Kentmere Pan 200

The Kentmere Pan 200 is a black-and-white film manufactured by HARMAN Technology Limited under the Kentmere brand. It was introduced in early May 2025. It is the third Kentmere Pan film, alongside the Kentmere Pan 100 and the Pan 400.

Properties and Sensitivity

Kentmere Pan 200 is a panchromatically sensitized, medium-speed black-and-white film. It is suitable for a wide range of indoor and outdoor photography in good lighting conditions. The film features fine grain, good sharpness, and medium to high image contrast, making it a good choice for high-quality enlargements or high-resolution scans.

The film’s nominal sensitivity is ISO 200/24° (measured with ILFORD ID-11 developer at 20°C). However, it can also be pulled to EI 100/21° or pushed to EI 400/27°, with development times adjusted accordingly.

Exposure and Filters

For exposure times between 1 second and 1/10,000 of a second, no reciprocity error correction is necessary. For exposures longer than 1 second, the exposure time must be increased according to the formula Ta = Tm^1.26 (Ta = adjusted time, Tm = measured time).

The film can be used with all common filter types. Cameras with TTL exposure metering usually adjust the exposure automatically. With some automatic cameras, the correction for deep red and orange filters can result in underexposure of up to 1.5 f-stops.

Storage

To avoid loss of quality, unexposed Kentmere Pan 200 film should be stored in a cool (10–20°C), dry place, and in its original packaging. Storage in the refrigerator or freezer is possible, although the film needs sufficient time to acclimatize before use.

Exposed film should be developed as soon as possible and also stored in a cool, dry place until then. Processed negatives are best stored in a cool (10–20°C), dry, dark place, and in suitable protective sleeves (e.g., cellulose triacetate, Mylar, acid-free paper pH 6.5–7.5, or inert polyester).

Film Development

The film must be handled in complete darkness.

Pan 200 is developed in black-and-white developers. The technical data sheet lists recommended times for various ILFORD developers (e.g., ILFORD ID-11, ILFOTEC DD-X, MICROPHEN, PERCEPTOL, ILFOSOL 3, ILFOTEC HC, ILFOTEC LC29) and also for Kodak D-76, each for different dilutions and film speeds (EI 100, 200, 400). Development can be done in a photo lab or at home. Different developers affect the grain, sharpness, and contrast of the negative.

Development times

Calculation of the development solution
How much development solution do you need?

Processing Steps

The film is robust and can be developed in all common processing equipment (spiral and tank cans, rotary processors, trays, hanging processors).

• Agitation: For processing in spiral or tank cans, intermittent agitation is recommended: tilt constantly for the first 10 seconds, then tilt four times for the first 10 seconds of every minute thereafter. With continuous agitation (e.g., rotation) or in rotary processors without pre-soaking, the times can be reduced by up to 15%. Pre-washing is not recommended, as it can lead to uneven development.
• Stop bath: After development, an acidic stop bath (e.g., ILFORD ILFOSTOP, dilution 1+19, 10-30 seconds at 18-24°C) is recommended to precisely complete the development process and protect the fixer.
• Fixer: ILFORD RAPID FIXER or HYPAM FIXER (dilution 1+4, 2-5 minutes at 18-24°C) are recommended.
• Washing: Standard 5-10 minutes under running water (temperature within ±5°C of the processing temperature). A water-saving method is available for spiral tanks: fill the tank, tilt it 5 times, and empty it. Fill the tank, tilt 10 times, and empty; fill the tank, tilt 20 times, and empty.
• Wetting agent: A final bath in wetting agent (e.g., ILFORD ILFOTOL, 1+200, approx. 5 ml per liter) promotes spot-free drying. The amount can be adjusted depending on water hardness.
• Drying: To avoid drying spots, the film can be carefully peeled off with a clean film scraper or chamois leather. Drying should take place at 30–40°C in a drying cabinet or at room temperature in a clean, dust-free location.

Further Processing

After processing, the negatives are available as film strips. These can then either be enlarged for prints in a photo lab or digitized. Due to its properties (fine grain, good sharpness), the Kentmere Pan 200 is well-suited for high-quality enlargements and high-resolution scans.

Digitization can be done by a photo lab or with a dedicated film scanner. The digital data can then be further processed or used for prints.

Formats of the Kentmere Pan 200

The Kentmere Pan 200 is available in two popular formats.

The most popular format is 35mm film (135 film), often simply referred to as 35mm film. For this format, the Kentmere Pan 200 is available in practical, DX-coded cartridges with 24 or 36 exposures, which are automatically recognized by many cameras. Those who prefer to make their own film can also opt for the more affordable meter-length film.

This film fits countless cameras, from legendary SLR models like the Canon AE-1 or Nikon FM2 to rangefinder cameras like the Leica M series and many compact cameras.

For photographers seeking higher image quality through a larger negative, Kentmere Pan 200 is available as a medium format film (120 roll film). This allows for various shooting formats such as the square 6×6 cm or the rectangular 6×7 cm, depending on the camera type.

Typical cameras for this format include classic twin-lens reflex cameras (TLRs) like the Rolleiflex, modular systems like Hasselblad or Mamiya, and even older folding cameras.