about 7"x10" to just match the 35mm frame. Naturally, slower film will give you the greatest improvement if it suits the conditions.

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