Ilford Pan F Plus 50

Original (datasheet-validated; scan pass pending). See the notes, the B&W README, and the Knowledge base.

The film

Ilford Pan F Plus, the slowest film in Ilford's current range (true ISO 50). The datasheet (archived: _reference-sources/datasheets/ilford/pan-f-plus.pdf) states plainly: "an extremely fine grain black and white film. It has outstanding resolution, sharpness and edge contrast. These characteristics make it the natural choice where fine detail and lack of grain are more important [than speed]." This is a precision, controlled-light stock. Architecture, product, landscape, fine-art portraiture, not a reportage or low-light film.

The grade in one line

The sharpest, finest, most contrasty B&W in the bank, a crisp, "etched" precision look at the opposite pole from grainy push stocks like Delta 3200 or T-Max P3200.

Note on reference imagery

A search for real Pan F Plus scans this pass returned only a software-emulated "DXO FilmPack Silent Movie preset" applied to a modern digital photo, not authentic film. Per the validation methodology's core principle (real images, never synthetic approximations, feed a recipe), this was discarded rather than used as evidence. The recipe here rests on the datasheet plus well-established characteristic consensus about the stock; it is flagged honestly as scan-validation-pending rather than falsely claimed as scan-validated.

How the settings embody it

Acros supplies rich tonality; — + — + Shadow —uild a firm, contrasty curve (not a soft latitude-forgiving one, Pan F is a controlled-light film). Sharpness —is the highest value in the whole bank, and Clarity —is the second deliberate break from the Clarity—default: the datasheet's own phrase "edge contrast" is precisely what Clarity's micro-contrast processing models, so faithfulness requires using it. The ISO ceiling is capped at 400, far lower than any other B&W recipe here, because pushing an ISO-50 "lack of grain" film to high digital ISO would contradict its entire identity.

vs the rest of the B&W family

Pan F Plus and Delta 3200 anchor opposite ends of the bank's B&W range: Pan F is slow/fine/sharp/contrasty (controlled light, precision work); Delta 3200 is fast/grainy/smooth-pushed (available light, reportage). Acros 100 and HP5 Plus 400 sit in between as the "everyday" fine and balanced options; Tri-X 400 is the gritty middle-speed reportage classic. See the comparison table in Delta 3200's knowledge.md.

Validation status

Datasheet-validated (grain/sharpness/edge-contrast language, archived PDF). Scan tier: pending, a synthetic/software-preset image was found and correctly discarded rather than used; genuine Pan F Plus scans are needed. Drop into references/.