Ilford Pan F Plus 50

Research-backed original, derived from the Ilford Pan F Plus datasheet (archived). Reproduces the slowest, finest-grained, sharpest B&W stock in Ilford's range: an extremely fine-grain ISO 50 film prized for outstanding resolution, sharpness, and edge contrast, the fine-art/architecture/product pole of the B&W lineup. Derivation in the notes.

Why these values (short)

• Acros base: richest tonality of the monochrome sims. The right canvas for a fine-art-grade stock.
• Grain Weak, Small: datasheet: "extremely fine grain... These characteristics make it the natural choice where fine detail and lack of grain are more important [than speed]." The finest-grain B&W setting in the bank alongside Acros 100.
• DR200, Highlight 0, Shadow +1: a firm, contrasty, "snappy" curve rather than a soft one. Pan F is not a latitude-forgiving film, it's a controlled-light precision stock.
• Sharpness +2: the highest sharpness value used anywhere in this bank. Datasheet: "outstanding resolution, sharpness, and edge contrast."
• Clarity +2: the second deliberate deviation from the Clarity-0 default (after Tri-X). "Edge contrast" in the datasheet's own words is a micro-contrast/acutance property, exactly what Clarity models. Faithfulness demands it here.
• ISO capped at 400: this is the slowest film in the entire bank (true ISO 50). Keeping the digital ceiling low preserves the ultra-fine, ultra-clean character. Pushing it to 3200+ would betray the whole point of the stock.

Handling

• Architecture, product, fine-art, controlled-light portraiture: needs good light. This is not a low-light film.
• For a softer, less "etched" alternative use Fujifilm Acros 100 (Clarity 0). For a daylight contrast filter option try +Ye or +R on this base for classic architectural sky drama.

Validation tier: Datasheet-validated (grain, resolution, sharpness, edge-contrast language, archived PDF). No authentic real-film scan found this pass (only a software-emulated preset, discarded as unreliable per the Validation Methodology. Proof of Faithfulness core validation principle, never build on non-authentic reference material). Characteristic pass strong (well-documented classic stock). Real scans needed to reach the top validation tier.

Pro tip: this is the tightest Auto-ISO band in the bank, and it is the camera doing it rather than the recipe. DR200 forces a ISO floor of 250 on the X-T5 whatever you set, so pairing it with the ISO 400 ceiling above leaves a working range of two-thirds of a stop. That is deliberate for a stock this slow, but it means Auto-ISO has almost nothing to work with: set ISO manually to 250 and control exposure with aperture and shutter, which is how you would shoot a true ISO 50 film anyway. If you want to get nearer the film's actual speed, the only route is DR100, which unlocks base ISO 125 and gives up the stop of highlight headroom. That is a look change rather than a tweak, so it is offered here rather than baked in. See ISO & Exposure. Auto-ISO, exposure compensation, and DR interaction.

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) 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. DR200 + Highlight 0 + Shadow +1 build a firm, contrasty curve (not a soft latitude-forgiving one, Pan F is a controlled-light film). Sharpness +2 is the highest value in the whole bank, and Clarity +2 is the second deliberate break from the Clarity-0 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 a 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.

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.