Ilford Pan F+ 50 First Timer

bvy · Jul 13, 2012

My wife, not a photographer, bought this film for me for my birthday (Ilford Pan F Plus 50, 35mm). She said she bought it because the reviews sounded good. It's nothing I would have chosen to shoot -- not yet. But I'm up for a challenge.

I'm thinking I'll load it in my Yashica T5 (T4 Super) and take some headshots of my family and other loved ones. This is slow film, so I think these portraits will have to be outdoors. I know the T4/T5 is known to have a (relatively) bright flash (so Terry Richardson would make us believe). But is it bright enough to use indoors or in suboptimal lighting? Will the flash add anything indoors? What I don't have a good understanding of is how film speed and on-camera flash work together. I seem to remember reading that the T4/T5 flash is "optimized" for 400 speed film.

Also, I have D76 on hand, but I have an itching to try developing it in Perceptol. I've read that Perceptol also works well with Neopan Acros 100, which I have a good supply of.

Any help is appreciated.

markbarendt · Jul 13, 2012

Shoot at box speed and follow the instruction sheet.

Pioneer · Jul 13, 2012

I use this in 35mm and 120 and I like it. I have used it indoors but it is actually more of an outdoor film for me. It holds up really well to contrasty scenes, especially when developed in Rodinal 1:50. If you don't develop your own, send it to DR5 Chrome and they will do it right. A little expensive but certainly worth it.

I love using this film to take shots of my family during our summer picnics at the park, they come out very good. Try it out, I think you will enjoy how it handles bright sunlight.

Worker 11811 · Jul 13, 2012

In my experience, XTOL produces nice pictures with Pan F+.

If you find the contrast to be a little harsh, slow your agitation down.
Manufacturer's instructions say to use 5 inversions/agitations per 10 seconds instead of the usual 5-in-5 but I have been advised by a certain someone from Ilford that an even gentler agitation scheme might be useful.

Personally, I like the "brassy" look of Pan F+ so I don't usually try to cut contrast very much.

I find that this film likes a lot of light. By that, I don't mean that it takes more light to expose it correctly. I mean something like a bright, sunny day or a bright day with overcast skies.

I shot some really nice pictures indoors with direct sunlight coming through a large picture window at about 4:00 in the afternoon.

You shouldn't have any problem shooting Pan F+ outdoors any time from late morning/early afternoon through golden hour on any day when it's sunny.

PhotoJim · Jul 13, 2012

It's a great film. Go shoot some landscapes with it; in my opinion that's what it's best at. You could also do urban photography with it in good light, particularly with reasonably fast lenses.

The grain is very fine and it prints beautifully.

Tony-S · Jul 13, 2012

bvy said:
Also, I have D76 on hand, but I have an itching to try developing it in Perceptol. I've read that Perceptol also works well with Neopan Acros 100, which I have a good supply of.

Yeah, I like Pan F+ at ISO 25 then developed in Perceptol 1+2 at 72F for 11 min. Brings out the shadows and retains the highlights. I also use Perceptol 1+2 at 72F for 16 min with Acros at 100 ISO. I prefer Pan F+ for landscapes/architecture and Acros for people pics.

Gerald C Koch · Jul 14, 2012

Be careful with this film as it builds contrast very rapidly in some developers. I personally do not consider it an ISO 50 film and shoot it at less and develop it in D-23 1+1.

Roger Cole · Jul 14, 2012

Agree it's lovely film and builds contrast quickly. Be careful with D76 - an ok combination but do NOT overdevelop.

I really like it in Diafine. I shoot it at box speed or EI 64. Superb combo. This is 6x6 PanF+ in Diafine:

Apalachicola Beach 1 by Roger Cole, on Flickr

Double Negative · Jul 14, 2012

I love this film, especially in Xtol 1:1 and in medium format. Very smooth and detailed.

Felinik · Jul 14, 2012

Pioneer said:
It holds up really well to contrasty scenes, especially when developed in Rodinal 1:50.

+1 on that, I develop PAN-F 50 with rodinal/r09 1:100 stand dev. 60 mins, and the result is always great! (I'm shooting 99% outdoors).

TareqPhoto · Jul 14, 2012

It is one of my Ilford favorite films, and i think it is the only ISO50 film i like, just know how to shoot it and then develop it, i did once with Ilfosol 3 even not perfect combo maybe but i've got decent nice results, and TMAX even done a better job, not so perfect with D-76 so i will avoid it for this film.

Good luck, and show us the result when you do.

cliveh · Jul 14, 2012

bvy said:
My wife, not a photographer, bought this film for me for my birthday (Ilford Pan F Plus 50, 35mm). She said she bought it because the reviews sounded good. It's nothing I would have chosen to shoot -- not yet. But I'm up for a challenge.

I'm thinking I'll load it in my Yashica T5 (T4 Super) and take some headshots of my family and other loved ones. This is slow film, so I think these portraits will have to be outdoors. I know the T4/T5 is known to have a (relatively) bright flash (so Terry Richardson would make us believe). But is it bright enough to use indoors or in suboptimal lighting? Will the flash add anything indoors? What I don't have a good understanding of is how film speed and on-camera flash work together. I seem to remember reading that the T4/T5 flash is "optimized" for 400 speed film.

Also, I have D76 on hand, but I have an itching to try developing it in Perceptol. I've read that Perceptol also works well with Neopan Acros 100, which I have a good supply of.

Any help is appreciated.

Pan F is a beautiful film and I develop it at 68F/20C for 14 minutes in D76 at 1:1

IloveTLRs · Jul 15, 2012

I find it a FANTASTIC film and always keep a bulk roll on ice (135.)

Even though it's ASA 50 film, I shoot it in on everything from sunny to rainy days, in the evenings, and in poor light on purpose. I've found it great for long night shots of 20 ~ 30 seconds, too.

I found it to be ho-hum in D-76, pretty good in HC-110 and gorgeous in Rodinal. I don't do things scientifically though, so Your Mileage May Vary, etc.

zsas · Jul 15, 2012

Your wife has great taste! I bulk load it and shoot it at 25 with a medium yellow filter (K2) for all types of light and find it a joy...

Ilford Pan F+ 50 First Timer

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