I finally took the plunge and bought PMK Pyro. I asked this on photo.net, but since I may not be back at a computer for quite some time after today, I figured I better ask here, too; I've used my home email address for this message....HERE GOES: I bought Hutchings book, but there is no mention of Technical Pan in it. I would like as full a range (i.e., for pictorial results) as possible with this combination, for portraiture/fashion/etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Has anyone any reccomendations/agitation/times/non-stock dilutions/etc. for PMK PYRO and Technical Pan? Thanks in advance to help with an apparently unusual combination. I'll pray to the God of Gamma till I hear from someone on this...Shawn

-- shawn gibson (shawn.gibson@stu.wdw.utoronto.ca), August 13, 1999

Answers

I cannot recommend Tech Pan for full tonal photos. It is designed primarily as a litho, line-art type of film. Kodak Tech Pan developer is (was?) a very low contrast developer that forced the film to produce nearly normal negs, but at a VERY low EI, about 12 in real life. I have found that all the advantages of Tech Pan are available from Ilford Pan-F+ without the excessive curling and other annoying handling properties of Tech Pan. Expose it at EI:32. I develop it in PMK for 9 1/2 minutes @ 68F. Good luck.

-- Michael D Fraser (mdfraser@earthlink.net), August 13, 1999.

I second all of Michael Frasier's recommendations. I have wasted more film, time, and good shots trying to make Tech Pan work than it could ever be worth. Plus, if you insist on using Tech Pan, PMK is not the best developer to use with it.

David Kachel has evolved a technique of exposing Tech Pan more or less normally, then placing it in a very dilute reducer BEFORE development, which will give a normal tonal range. I have a little information on this technique (and references to his original articles in Darkroom Techniques) in an article on Latent Image Bleaching at http://unblinkingeye.com. However, in my own experience, it isn't worth the effort. I prefer Pan F for ease of use.

-- Ed Buffaloe (edbuffaloe@unblinkingeye.com), August 14, 1999.

I know this doesn't answer the question, but I highly recommend C-41 developer for TP. About 9'/68F for EI 12, normal inversion agitation.

-- John Hicks / John's Camera Shop (jbh@magicnet.net), August 15, 1999.

I have used Tech Pan, and Gene Crumpler can give you an earfull on using it.

If pictorial results are what you are looking for, use Technidol, and nothing else with Techpan. Techpan has an inherent high contrast to it, and I mean an extremely high contrast. Technidol is one of three developers which will tame it, and the other is very dilute Xtol. Follow the directions included with the Technidol developer, and you'll have some nice negatives.

If you want to use PMK Pyro with a slow film, go with Agfa APX 25 or Ilford Pan F Plus (ASA 50).

-- Brian C. Miller (brianm@ioconcepts.com), August 17, 1999.