It's been around 20 years since digital photography became dominant among photographers, at the expense of photography with traditional film. Consequently, the introduction of entirely new film products has become a rarity and something that attracts attention. The brand new Kentmere Pan 200 film was launched by Harman Technology in May 2025 and is, therefore, a completely new product.
Text and photo: Bjørn Joachimsen • bjorn.joachimsen@gmail.com
Harman Technology – known for its iconic Ilford Photo products – has in recent years been the leading manufacturer of black and white film in the global market and is a continuation of Ilford Photo, which has roots dating back to 1879. A large number of film products launched in recent years are, in reality, existing products under new brands, such as current films sold as Rollei, Agfa Photo, CineStill and a number of others. This is not the case for Kentmere Pan 200. This film is completely newly developed by Harman Technology in England and thus represents an expansion of choices for photographers who prefer cameras with film rolls instead of memory cards.
High contrast sceness: In situations with very high subject contrast, Kentmere Pan 200 is able to reproduce the entire scale of tones from the darkest shadows to the brightest highlights. Nikon F6. AF-S Nikkor 28mm f/1.8G. Kentmere Pan 200/135, developed in Ilfotec HC and scanned at Stavanger Foto. Photo: Bjørn Joachimsen.
Moderate price – good image quality
The unique thing about Kentmere Pan 200 is that it's among the most affordable films you can buy in today's market, while also being produced under the same strict quality control as the Ilford Photo films. The product is developed and produced by the same specialists who make classic films such as Ilford FP4+ and HP5+. As the name of the film indicates, Kentmere Pan 200 is a panchromatic film, like the vast majority of black and white films you can buy today.
Subtle tones: Kentmere Pan 200 has normal contrast and provides plenty of delicate midtones, as in this case. From Hvasser in Norway. Zenza Bronica GS-1. Zenzanon PG 1:3.5/1000mm. Red filter 25 and NiSi Graduated ND filter 0.9 Medium. Kentmere Pan 200 exposed at ISO 100. Developed (pull processing) in Ilfotec HC and scanned at Stavanger Foto. Photo: Bjørn Joachimsen.
Classic look
Kentmere Pan 200 belongs to a series of films, where both Pan 100 and Pan 400 have existed for some years. With the new film, photographers now have a product with ISO 200, making it attractive as an all-round film. All three films in the Kentmere Pan series have classic grain technology, akin to well-known classics like Kodak Tri-X Pan and Ilford HP5+. It thus provides a look characterised by classic grain structure rather than the more compact and discreet grain structure achieved with films such as Ilford Delta 100, Kodak T-Max 400 and several other more modern films.
Lower production cost gives lower price
To reduce costs, Harman Technology has chosen to make Kentmere Pan 200 with a lower silver content than the Ilford Photo products. In most contexts, you won't notice any difference, but the films are therefore not so well suited to pushing. The manufacturer does not recommend pushing more than one stop, meaning you can expose it with the light meter set at ISO 400 and develop correspondingly longer. However, the film can advantageously be pulled one stop, as the image examples in this article show. This means in practice exposing at ISO 100 and reduced development time.
Almost all films on the market have an anti-halation layer. This serves to reduce halo effects around highlights in the image. Here, the Kentmere Pan films are an exception, since they do not have this layer. For some, this will be a disadvantage, while others may see this as an interesting and desired characteristic. In some cases, you can achieve a characteristic "glow" in the transitions between extreme highlights and darker areas in the image. Experience so far suggests that this is very rarely noticeable.
Good effect with a red filter: Since Kentmere Pan is panchromatic, it can give exciting effects if you use a red filter. Blue areas in the subject will be rendered with a dark grey tone. From the castle ruins in Owiesno, in Poland. Zenza Bronica GS-1. Zenzanon PG 1:4.5/50mm. Red filter 25 and NiSi Graduated ND filter 0.9 Medium. Kentmere Pan 200 exposed at ISO 100. Developed (pull processing) in Ilfotec HC and scanned at Stavanger Foto. Photo: Bjørn Joachimsen.
Panchromatic emulsion
Like most black and white films produced today, Kentmere Pan 200 has a panchromatic emulsion. This means that it is sensitive to the entire spectrum of light. In this respect, it has similarities to classic films such as Ilford FP4+ and Ilford Delta 100. Compared to Ilford Delta 100 Professional and Ilford HP5+, it appears to have a wider spectral sensitivity, which means it is more sensitive to red. Thus, it gives good effect to use a red filter 25 or dark red filter 29 mounted on the front of the lens. This will cause all blue tones in the subject to be rendered with a significantly darker grey tone than would be the case without a filter. For the same reason, red areas in the subject will be rendered with a light grey tone. This achieves a more accentuated contrast in subject situations with red and/or blue areas.
