Much of this post will be a cut, paste, and edit from my test post about Kentmere Pan 400.
Before hearing about the release of Kentmere Pan 100 120 I had not really paid any attention to its 35mm variant. Had nothing against it. Just never thought to try it. Learned a few things due to its release and reading articles written about it.
- It is produced by Ilford and I have regularly used XP2 and HP5.
- Considered their lower priced tier of films and not as detailed as it contains less silver.
- That is what I read anyway.
- As a result the 120 version is very affordable at around $6.
- And last but not least its greater surface area offsets the 35mm version’s lack of sharpness.
What is that you say? Lower price and acceptable results?
Yes, please.
So I picked up a couple of rolls each of 100 and 400. Having tried 400 I decided to give 100 a try. Developed at home with Cinestll df96.
For a camera to run it through I chose to reduce human error as much as possible by using the nearly bulletproof Pentax 645N and 75mm f/2.8.
Here are 15 of 16 images (Rather than the typical 15 courtesy of the 645N.) photos from the test roll. The 16th came out but was a shot I took of a random street to kill the roll. Will add some thoughts afterward.
Result? It is a great film. While it may not be as sharp as Ilford HP5 in 120 strength…
…or the B&W made to be developed in CS41 120 variant Ilford XP2…
…it does not need to be.
I like the look of it and would buy it on its own merits. Will not go on and on about the look of the film. Briefly stated it has a mellow, smooth look that is relatively free of grain while retaining an acceptable level of detail. If you like the sample shots it would not hurt to give it a try.
The fact that it costs a little less than $6 is an added bonus. A win in my book
-ELW
Eric L. Woods 