Kentmere 200 is here!

I’ve been shooting Kentmere 100 and 400 for at least a decade, since I started buying the film in bulk from Ultrafine Online as Ultrafine Xtreme 100 and 400.  They have been dependable, lower-cost alternatives to Ilford FP4 and HP-5, as well as other b&w film choices.  So, you can imagine that I was pleased to see a new film from Ilford - Kentmere Pan 200.  A medium speed b&w film which is supposed to be fine grained, have medium-high contrast, and good sharpness.  What’s not to like about that?  I’ve been bulk-rolling Fomapan 200 and using it for some time, so I was definitely hoping that the Kentmere Pan 200 might be a better alternative.

I received 2 rolls of the Kentmere Pan 200 for testing from the FPP, and over the course of a couple of days, shot the two rolls with my Nikon F3HP and a 50mm f/2  Nikkor-H lens.  Certainly the sharpest lens in the drawer, and a great way to test the film.  I shot at a variety of apertures, but mostly around f/8 and f/11 in sunny conditions, and opened up to f/4 and f/2 when necessary.  Most of the shots were taken during the AVL camera Club camera meetup on April 27 in Asheville.

Roll 1 was developed in Kodak D-76 at full strength, for the recommended time of 7 1/2 minutes.

Roll 2 was developed in FPP D-96 for 8 1/2 minutes.  

My standard processing is develop for the listed time, wash - i.e., water stop, then fix for 8 minutes, and wash via the Ilford method.  I use JOBO reels and tanks, all done manually.  After the film dries, I scan it on my Epson V700 Photo scanner at 3200 DPI. You know what’s great about using an actual scanner, and not using a DSLR camera to “scan” the negatives?  I can write this post while the scanning is going on.  

Back to the Kentmere 200.  These were 24 exposure rolls, which was fine for reviewing the film, but in my typical practice, I’d want to use 36 exposure rolls.  The cassette is DX-coded, so for cameras that require a DX code, that is a plus.  ISO 200 hits that sweet spot between 100 and 400, and I was eager to see how my results fared.  

Roll 1 - Shot during the Asheville Camera Club meetup with the visiting Greensboro Photo Collective on April 27, 2025.  Developed in D-76 per Ilford’s instructions at 7.5 min.

Roll 2 - Shot on 4/27 and on 4/28,  finished up around my yard. Developed in FPP D-96 for 8/5 min.

Comments about the film

First of all, I like the way the film responds to a variety of lighting situations, and the grain is definitely less than Fomapan 200.  I normally tweak my images a bit from the scans to get what I want in a photo, but the Kentmere Pan 200 definitely did not need much of any “tweaking.”   The contrast that I found from this film was also very pleasing.  Not too contrasty, and not muddy, for sure.  The beauty of b&w films is that they can all do the same thing a bit differently from one another, but this film fits in with what I expect from a b&w image.  This is of course, very objective.  My expectations may be different from yours. 

Second, the film has a clear base, and sits absolutely flat in the scanner holder.  That’s a big plus for me. 

Third - Kentmere films have been reasonably priced (we'll see what Trump tariffs do), and the lower cost made me switch to them for a lot of my photography.  It’s rare that you get a bargain and excellent results.  I’ve not tested the 120 version of Kentmere Pan 200, but I expect that anyone that uses it should be happy with the results.

My final verdict is that Kentmere Pan 200 is worth a try, and it fills that niche of being of medium speed, making it rather versatile for anyone that wants a film with low grain and is of moderate contrast.  I definitely see it replacing Fomapan 200 as my go-to 200 ISO b&w film. Also, now that Kodak Double-X is becoming hard to get, Kentmere 200 definitely belongs in your camera.

The Nikon F3 - Only 45 years?

 45 years, pfft.

