Kodak Tech Pan 25, 35mm roll left-over, expired 2003. EI compensation and development?

lpt10 · Sep 15, 2023

Hi
I have a left-over roll of Kodak Tech Pan 25, 35mm, from 2001 which expired in 2003. It wasn't kept in a fridge, but in a cool place, around 21°C all year around, plus minus 1°C. I plan on using it, however i have a few doubts. What EI should i rate this film to, taking into consideration it's 20 years over its expiration date? What about development? If my memory serves me right, it required a special developer, Kodak Technidol to tame its contrast.
In your view what would be the expected tonal range for such a film and which would be the ideal developer or development method these days for it?
Thanks

lamerko · Sep 15, 2023

I would shoot it at 25 EI. But you really need to tame its contrast

Alan Johnson · Sep 15, 2023

https://125px.com/docs/film/kodak/p255-2000_02.pdf

See page 2, for a more normal contrast the EI is given for developers that are (were?) widely available.

lpt10 · Sep 18, 2023

Thank you for your time. So, do i understand correctly that even after all these years, expired in 2003, you would still expose it at 25 EI?

Romanko · Sep 18, 2023

I have a roll of 70 mm Tech Pan expired about the same time and it seems to work at EI 16 to 25. I am still experimenting with developers. Barry Thornton's 2 Bath gave the best results so far. I will try POTA next.

Craig · Sep 18, 2023

When tech pan was still current, I exposed some at 25 and developed in Technidol and I thought the negatives were thin. They were hard to print, but scanned well. An extra stop would not have hurt them, so I'd start at an EI of 12.

Nicholas Lindan · Sep 18, 2023

It should be close to box speed. I expose at EI 12 and develop in Technidol adhering to Kodak's instructions but with a 10% pull on developing time.

I have 500+ft of Tech Pan and a brick of carts in the freezer but I'm running out of Technidol. Not sure what I'll do then. Die of a broken heart?

I've tried POTA with no joy. Haven't tried the Photographers' Formulary developer though I have some sitting in the chemicals cupboard.

OrientPoint · Sep 18, 2023

I have 70mm Tech Pan expired in 1990 that I shoot at EI 25 with good results. I don't think you'll go wrong with the advice to shoot at EI 12 or 25. This particular film doesn't seem to age.

OrientPoint · Sep 18, 2023

Nicholas Lindan said:
It should be close to box speed. I expose at EI 12 and develop in Technidol adhering to Kodak's instructions but with a 10% pull on developing time.

I have 500+ft of Tech Pan and a brick of carts in the freezer but I'm running out of Technidol. Not sure what I'll do then. Die of a broken heart?

I've tried POTA with no joy. Haven't tried the Photographers' Formulary developer though I have some sitting in the chemicals cupboard.

I've used Photographer's Formulary TD-3 often. It works really well, but in my experience it only keeps for a couple of months and then dies. Since it's not cheap I tend to only use it when have a bunch or sheets or rolls to process. Otherwise I've used C-41 developer and dilute Rodinol with stray rolls of TechPan with some success... but you do lose that etched sharpness that you get with Technidol and TD-3.

Bill Burk · Sep 18, 2023

lpt10 said:
Thank you for your time. So, do i understand correctly that even after all these years, expired in 2003, you would still expose it at 25 EI?

Yes. A developer like Technidol will help you get the most from this naturally high contrast film.

You can be experimental, shoot it at 200 and get stark graphic results in a regular developer.

Romanko · Sep 19, 2023

Anyone knows what's in Technidol or TD-3 and how they are different from POTA?

Nicholas Lindan said:
I've tried POTA with no joy.

Still too much contrast compared to Technidol?

Bill Burk · Sep 20, 2023

Nicholas Lindan said:
It should be close to box speed. I expose at EI 12 and develop in Technidol adhering to Kodak's instructions but with a 10% pull on developing time.

I have 500+ft of Tech Pan and a brick of carts in the freezer but I'm running out of Technidol. Not sure what I'll do then. Die of a broken heart?

I've tried POTA with no joy. Haven't tried the Photographers' Formulary developer though I have some sitting in the chemicals cupboard.

Do you use/prefer the powder or vials? How low are you? I think I have some of each, but not much TechPan … so I could spare some

Tony-S · Sep 23, 2023

I think 510 Pyro works well with Technical Pan. It’s easy to make from scratch and has a shelf life of a couple of years. Here are a couple of examples using an expired 100 foot roll of 135 that was in a drawer at room temp for 15 years or so. Shot with a Canon F-1n, FDn 35mm f/2, ASA 25. Processed in 510 Pyro using semistand development of 20 min at 70F. Water for 2 min, then developer (1:300) with 30" inversion, then 15" inversion at 10 min, water stop and Ilford rapid fixer.

510-PYRO
TEA 75 ml
Ascorbic acid 5 g
Pyrogallol 10 g
Phenidone 0.25 g
TEA to make 100 ml

Trask · Sep 23, 2023

Tony-S said:
I think 510 Pyro works well with Technical Pan. It’s easy to make from scratch and has a shelf life of a couple of years. Here are a couple of examples using an expired 100 foot roll of 135 that was in a drawer at room temp for 15 years or so. Shot with a Canon F-1n, FDn 35mm f/2, ASA 25. Processed in 510 Pyro using semistand development of 20 min at 70F. Water for 2 min, then developer (1:300) with 30" inversion, then 15" inversion at 10 min, water stop and Ilford rapid fixer.

View attachment 349654

View attachment 349655

510-PYRO
TEA 75 ml
Ascorbic acid 5 g
Pyrogallol 10 g
Phenidone 0.25 g
TEA to make 100 ml

Your photos look great. I notice that the formula you provide is the "old" 510-Pyro formula -- per Pictoral Planet (http://www.pictorialplanet.com/advanced_photography/510_pyro.html) Jay De Fehr updated the formula to 5g, 10g, 0.375 g "to optimise the three way relationship between pyrogallol, ascorbic acid and phenidone." So depending on where one gets the 510-Pyro, or mixes it oneself, the developer time may have to be adjusted.

Craig · Sep 23, 2023

The later datsheet for Tech Pan says that Xtol for 9 min at 21°C gives a contrast of 0.60, which is about right where you want it for pictoral use. Apparently tech pan is quite sensitive to agitation so be as consistant as possible with it.

Kodak Tech Pan 25, 35mm roll left-over, expired 2003. EI compensation and development?

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