Harman, the company behind the popular Ilford and Kentmere film brands, has pulled the wrapper off Kentmere Pan 200 – an all-new ISO200 black-and-white emulsion aimed squarely at shooters who crave punchy tones without punishing their wallets.
At ISO200, Kentmere’s latest sits in that Goldilocks sensitivity zone – fast enough for handheld street work, fine-grained enough for detailed work and enlargements.
Like its Kentmere 100 and 400 siblings, Pan 200 is produced on the same UK-based production lines as Ilford’s premium films, but trims out some of the silver content to keep costs accessible for students and budget-conscious shooters.
Yet the company is still promising “enhanced contrast, pleasing, well-controlled grain and good sharpness”.
Its arrival couldn’t be better timed. Film is still enjoying a renaissance, with reports of new generations of photographers snapping up point-and-shoots and 35mm compacts, and social feeds are awash with grain-lovers' vacation snaps and disposable camera candids. We even saw a brand new film camera launched last year in the shape of the Pentax 17.
Yet that boom has come at a price. Fujifilm and Kodak have recently jacked certain film prices way up, blaming raw materials and logistics costs.
However, Kentmere has always been one of the cheapest films you can get – and thankfully, Kentmere Pan 200 lands without any price increase. It is set to launch for the same price as Kentmere 100 and 400 – currently $7.95 / £5.50 (Australian pricing to be confirmed) for a 35mm roll of 36 exposures.
Kentmere Pan 200 will also be available in 35 mm (24 and 36-exposure) DX-coded rolls, 100-ft bulk, and 120 rolls – covering everything from thrift-store point-and-shoots to medium-format workhorses.
Kentmere black-and-white films are panchromatic, making them suitable for darkroom printing. They can be developed using various black-and-white film developers.
If you can’t wait to get your hands on the latest emulsion, check out some sample photos below to see what it’s capable of.
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Check out more film options in our guide to the best film for 35mm cameras, or if you need a film camera, take a look at our guide to some of the best film cameras for classic models on the second-hand market.