My F3HP was manufactured in 1994

This morning, I was scanning my IG feed, and saw a post from somewhere about this being the 45th anniversary of the introduction of the Nikon F3.  I hadn't thought too much about it, but I do have a T-shirt from Mike Padua's Shoot Film Co. with 1980 and a drawing of the Nikon F3.  It's an excellent T-shirt- heavy duty and well-made.

courtesy of Shoot Film Co.

I've owned my example of the Nikon F3HP since 2008, when I was given the mint-condition camera from my mentor, William Brudon. At the time, I had been using a beat-up F3 that I'd purchased on eBay a year before.  To say I was amazed  by this gift from my friend was an understatement. I don't think Bill had even run ten rolls of film through it. Over the years, it's become more and more my go-to camera for travel because I can always rely on it to perform flawlessly.  

Sept. 2023, AuSable Point Lighthouse, Ludington, MI. Nikon F3HP, SHD 100 film.

My F3HP's serial number is 1957804, and the date code under the rear door hinge is 64VN. According to this site my camera was manufactured in June, 1994.  So, it's really only 31 years old, but looks like it was made yesterday. I love the high-eyepoint viewfinder, which is perfect for a glasses wearer. As you can see in this photo of my camera, it currently has the old Nikkor-H 50mm f/2 lens attached.  It was converted to AI by the Nikon factory.  It remains one of the best 50mm lenses made, period.

I don't know how many rolls of film I have shot with this camera. More than 50, and less than 150, I suppose. In any case, it's a fine camera that is a joy to use.  It was made to be a professional's SLR, and as SLRs go, it had a long manufacturing run, from 1980 - 2000.  Even then, it was available as a new camera into the digital age.  

Ludington, MI, Sept. 2023. Nikon F3HP, Kodak XX.

If you want to know more about Nikon's F3, this site has a lot of great information in one place. https://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonf3ver2/index.htm

If you have never used a Nikon F3 before, it's an easy camera to work with.  The controls are obvious, with butter smooth operation.  All you can expect from a pro-grade SLR.

Floyd, VA, July 2024. Nikon F3HP, Ilford HP-5.

Ilford’s Mark V b&w cine film

 

Every once in a while, I see a film that I’d never heard of, and think “I have to try that!” Ilford has long been my favorite film supplier, and to see an old stock that I never knew existed, definitely piqued my interest.  For a while the Film Photography Project was selling this film that they called Mark V in 24-exposure rolls.  I think that Lance Rothstein is also selling it at his unusual expired film site. I didn’t know that Ilford manufactured film for the cine industry, but the Ilford Mark V film dates from 1978.  That indeed, is very expired.  After doing some research, I figured it was worth a shot with this film that expired the year I was married.  As you know, we have a rule of thumb regarding exposing expired film — which is that it typically loses 1 stop of sensitivity per decade.  Black and white films do a bit better with age, and the lower the ISO, the better the film survives.  Some films like the old Verichrome Pan, which was rated at ISO 125, seem to survive just about anything, with decent results on 50+ year old film.  The Mark V film was originally rated at ISO 400, and I looked at examples online, which are most often rated at ISO 50, so I went with that.

I loaded the film in my Nikon F3HP, which is one of my favorite Nikon SLRs. I didn’t shoot anything that was one-time thing, just in case the results sucked.  I finished the roll over the span of a couple of weeks, the last one being post-Helene, which devastated so many areas around me.  I developed the film in HC-110B for 6.5 minutes.  I must have been distracted, because after I rinsed with water, and poured in the fixer, it was actually from the jug of D-96, not fixer.  Oblivious to my error, I agitated the developing tank as usual, and then as I went to pour out the “fixer” into the jug, I saw my stupid error.  I rinsed the film again, and this time, poured in the fixer.  I didn’t know what I was going to get, but I figured that I really screwed up the roll.

After fixing and rinsing, I took the film off the roll and hung it to dry.  I could see that the film base was quite dark, but I could also see the frames - dark, but not opaque.  Once the film dried, I then scanned it in on my Epson V700, and I was pleased to see that the images actually looked pretty good!

