New Ilford Large Format Film?

[retina_restoration]

I've never been able to get results from Pan-F that I thought were anywhere near usable. I obviously don't understand that film and how to use it. It mystified me every time I tried to work with it and I disliked the images it gave me. *shrug*

 

[Lachlan Young]

I've never been able to get results from Pan-F that I thought were anywhere near usable.

It's well behaved with ID-11/ Microphen/ Perceptol and their close relatives. It hasn't got the margins for user error/ more off-kilter chemistry that other Ilford materials have.

 

[Agulliver]

I've never been able to get results from Pan-F that I thought were anywhere near usable. I obviously don't understand that film and how to use it. It mystified me every time I tried to work with it and I disliked the images it gave me. *shrug*

I occasionally shoot PanF in 135 and 120....and have always had good results in ID-11 or Microphen. Last time was my trip to Japan just over a year ago, the weather was generally bright and PanF worked very well with the subjects I was photographing - shrines, temples, skyscrapers mostly.

 

[Ian Grant]

It's well behaved with ID-11/ Microphen/ Perceptol and their close relatives. It hasn't got the margins for user error/ more off-kilter chemistry that other Ilford materials have.

Bill Spears, who used to be active on this Forum, was making exceptionally high quality images with Pan F in his RB67, processed in Perceptol at 1+2. It's a dilution that seems to tame Pan F well.

Ian

 

[Laurent]

My best shot using Pan-F was a mistake, as I exposed it @ 250 iso, so I overdevelopped a lot and got a very graphic image...

But I'd absolutely welcome something not too expensive and close enough to TXP320 I used during my first foray in LF.

 

[Milpool]

It’s a fine film, but Delta 100 outperforms it on all fronts with an extra stop of speed. I can’t imagine many people will stick with Pan F sheet film after the first box but I guess there was some sort of business case for this.

It's well behaved with ID-11/ Microphen/ Perceptol and their close relatives. It hasn't got the margins for user error/ more off-kilter chemistry that other Ilford materials have.

 

[AZD]

I know we can be a picky lot, and any new release is welcome, but… meh. Literally any other Ilford/Kentmere film not currently available in sheets would have piqued my interest. This just doesn’t. I have a hard time seeing what advantage is offered here unless you happen to already love PanF, which seems to be uncommon.

But you know, good for Ilford. It’ll generate some buzz, a few people will make very low grain, high contrast images, and… no, that’s it I think.

 

[AZD]

I can’t imagine many people will stick with Pan F sheet film after the first box but I guess there was some sort of business case for this.

Based on everything that was said in the past about coating challenges and potentially low demand, I have to wonder if there was some other commercial/industrial that needed a bunch of slow sheet film. Or some necessarily updates to accommodate materials changes for other Ilford products suddenly made this viable? Dunno, can only speculate.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

In regards to Pan-F, I've quite liked it in D-23, 1+1 to 1+3, or even with a wee bit of sodium hydroxide added for extra sharpness. I always expose it at EI 25. I would be quite pleased if Ilford offered this in sheet film! Heck, I'll even take some Kentmere 400 in sheets!

 

[analogwisdom]

Ilford Pan F Plus 50 ISO 8x10 25 sheets

Ilford Pan F Plus ISO 50 is the slowest of the Ilford films, Outstanding range of tone and detail when the film is carefully exposed and processed

www.freestylephoto.com

Ilford Pan F Plus 50 ISO 4x5 25 sheets

Ilford Pan F Plus ISO 50 is the slowest of the Ilford films, Outstanding range of tone and detail when the film is carefully exposed and processed

www.freestylephoto.com

 

[AZD]

My best results were also at 25, but with D76 1+1, Argus C3 with a K2 filter. Other than the filter, all that adds up to reducing overall contrast.

Worst results have been at 50, D76 straight, and a 50/1.4 Takumar Super Multi Coated. Far too much contrast. Of course it could be improved, but I considered it not worth the continued experimentation.

 

[isaac7]

I got some great results with Panf with DR5 developer 2. It had a deep, metallic sepia look to it. Certainly not a general use combo but I loved it.

 

[AZD]

That makes me wonder - how suitable would PanF be for alternative processes? Maybe there’s a niche for it there since LF is the springboard for alternative methods? Perhaps I’m judging it too harshly?

