David: My box was purchased about 18 months ago, and since then I believe there has been another run with supposedly with improved coating. So maybe it has been solved? I'll post some crops to illustrate what I'm getting, but essentially seeing the same as you but maybe not as pronounced.
In terms of the paper, I believe that Harman makes if for them to their recipe / specs, but might be wrong. Might be Inoviscoat, Germany. Bergger use their own paper base.
An example: A test diptych image and crop from left image sky (with added contrast to emphasise banding.)
Attachment 190569Attachment 190570
If this is any help, here are my development times for Panchro in D76 (1 : 1, my own home brew) in a Jobo at 50 RPM at 20C with a 2' pre-soak. I used Ralph Lambrecht's procedure and spreadsheet and got a normal development time of 10'30" and an EI of 125.
N+1 is 13' 45" with an adjusted EI of 160.
N-1 is 8' 15" with an adjusted EI of 100
I am into my second box of 4x5 with no problems and I am just about to start a box of 8x10.
Thanks, interesting... Bergger's own recommendations for 1:1 D76 at 20 degrees C. rated at 400 is a full 17 mins. Would love to see some of your results if you're able to post them or share via PM.
Originally Posted by docw
Bob,
I also have been wondering who actually manufactures Panchro 400. When Bergger first distributed film under the Bergger brand at least 10 years ago, the film actually was made by Forte in Europe. Forte's film-coating line used equipment that was pre-war Kodak machinery. From that connection, Bergger advertised that it was selling the equivalent of Kodak Super XX film. This caught the attention of many of us--but then Forte went bankrupt and shut down. Bergger sort of went away too for a while. Since the introduction of the current Panchro 400, I have not heard anything about who is the current manufacturer for Bergger.
I should add here that the original Bergger films sold for a higher price than the same film under the Forte name. That has been my motivation for trying to discover who makes Panchro 400. But that information clearly is closely held.
Keith
99.9% sure Pancro is a unique film coated by Inoviscoat, Germany.
Tim V.
Thank you!
Keith
Another example. It's certainly not a processing fault, of that I'm certain. I also thought it might be a scanner fault, but these negatives were scanned in a larger run with a whole lot of other 8x10" sheets (HP5 with PMK and Pyrocat-HD) and nothing else has any hint of these faults. Only the four sheets of Pancro–all the Pancro I shot–has it.
Attached here is another example test, made only to see how the different films render. Top diptych is HP5+ in Pyrocat-HD, 1:1:100 @20 degrees C. for 14 mins. Bottom diptych is Pancro in Pyrocat-HD @20 degrees C. for 18 mins. It's underdeveloped unfortunately as I guessed the Pyrocat-HD time off the PMK times compared to HP5+ (Bergger later supplied correct times.) Regardless, it still displays the fault quite clearly.
Crops have much heightened contrast to emphasise the fault (HP5+ sheets are perfect, save for some of the usual surge marks from tray processing.) Pancro again has the banding
.
Update: have checked the negatives under magnification on lightbox and it’s definitely on the film, so NOT a scanning fault.
Batch number of my box is: 1611030889/2/22 exp: 12.2021
Just gotta say this...that we work way too hard for our images to put up with this!
Back in 2004, in the midst of having a great run with Fp4 souped in PMK - I decided to try Bergger 200, and highlights were so clipped that it turned me off to PMK entirely.
Well...I've been re-printing some of my old FP4/PMK negs recently - and I think I'll give PMK another try!
Apologies to Gordon H. for being so misplaced in dropping his wonderful formula when the actual culprit was in plain sight!
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