35mm BW - Kodak Technical Pan Film!

    

Item Description

The Film Photography Project is amazingly happy to offer 35mm hand-rolled Kodak Technical Pan (or plain 'ol "Tech Pan" as frequent shooters call it!)

Supply has been stored frozen by experienced film shooters. Supply is limited!

35mm / 20 exp / iso 25 / no DX coding

above: Tech Pan in action! A leaf of a big Monstera vine in the Matthaei Botanical gardens conservatory by Mark O'Brien / Minolta X-700, Tamron 90mm Macro

What is Tech Pan? “Technical Pan was an almost panchromatic black-and-white film produced by Kodak. While it could reproduce the visible light spectrum, it leaned to the red, and so unfiltered outdoor shots would render blues, most notably the sky, with additional darkening and reds with some lightening. These unique characteristics have not been replicated. It was generally used as a very slow film, rated at ASA 25 or even 16, although it could be rated at up to ASA 320 with a distinct loss of tonal range and a bunching of shadow and highlight detail. This film had unmatched fine grain, especially when rated at a low speed, and made excellent enlargements while preserving fine details.” More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_Pan

above: "The quality from a Tech Pan negative never fails to amaze me" says Mark O'Brien

What the friends of The FPP say:
Mat Marrash says – "Tech Pan is a magical emulsion. It has the resolution to make 35mm look like 120, 120 look like large format, and large format to take your enlargements where they've never gone before. If you're never tried Tech Pan, I urge you to get a roll and your fastest glass and get shooting!"

above: Tech Pan image by Leslie Lazenby / Mamiya M645, Mamiya - Sekor C 80mm, on tripod / Processed in Technidol LC, time and temps not recorded

Leslie Lazenby says – “this stuff is so sharp it will cut you.”
Mark O’Brien of the Random Camera Blog says – “TechPan -- when shot and processed as a pictorial film, gives tremendous resolution as there is virtually no grain.  It is hard to beat for landscapes and architectural photography.  No other 35mm film gives you nearly large-format results on a single frame.”
Dan ("Nano_Burger" on Flickr) says: "Tech-Pan is microfilm optimized for pictorial photography. It has all the advantages of microfilm...ultra fine grain, superior resolution and high contrast. However, the real difference is its extended red sensitivity that gives the film a unique look that cannot be replicated with regular microfilm and filtering (believe me..I have tried). It renders skin tone in a flattering manner prized by high fashion photographers. The theory is that since it sees deeper into the red, it sees deeper into the skin to smooth out any irregularities and give a flawless look."

"The Old Dog" shot by Nano Burger on Tech Pan. "Nothing like high contrast film to really highlight the gray on our black dog."

How can I process Tech Pan? You can send your film to The DarkRoom or do home processing.
Regarding home processing Mark says: “ Develop in Technidol if ya have it, otherwise, the Photographers Formulary TD-3, or Dektol 1:10 for 5 min.
Dan says: "There is no particular trick to developing in a small tank environment. It is of normal thickness and loads easily in rachet plastic or steel reels. You need to use a soft working developer to get near normal contrast. Kodak used to make Technidol specifically for the film and can still be found today, but they don't make it anymore. There are many replacements such as TD-3 from Photographers Formulary that will do essentially the same job. My personal favorite is Perceptol LC (an Ilford product). It has the benefit of enhancing the speed of the film so you can rate it at 50 ISO instead of 25 ISO. Regular developers can be used as well if you don't mind the high contrast. Another option is to use dilute developers in stand development. The massive development chart has all sorts combinations you can try."
Other developers? “The thing with Tech Pan is that you want to tame the contrast for pictorial work. D76 will definitely be too contrasty a developer. You will get full tonality with the Technidol LC (low-contrast) developer (as well as the TD-3).  Rodinal 1:50 also works, but i do not recall the times.