Type of polymer latex and its use as plasticizer in a photographic material

Photographic material comprising a support, at least one silver halide emulsion layer, and optionally one or more other hydrophilic gelatinous layer(s), characterized in that at least one of said emulsions or other hydrophilic gelatinous layer(s) contains a polymer latex with an average particle size of less than 500 .mu.m, which is obtained by subjecting to radical emulsion polymerisation one or more radical-polymerisable monomers, whose emulsifier-free homopolymers or copolymers possess a glass transition temperature below 65.degree. C., in the presence of a water-soluble polymer of formula I ##STR13## wherein Z is --CH.sub.2 --CR.sup.1 R.sup.2 --(I.1), or ##STR14## M represents H, Na, K, Li, or NH.sub.4, R.sup.1 represents H or CH.sub.3,

• R.sup.2 represents H, C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 alkyl, aryl, --(CH.sub.2).sub.m --OCO--R.sup.5, wherein R.sup.5 corresponds to C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 alkyl and m is 0 or 1, ##STR15## A represents OM, OR.sup.3, NH.sub.2, NHR.sup.3, O--R.sup.4 --(SO.sub.3 M).sub.n or NH--R.sup.4 --(SO.sub.3 M).sub.n, wherein R.sup.3 represents C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl,
• R.sup.4 represents an aliphatic or aromatic residue of 1 to 10 C atoms,
• n is 1 or 2, and
• x,y are chosen in such a way that the weight-average molecular weight of polymer I is comprised between 5,000 to 500,000, and
• the ratio x:y is comprised between 1:4 and 1:1.