Mark V film - it "cups" a bit and dies not lie flat in the scanner holder.

Here are a few examples from the roll.  

My thought on this is that it takes a lot to screw up a roll of film, especially b&w.  I basically double-developed the film, and yet I got usable images.  Unfortunately, I only purchased 1 roll of the Mark V, and now it is sold out.  Despite my best efforts to screw it up, the results were acceptable.

The film is obviously grainy, and the dark base is probably related to the age of the film.  Rating it at ISO 50 was a good choice, though.  Without knowing the history of how the film was stored, I’d say it did much better over time than I could have foreseen. 

Regarding b&w cine film — my current go-to is expired Eastman 5231, which is much like Kodak Plus-X.  I rate it at ISO 80, and have gotten stellar results using D-96 for 8 minutes.  While it’s a hard-to-find film, I have a source, and am really grateful to be able to shoot with it. The other b&w cine film choice is Kodak XX, or Eastman 5222. It’s a terrific film, and I used to buy it in bulk long before the cine film to 35mm stills became a big deal.  Another choice is Orwo UN54, which is an ISO 100 b&w film.  I have used it, and it’s a pretty decent emulsion.   So, there are other choices, but the Ilford Mark V must have been really nice back when it was fresh.  

One Roll Review - Svema MZ3

image courtesy of the Film Photography Project

It’s been a few years since I have shot with this film that’s available from the Film Photography Project store. I kept putting off shooting with it until I had a little project.  I decided to put a roll in my camera bag for my trip up to Ludington, MI last week. I knew that I’d have the opportunity to photograph in the dunes near Lake Michigan, so what better use for this ultra-low ISO film?

What is MZ3?

Like several other film stocks available from the FPP store, Svema is the manufacturer of MZ3. It’s an extremely fine-grained blue-sensitive (orthochromatic) film with an ISO of 3. It lacks an anti-halation layer, and the polyester film base is subject to light-piping. Light piping is when the light hitting the exposed film leader is carried by the film base farther into the canister. Usually, it mostly results in some exposure around the sprocket holes, but in severe cases, it can fog the first few frames. Therefore, MZ3 is one of those films that should be loaded either indoors or in the shade, and ought to be stored in opaque film canisters until used. Those new aluminum film cans that I see with some third-party film reloads would be ideal.

Since the MZ3 film is so slow, it’s going to be ideal for landscape, architecture, etc. However, with a fast lens of f/2, one could shoot handheld wide-open on a sunny day. Using sunny-16 as a guide, f/16 in full sun would be about 1/3 of a sec exposure.  The equivalent at f/4 would be 1/30 to 1/60 sec. Years ago, I shot MZ3 with a ND filter to get really long exposures at a busy area in Ann Arbor. Tripod-mounted, of course. 

I loaded the MZ3 into my trusty Nikon F3HP, which I consider to be one of Nikon’s best film SLRs. For me, it’s a great photographic tool that’s never let me down. I used manual exposure and an external light meter to make the photographs on this roll. I also used a tripod, since I was generally shooting at f/16. The ISO dial on the F3 only goes down to ISO 12, and at that setting, the exposure compensation dial only allows about +1.3 stops. So, manual exposure it was. If memory serves correct, most of my shots were around 1/8 sec.

After I returned home, I developed the MZ3 in HC110 dilution H for 9 minutes and 15 seconds. That gave me quite good tonality. Since this is a blue sensitive film, greens are quite dark, providing a lot of contrast between the sand and the vegetation.

light piping along the film rebate at the beginning of the roll

Here are some examples from that roll. Overall, I quite like the results, though some images needed more post-processing than I expected. That’s the fun aspect of these low-ISO oddball films - they are not going to be boring, that’s for sure. I highly recommend that you try this film - and since it does not require special developers to achieve good results, it’s a good choice for a really low-iso film experience.  The MZ3 definitely gave me a look quite different from a 100 ISO panchromatic film.

