Kodak Technical Pan

Discontinued in 2004. It is an ultra-slow, nearly grainless film originally made for copying documents and photographing the stars. It is brutal to develop well.

How it behaves

This roll is long expired. It was contrasty and finicky even when fresh, more a collector roll than a shooter roll at this point. Overexpose roughly one stop per decade past expiry as a starting point. Contrast runs extremely high in general-purpose developers like D-76; it becomes a pictorial film only in low-contrast developers such as Technidol or highly dilute developers. It must be developed in total darkness.

Questions people ask

Why is Technical Pan so hard to shoot?

Its contrast runs extremely high in normal developers. It only behaves as a pictorial film in low-contrast or highly dilute developers, and it was finicky even when fresh.

How should you rate an expired Technical Pan roll?

The starting point is about one stop per decade past expiry. Many shooters rate old rolls at EI 12.

Is Technical Pan really nearly grainless?

Yes, per both sources. Unmatched fine grain and extreme resolving power, with five stars for grain and sharpness.