 

[pbromaghin]

Ilford Pan F Plus 50 ISO 8x10 25 sheets

Ilford Pan F Plus ISO 50 is the slowest of the Ilford films, Outstanding range of tone and detail when the film is carefully exposed and processed

www.freestylephoto.com

Ilford Pan F Plus 50 ISO 4x5 25 sheets

Ilford Pan F Plus ISO 50 is the slowest of the Ilford films, Outstanding range of tone and detail when the film is carefully exposed and processed

www.freestylephoto.com

2 hours later It’s sold out. Maybe it’s more popular than people here might think.

 

[Milpool]

2 hours later It’s sold out. Maybe it’s more popular than people here might think.

Everyone will instabuy one box.

 

[Luckless]

2 hours later It’s sold out. Maybe it’s more popular than people here might think.

I just saw a post on Threads with a photo of a large format camera and "Scale changes everything.... 7th May", and can't find anything official about the release or any other shops with it up... And fairly sure it is only the 5th, so I'm going with "Someone messed up and opened the shop early and then closed it to avoid getting too much hand slapping".

 

[DREW WILEY]

Pan F would seem dead on arrival with alt processes. For that, one typically needs a very long scale film, just the opposite of Pan F. But someone will no doubt try, or perhaps they'll reconfigure the curve after scanning to make a secondary digital negative.

My best results with it have always been with a modified PMK pyro tweak which handles the highlight gradation better, keeping it from shouldering off so fast, and rated at 25; but that's in relation to conventional silver gelatin printing.

It develops quite fast, so too much density is just a matter of overdoing it. But that doesn't necessarily mean you'll get good gradation. Shadows can some out rather disappointing because the film just doesn't see down there. It has an exaggerated S-curve with very little straight line. For Zonies, you're really looking at a Z3 to Z7 dynamic range film, with limited malleability.

Maybe Ilford is just wiggling their toes in the water to see what happens. The real question is if there are any repeat buyers rather than just curiosity seekers. And Freestyle was probably just wiggling their toes in the water too; we have no idea how many boxes of 4x5 they themselves purchased in advance.

In this area Pan F roll film barely sells at all, whereas FP4 and HP5 sell well even in 4x5 everywhere a reasonable selection of film exists, and it common to see a token box or two of 8x10 on shelves too. I'm certainly not bad-mouthing Pan F; I've made some lovely prints due to it. But I certainly wouldn't call it a versatile film.

 

[blee1996]

2 hours later It’s sold out. Maybe it’s more popular than people here might think.

I think Freestyle jump the gun too early, and inadvertently spoiled the "surprise" by Ilford... I'm quite sure it will be available everywhere after May'7.

On another note, I had good results from Pan F+ 50 in 135 and 120. I was using plain vanilla F76+ and Adox FX-39 II (both 1+9), just need to keep the temperature low and agitation gentle. It is a bit more contrasty than FP4+, but I was able to tame down in post-processing since I was doing scanning instead of darkroom printing then.

 

[Lachlan Young]

It’s a fine film, but Delta 100 outperforms it on all fronts with an extra stop of speed. I can’t imagine many people will stick with Pan F sheet film after the first box but I guess there was some sort of business case for this.

I think a lot of it is the fast-barrel-lens-and-Sinar/Packard-shutter fandom.

 

[MattKing]

Perhaps Harman is planning to move film over to polyester substrate, and Fan-F is a good product to start the engineering work on.

 

[DREW WILEY]

I have exactly one lens which benefits from long exposures because I never fitted it to a shutter yet, so have to use lenscap manual style exposure timing. And I use that exclusively for 8x10, and seldom.

 

[Craig]

I'd rather go to the other end of the spectrum and have Delta 400 in sheets again (like they did in the early 1990's) than Pan F. I'd much rather shoot Delta 400 than HP5.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

What??? Ilford actually did put out Pan-F in 8x10???? Anyone know what Freestyle was asking for a box of it?

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

@DREW WILEY I disagree. I contact printed a 120 Pan-F neg for a Kallitype, and it was quite fine.

 

[DREW WILEY]

All the Ilford sheet films are already on PET base, and to my knowledge, never were on triacetate.

Adaptation of 120 roll film would be a whole different ballgame.