Kodak Tech Pan Advice Needed

[3 Olives]

I have never used Kodak Tech Pan before but found some at a very good price and couldn't pass it up. I intend to use the first roll for portraits/street photos. I am considering using a Trip 35 for the first roll to keep things simple.
I would like to eliminate as much trial and error as possible, and any advice will be welcome.

 

[julio1fer]

I shot Tech Pan only once, in 120 size. I exposed at ISO 25 and developed in Rodinal 1:100, with good results.

It is a great film - you can't see the grain, very easy to scan.

 

[Tom A]

Tech Pan is very finicky to use. When you think you get it licked - it throws a curveball. It is very sensitive to high contrast - you either get good shadow and no highlights - or good high lights and no shadow details!
Developing it is a bit tricky. It is really a graphics arts high contrast film.
You need to establish a speed and a developer that will work for you. I do recommend that you use one roll for testing before shooting anything important with it.
Without going into "brew your own" developers (Delagi D8, Beutler etc) try the film with some bracketed shots (20/40/50 iso) and try Rodinal 1:200 stand development for 120 min. Ususally you wont see much difference with a panchromatic film between 40 and 50 iso - but with Technical Pan you will notice it.
Try to shoot your testroll under similar lightconditions that you ultimately will be using the film in.

 

[colyn]

I've never used it for portraits etc. Just high contrast work.

Below is a sample shot at ASA 200 with a red filter and developed in Dektol paper developer for 4 minutes.

 

[ZeissFan]

It works best in Technidol, which is difficult to find because neither the film nor the developer is made any longer.

This is a shot from China, near a section of the Great Wall. The highlights burned out a bit, but not horribly so. Probably helped by the single-coated Sonnar (f/1.5 50mm).

 

[Fotohuis]

I can advice you the Rollei ATP1.1 (Advanced Technical Pan) which is made in 35mm and 120 roll film.
Developing you can do in the ATP-DC or Rollei Low Contrast (RLC) a low contrast document developer.

Use demi water due to the fact low contrast document developers are very sensitive for metal ions in the water. You will get black dots in the film emulsion which is irreversable to get rid of it.

I checked the film also with Rodinal 1+150, not impossible but very slow speed (iso 15). With the ATP-DC yoiu can shoot on iso 32-40 with this film and with the RLC iso 20-25.

Best regards,

Robert

 

[FrozenInTime]

In the past I used cold ( 20°C ) C-41 first developer for 9 minutes it worked as well as technidol. Then use B&W stop and fix not color bleach fix !

 

[Mike Richards]

Amazing Grain

Amazing Grain

It is a great film - you can't see the grain, very easy to scan.

Amen. Here's an example taken with my Hassy some years ago. Tech Pan 120 in Technidol. Scanned with Nikon 9000 at 4000 dpi. The inset shows actual pixels 270x240, from the indicated box on the image. Only levels adjustment, no other PS manipulation, grain or otherwise.

 

[Bob Michaels]

TechPan is a great example that all films are compromises of grain size, sharpness, tonality, contrast range, ease of handling and film speed. TechPan sacrifices everything else for fine grain and sharpness. It seemed to do that better than anything else. But everything it gave up to get there made it a very special purpose film for me and I gave up on it.

Sorry I cannot be of any technical help as both TechPan and Technidol developer was readily available back when I was using it.

 

[colyn]

Colyn, that is a killer shot.

Thanks

I did this photo several years ago and it is still one of my favorites..

I just love the super high contrast stuff. And I miss Tech Pan! I've got some Rollei ATP and Adox CMS 20 in the fridge that I'm itching to get into... 🙂

I too miss it. I'm going to have to give the Rollei film a shot and see how it does..