As film prices are rising in all countries and from all manufacturers, both amateurs and professional photographers are trying to source cheaper materials. However low priced products do not always yield satisfactory quality. In this article I give some views and show some examples on the use of Kentmere Pan 400.
High quality – low price
Photographers have enjoyed the high quality photographic films (and other products) from Ilford Photo, Kodak and Fuji for decades, but after the significant price increase in recent years, the challenge is to achieve high quality results at a moderate price. The Kentmere Pan product range is actually the solution many photographers are looking for. You can get film rolls at a similar price from other manufacturers, but in my experience the competitors do not deliver the same quality and production quality control which makes my choice easy.
In this review, I will share some experiences with the Kentmere Pan 400 film and show some om my photos from a trip to Croatia with a medium format camera loaded with this film. I was using the film both with and without a red-orange filter attached to the front of the lens. The filter usage was depending on light conditions.
For many years Kentmere Pan 100 and 400 were exclusively available in 135mm format. Finally, in 2022 it was introduced in 120-format. Since I use medium (and large) format cameras extensively and 35mm cameras more rarely, I had little experience with the film before it was available for medium format cameras. In April 2023 I decided to give it a real try and ordered 10 rolls.
Quality control
Kentmere Pan 100 and 400 are manufactured at the same facility and by the same people that produce the famous Ilford Photo films Ilford Delta 100, Delta 400, HP5+, FP4+, XP 2 Super 400, Ortho and SFX 200. For more than 140 years Ilford Photo has been tantamount to quality. Today, both the Ilford Photo and the Kentmere Pan product ranges are manufactured by Harman Technology Ltd. in the UK. When Ilford Photo acquired Kentmere Photographic in 1999 there was a fear that the Kentmere branded products would increase in price. Fortunately, it did not happen.
A true classic emulsion
What is so special about Kentmere Pan 400? Actually nothing except the price. This emulsion is as classic as it can be and has a cubic grain technology similar to Ilford HP5+ and Kodak Tri-X Pan. It yields fine grain, but can't compete with the super fine grain like Ilford Delta 400 and Kodak T-Max 400 (which are designed with a more modern grain technology). However there are advantages with classic cubing grain. The film grain will be more visible in your final images, whether you enlarge in a darkroom or prefer to scan them into digital files. If you prefer a defined analog look, the slight appearance of grain will be perfect for you. Another advantage is that you will have more flexibility when it comes to exposure when using a classic film like Kentmere Pan 400. Cubic grain films allow for more underexposure without ruining the shadow detail. (This does NOT mean that you should underexposure deliberately, rather the opposite.)
Easy to use
Kentmere 400 is a really easy to use film. You can just expose it at ISO 400 (which is often referred to as “box speed”) and develop according to the manufacturer´s development tables (see link below) in any standard developer and the results will be good. Of course, you can always experiment with under- or overexposure and adjust the development times accordingly. If you want to render more shadow detail in the negative, it is recommended to lower the ISO (try with ISO 200) and decrease the development time. This is what usually is referred to as “pull processing”. The result will be a more fine grained negative with better sharpness and more shadow detail. If you are using this film in situations where ISO 400 is not sufficient, you can increase the ISO setting on your camera (or external light meter) and increase the development time accordingly. This is what usually is referred to as “push processing”. The final image will have less shadow detail, more contrast and more visible grain if you do push processing.
How does it compare?
I have not performed any direct comparison with similar emulsions from Kodak and Ilford. Ilford HP5+ is a film that would be relevant to compare with. It has the same basic technology, but with a more refined recipe. I have been using HP5+ in different formats up to 8x10 for decades and when judging the results from Kentmere Pan 400 I would say they give comparable results. Both have medium contrast and tone separation. Despite there is no public information on the spectral response of Kentmere Pan 400, my results when using orange and red-orange filters indicate that they have quite similar characteristics. Grain size and appearance is also quite similar. However, HP5+ is significantly more expensive at most dealers. The characteristics of Kentmere Pan 400 (and Ilford HP5+) are to a large extent also the case with Kodak Tri-X Pan. The Kodak emulsion, however, has a higher sensitivity towards red.
Conclusion
I was expecting quality results when having the Kentmere Pan 400 rolls developed. The contrast and the tonal rendition was like expected, but the grain was finer than I had anticipated. After running 10 rolls through my Mamiya 6MF during my trips to Croatia and Poland in May 2023 i can conclude that you can easily achieve results that comply with professional standards when using Kentmere Pan 400. Even the most discerning analog photographer should be pleased with the results you can achieve with this film.
Did you try Kentmere Pan films yourself? Feel free to leave a comment below.
And have a look at the image gallery below to make your opinion about Kentmere Pan 400.
Click here to download Kenmere Pan 400 film processing chart.
Click here to download Kentmere Pan 400 Technical Data Sheet (PDF)
All photos published with this article are made with a Mamiya 6MF camera, Sekor 1:3.5/75mm, Sekor 1:4/50mm lenses and Kentmere Pan 400 in 120 format.
Bjørn Joachimsen
