Kentmere Pan 400 (35mm film) Review & Photos

Kentmere Pan 400 is often referred to as a “cheap and cheerful” black and white film, perfect for students and beginners. It is true that this is one of the cheapest 35mm film you can buy, but what lies within this budget-friendly cardboard box punches above its weight for the price tag!

Kentmere film is produced by Harman Technology; the parent company of Ilford Photo, a well name brand in the photography community. The Kentmere branded film follows the same production as the Ilford counterparts, with slight changes to the emulsion chemicals. The cost savings of this result in a cheaper film option for us, hurrah!

Key Features Of Kentmere Pan 400

Pros

• Cheap price, but produces good quality images
• Excellent film to start your 35mm photography journey
• Surprisingly good shadow detail, even when under exposed

Cons

• Lacks contrast, flatter images compared to other stocks

My impressions of Kentmere Pan 400

I am very impressed with the latitude of the film (how it copes with shadows and highlights). Shooting inside an abandoned factory, the bright windows are not dramatically blown out and the shadows retained quite a lot of detail in the photos.

The film is often reviewed as medium contrast, with some loss of detail in the mid-tones. This might make the images look a little soft and “mushy”, for example when natural light. I can attest to this, I definitely see the lack of contrast in my dimmer indoor photos and those taken on dull overcast days. This is of course the case with any photo, but I do feel the medium contrast of this film does cause additional “flatness”.

The grain is clearly visible, which adds a wonderful classic feel to the photos. This is accentuated in underexposed images (of which I have a few on this roll!). The grain seems quite fine, considering this is a 400 speed film. Especially considering this is a budget emulsion!

I noticed quite a few very minor scratches on the film, which has been commented on in a few other reviews. Perhaps this is a side effect of the cheaper emulsion being less robust.

A great 35mm film stock for analog photography beginners (like me!)

In addition to the cheap price, the 400 speed of this stock appealed to me. My initial thoughts were, I wanted something a little faster than 100. I wanted to be able to shoot handheld in the overcast skies of autumnal England, which was when I started dabbling in film photography. Given the limited shutter speeds of my Zenit E, I gambled that 400 would do nicely.

I snapped a variety of scenes during my first month with my camera, mostly around my home. Additionally, a last minute plan to take a surprise trip to Belgium materialised when I was mid-roll. This gave me opportunity to also shoot some nice architecture and even some urbex!

Example photos I have taken on Kentmere Pan 400

Finally, here are the shots from my first outings with Kentmere Pan 400 film. All of these are shot with my trusty Zenit E and Helios-44 Lens. Enjoy!

Featured in Obsidian’s Obscura Zine

These photos were featured in my limited edition photography zine, Obsidian’s Obscura!

Issue #001 – …and so, it begins

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