Ilford’s Pan F Plus (which I sometimes condense to PanF+) is probably my overall favorite film. I discovered it shortly after I started shooting film and I quickly latched onto it as my “go to” film for outdoor situations.
Before we get into the film review, I just want to mention that this is a non-technical review. We won’t be examining the grain structure, sharpness, color rendition, or anything else overly technical. Think of this as a practical review from a regular photographer.
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About Pan F Plus
Ilford Pan F Plus is an ISO-50 black and white film available in 35mm
Shooting with Pan F Plus
Bright light and fast lenses are your friends when you shoot with Pan F Plus. The film is ideal for outdoor sunlit situations, though it can also be used to gain extra exposure time in lower light.
The ISO speed rating for the film is 50, but it can be exposed between (exposure index) EI-12 and EI-400 depending on the developer and processing. I’ve only taken it to EI-25, EI-50, and EI-100 with no problems using Rodinal.
I typically expose at EI-25 so I can achieve wider apertures with my older cameras. When you have a camera that maxes out at 1/400 seconds on the shutter, you have to lower the speed of the film if you want to move away from small apertures and gain some extra DOF. If I need a faster film, I’ll just use something that’s more well suited — the grain in Pan F Plus becomes more apparent at EI-100.
Developing Pan F Plus
It seems that just about any developer will work on Pan F Plus, but check the massive dev chart if you’re unsure.
I’ve used Ilford Ilfosol 3 and Agfa Rodinal to develop the film. The Ilfosol 3 seems to work fine at EI-50, but I’ve never tried pushing or pulling with it (and there’s no data in the chart for that). The Rodinal appears to do a good job of keeping the grain down, and it has the added benefits of being able to push/pull (time) and control contrast (dilution).
In my experience, Pan F Plus is fairly susceptible to contrast changes when pushed or pulled with Rodinal. At EI-25, the negatives are fairly low contrast. And at EI-100, the negatives are fairly high contrast. Of course, these contrast levels can be somewhat compensated by varying the dilution.
Examples of Pan F Plus
Pan F Plus tends to have somewhat of an “oldschool” appearance to it, probably because of the slightly lower contrast than most films. The midtones are usually creamy smooth and transition well between highlights and shadows, and skin tone/contrast is captured well. When properly exposed and developed, the sharpness is like none other. Here are some varying examples of this amazing film.
photo credit: Brian Auer
photo credit: maz hewitt
photo credit: Brian Auer
photo credit: maz hewitt
photo credit: Brian Auer
photo credit: boklm
photo credit: magnusw
photo credit: PhilPankov.com
photo credit: ManWithAToyCamera
photo credit: tim_dFeel free to drop links to your own example photos shot on Pan F Plus!
July 7th, 2010 at 8:17 am
I’ll have to try a roll or 2 of this now that it’s summer. Still making my way through a huge stockpile of Tri-X 400
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July 7th, 2010 at 8:37 am
I have a batch of this in 35mm and 120 roll ready to go and am very excited about it
can you recommend a supplier for Rodinal?
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Brian Auer Reply:
July 7th, 2010 at 9:21 am
Freestyle Photo for the United States, but I’m not sure about the UK. They’ll only ground ship the stuff.
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/9720-Agfa-Rodinal-17-oz.?cat_id=301
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July 7th, 2010 at 9:13 am
I love this film. When I got my first roll developed, I didn’t like the low contrast, but then I realized that’s how it’s supposed to look. After using this film, it’s gotten difficult to enjoy any digital B&W.
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July 7th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Hm, I have to try this. The lower contrast could work very well for long-exposure shots. Are you stand-developing it with Rodinal? Also, do you know of any reciprocity data for this film?
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Brian Auer Reply:
July 7th, 2010 at 8:05 pm
I haven’t stand developed yet, but I might give it a try if I decide to push it past 100. And I believe the data sheet linked in the article has reciprocity data near the end of the document.
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Janne Reply:
July 7th, 2010 at 10:06 pm
The reciprocity chart is just Ilfords generic one they show for all their films. If we’re to believe it then every film they have, from Pan F to Delta 3200 to the C41-process XP2, should be compensated the same for long exposures. Which seems unlikely, considering how much reciprocity can vary in films from other manufacturers.
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July 7th, 2010 at 11:21 pm
Ilford’s reciprocity data works for me on PanF.
Rodinal in the UK is available from silverprint.co.uk and process-supplies.co.uk amongst others.
I’ve used it to stand develop (1 hr @ 1:100) some 6×12 pinhole photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/84511729@N00/3415864020
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July 8th, 2010 at 5:23 am
I’ve only shot this film once….and didn’t like it. But to be fair I shot it in extremely harsh light and it looked way contrasty…. go figure!
I have another roll so I’ll have to make an effort to shoot it with a bit more care.
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August 10th, 2010 at 10:16 am
Don, if you want low contrast Pan F+ negs, develop in Diafine.
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August 11th, 2010 at 5:01 am
I have been shot about 5 rolls of PAN F+. I did just start developing. I have been using Ilford DDX Ilford Stop Bath and Rapid Fixer. However, my negatives have been coming out purple. I have developed Delta’s before with out a problem. Any ideas?
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Andrew K Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 6:09 am
Max:
How long are you fixing for? It may be that the film needs to be fixed for a longer time then a final wash with distilled water & wetting agent
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Max Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
Andrew:
Last time I fixed for 1m30 Secs. I haven’t used the wash or wetting agent before…
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Tomas Webb Reply:
August 18th, 2010 at 1:49 am
Fixing with any fixer is 4 minutes minimum for fresh fixer, though I normally double that just in case.
Try using the leader or a small corner if using 120 in a small amount of fixer and time how long it clears. Double this time and your film will be fine.
August 18th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
Tomas:
I second your comment. Make sure you are using fresh fixer then finish with a final wash and then a wash with wetting agent (Kodak Photo-Flo or Ilford Ilfotol is what i use)
Essentially that purple/pink colour is the anti-halation dye coated onto the substrate to prevent light from scattering through the emulsion.
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September 6th, 2010 at 9:10 am
Really enjoyed this posting (and just got to it in my email) — will definitely have to get a few rolls!
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