Kodak Tech Pan in a Minox? Developer?

JohnSiskin

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So, I've lost or perhaps mislaid my mind. I want to shoot Kodak Tech Pan in Minox cameras. I have close to 100 feet of Kodak Tech Pan which has been frozen for a long time. A very long time. Back when I got it you could get prepared developers, not so much now. I note that people used POTA back in the day, but I don't have any formula for POTA. That could be a start. Does anyone have any other recommendations? My standard developer is Xtol, had good results with that. Any suggestions. Attached image is from my first roll through a Minox (LX) in many years. Delta 100 processed in Xtol. Thanks so much for your attention
 

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Don_ih

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JohnSiskin said:
formula for POTA
Click to expand...

1 l water
30 g sulfite
1.5 g phenidone

you can dissolve the phenidone in alcohol first, if you want. You can scale the recipe. You develop for about 15-20 minutes. Use it fast since it dies quickly.,
 

xkaes

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Tech Pan, like micro films, is great for Minox. POTA is one developer, but there are lots of others, plus different developing strategies to reduce the contrast. A lot of that means reducing the ISO, and running some tests to get it the way you want it.

Let us know how it goes.

I plan on running some IR film through a Minox soon -- and have to test filters, developers, etc., et.c
 

dynachrome

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The unblinkingeye website had starting points for using Ilford Microphen diluted 1:5, I think, for using document films for continuous tone work. I tried it on a few films, including Kodak Imagelink HQ, with good results.
 

Nicholas Lindan

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Photographers' Formulary sells "TD-3" developer for Tech Pan. I've never tried it as I still have some hoarded Technidol left; Technidol, at least in the foil packets, seems as long lived as Tech Pan itself. I've never gotten good results with POTA.

Some claim good results with dilute developers - different strokes for different folks. I never liked the results. But then I have been given to understand that some people actually like rap 'music' - so anything is possible.

Tech Pan isn't a microfilm. Microfilm is made from an emulsion with all the same sized grains of silver salts - as a result it is either 'on' or 'off' - it is pretty hard to get continuous tone results as the very small variation in grain size has to be exploited to the maximum. Tech Pan is a continuous tone film, albeit a high contrast one. With high contrast development it finds use in electron & optical microscopy - it's use as a pictorial film seems to have been discovered by accident.

Both Tech Pan and microfilm respond to the same development regimes. Tech Pan just does it better. I don't know if anyone has tried Technidol with microfilm.

Tech Pan seems to have gone through a reformulation in the mid 1980's and it's grain got visibly coarser, though still the finest stuff around, the results were comparable to Panatomic-X/Microdol.

There seem to be similarities between Tech Pan and the old Solar Patrol film, used to monitor the sun for solar flares. The extended red sensitivity of Tech Pan was great for capturing the 'hydrogen line' emissions from stars. This made the film a favorite with astronomers. It used to be common to 'hyper' the film with H2/N2 - hydrogen & nitrogen. I suspect somewhere in Tech Pan's genealogy was a film developed by Kodak for taking pictures of thermonuclear bomb explosions.

Because of it's extended red sensitivity Tech Pan works very well with a red 25A filter. For the ultimate in black skies use Tech Pan with a 25A and a polarizer.
 
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dokko

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xkaes

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dokko said:
they are commercial products, so understandably they don't publish their formulas.
Click to expand...

I understand that, but there are usually lots of formulas for commercially available developers -- either known to be exact, believed to be close, or assumed to do the same thing.

I'd appreciate any of the three.
 

oxcanary

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I have some great pictures on my wall from Technical Pan. I developed the negatives in Rodinal 1+300 for 12 minutes.
 

Romanko

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Barry Thornton's Two Bath developer tames the contrast of Technical Pan to some extent. You can further control contrast by reducing the concentration of metaborate in Part B.
I rated TechPan at EI 16 or 25.
 
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JohnSiskin

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Thanks everyone! I appreciate all the ideas. I've ordered the Photographers Formulary stuff, ordering the other chems later today. I'll share the results
 

loccdor

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oxcanary said:
I have some great pictures on my wall from Technical Pan. I developed the negatives in Rodinal 1+300 for 12 minutes.
Click to expand...

I will probably do something like that to try the one roll I have in 35mm.
 

destroya

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i stopped using phenidone developers with my tech pan as I was getting weird streaking in skies. I found I get the best results using straight C41 developer.
 

John Wiegerink

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oxcanary said:
I have some great pictures on my wall from Technical Pan. I developed the negatives in Rodinal 1+300 for 12 minutes.
Click to expand...
+1. That is what I used years back when playing with TechPan film. Just make sure you have enough volume of developer. When I used it I would use a two reel 120 tank with just one reel and near full of developer.
 

Craig

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Apparently the Tech Pan developer is POTA with a preservative to give a more stable shelf life. Tech pan is very sensitive to agitation, so follow the Kodak recommendations carefully and be consistent roll to roll.
 

Marcelo Paniagua

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Only used POTA on Aviphot but not Tech pan. Normally give it 15-17 min. Minimal agitation.
Also keep in mind you lose one full speed step. I use Aviphot 200 at 80 ISO with good results
 
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