Good sharpness: Pałac w Bełczu Wielkim. Poland. Zenza Bronica GS-1. Zenzanon PG 1:3.5/1000mm. Red filter 25 and NiSi Graduated ND filter 0.9 Medium. Kentmere Pan 200 exposed at ISO 100. Developed (pull processing) in Ilfotec HC and scanned at Stavanger Foto. Photo: Bjørn Joachimsen.
Sharp images with fine grain
Experience so far shows that you can achieve very high image quality with this new product from Harman Technology. It gives very sharp images with a fine, but distinct classic grain. In most cases, it will be difficult to distinguish the results from films that cost up to twice as much.
With Kentmere Pan 200, you can unleash the joy of photography and use more film without increasing the costs of film purchases. At the same time, you achieve an image quality that most will be satisfied with. The film should thus be an attractive product for the avid analogue photographer.
Pushing and pulling
With a sensitivity of ISO 200, Kentmere Pan 200 covers a great many needs and, with normal exposure, can be used for handheld photography in many situations. You can also choose to expose it at ISO 100 and reduce the development time accordingly. In this way, you will achieve even finer grain, even better sharpness (which is very good to begin with). Furthermore, the increased exposure with the light meter set to ISO 100 will give improved rendering of shadow details. The reduced development will contribute to better detail rendering in the highlights. Reduced development time is called pulling. This is a great solution for landscape photography, architectural photography and other situations where you use a camera tripod. It is also a good choice for portrait photography where you often use a wide aperture.
If you are photographing in low light with the camera handheld, there may be a need to expose at a higher ISO than the nominal sensitivity of ISO 200. The manufacturer recommends not using a higher ISO than 400 in order to achieve good results, but this may be sufficient in many cases. The development time should be increased accordingly, which is called pushing. The grains in the film will become coarser and the negative will have more contrast, but you can use shutter speeds half as long, which can be advantageous for handheld photography.
With a film that has a nominal ISO of 200, you can use one product that covers almost all photographic purposes by pulling and pushing.
You can find recommended development times for ISO 100, 200 and 400 in the official development chart.
| Product | Technology | Sensitivity | Grain | Spectral Sensitivity | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ilford Delta 100 | Core-shell™ | Lower | Finer | Narrower | Higher |
| Kentmere Pan 100 | Cubic | Lower | Finer | Similar | Similar |
| Ilford FP4+ | Cubic | Lower | Finer | Similar | Higher |
| Ilford SFX 200 | Cubic | Same | Similar | Extended | Higher |
| Kentmere Pan 400 | Cubic | Higher | Coarser | Similar | Similar |
| Ilford HP5+ | Cubic | Higher | Coarser | Somewhat narrower | Higher |
| Ilford Delta 400 | Core-shell™ | Higher | Similar | Similar | Higher |
Facts about Kentmere Pan 200
Produced by Harman Technology
Introduced in May 2025
Panchromatic emulsion
Fine grain with classic grain technology
Lacks anti-halation layer
Supplement to existing Kentmere Pan 100 and Kentmere Pan 400.
Available in the following formats:
135-24 exposures
135-36 exposures
35mm 30.5 metres (bulk)
120 film (for medium format cameras)
Distribution: Focus Nordic AB
Useful Information
Technical data sheet: https://www.ilfordphoto.com/amfile/file/download/file/1966/product/2191/
Development chart: https://www.ilfordphoto.com/amfile/file/download/file/1953/product/2191/
About Ilford Photo, Harman Technology and Kentmere
1879: Founded by Alfred Harman. Production of photographic dry plates.
2005: The business is taken over by Harman Technology, which continues to manufacture and market the products under the brand name Ilford Photo.
2007: Harman Technology acquires Kentmere Photographic Limited. Kentmere becomes a brand for photographic film and paper in a lower price segment than the Ilford Photo products. Kentmere Pan 100 and Pan 400 are offered in 35mm formats.
2022: Kentmere Pan 100 and Pan 400 are introduced in 120 format for medium format cameras.
2025: Kentmere Pan 200 is introduced in both 35mm and 120 formats.
Soft skin tones: With Kentmere Pan 200, you can achieve soft and delicate skin tones in portraits. The grain structure is classic and discreet. From Split in Croatia. Nikon F6. AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.8G. Kentmere Pan 200/135, developed in Ilfotec HC and scanned at Stavanger Foto. Photo: Bjørn Joachimsen.