Single Roll Review - Orwo Wolfen NP100

In the past, I have felt that ORWO was not very good at their marketing.  They have a suite of very decent 35mm film stocks - most are cine-oriented,  and all were black and white emulsions.  The purchasing of their film in the US was complicated by the rather obtuse distribution methods.  That appears to have changed in the past year or so, with the release of their color film stock NC500, and the Wolfen NP100 films.  I’ve shot with both, and will deal with the C-41 film in a separate post.  

The box, but my roll was from the unboxed first run
(image from Orwo site)

Orwo’s film naming has of course,  been one of their odd quirks.  I’m sure people on the cine side of things know what films they are buying and their characteristics -- that’s not the case for a lot of 35mm still photography people.  A lot of photography hobbyists are swayed in their purchase decision by how cool the naming/packaging is, and there is ample evidence for that. Orwo, however, has kept on with their stodgy naming until the past year.  If you go to their site, it’s a big improvement over what I saw several years ago.  They are taking 35mm still photography more seriously, and have released some updated films as well as “new” ones.  If you look at the four Lomography branded kino films as well as the - ISO 13 and ISO 8 -  those are all Orwo cine stocks, which I have previously reviewed here.

So, I think the folks at Orwo finally realized that with the proper branding, their unique cine stocks were getting sales that they were not when it was just plain old Orwo branding, which was like no branding at all.   Now, with their Wolfen brand, they are making their way onto the shelves of stores (both brick and mortar and online) for enthusiasts to try out. That’s a good step forward.  From the promotional information - “Wolfen NP100 100 ISO 35mm x 36exp. Black and White Film from ORWO is an exceptionally fine grain 100 ASA film. This is one of the first brand new and professionally finished photo films launched by the company in decades, proudly still produced in Bitterfeld-Wolfen on the original site where film manufacture has been a tradition since 1910. 

NP100 differs from WOLFEN UN54 in that it has an additional dyed antihalation layer. This layer is positioned between the base material and the emulsion layer and has the task of preventing the formation of a reflection halo. This improves image sharpness.”  

The initial run of this film was said to be 36,000 36 exposure cassettes.

I purchased this film in February from the Freestyle Photo online store, and I finally got around to shooting with it in early May on our trip to Murrells Inlet, SC.  Loaded into my F3HP, I shot the roll late in the day along the beach at Huntington Beach State Park.  I mostly used the 35mm f/2 Nikkor, but also the 28mm f/3.5 Nikkor, and as the results show, there was a bit of vignetting with the polarizing filter attached to the 28mm. 

Developing  

It was a definite adventure finding out what developer to use for this film, compounded by the relative newness of the film and that Orwo hasn’t fully embraced the non-German speaking world, as attested by the online documentation.  Somewhere, I saw D-96 mentioned, so as a big fan of that developer, that was good news.  I developed it in D-96 for 8.5 min at 20°C, and the results are excellent.  It’s a fine-grained film on a polyester base - which is great news as the film lies completely flat for scanning.  

Results

Overall, it’s certainly a good 100 ISO black and white film.  As indicated above, the main difference from the NP100 and the UN54 (also ISO 100, and sold by Lomography as Potsdam 100) is the addition of another anti-halation layer.  It may be more than that, but whatever the changes, I liked the results from this film.  With more users, I am sure there will be more reviews with different developers.

The scans from my Epson V700 speak for themselves.  Ultimately, it’s best to shoot this film and decide for yourself whether it fits your style of photography.  There are a plethora of ISO 100 black and white film stocks as I have previously posted here, and over the years, my favorite has been Kentmere 100.  Now, if Orwo were to sell the NP 100 in 100 ft bulk rolls at a reasonable price, I would likely use more of it.  While it’s currently selling for $11/roll, it’s among the more expensive b&w films. Still, I applaud Orwo for now promoting their films in a more crowded field of 35mm black and white films (imagine that!).