What’s the difference between Kodak Tri-X Pan 400 and Tri-X 400?
Asked 2/22/2011
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I’ve seen both “Kodak Tri-X Pan 400” and “Kodak Tri-X 400” mentioned. Are they the same film with different labeling, or are there actual differences between the older Tri-X Pan version and the newer Tri-X 400?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
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There is none, except the labelling. "Pan" is short for "panchromatic" which means that it can record visible light all the way from blue down to red. Amazing, isn't it? These days, it's the films that don't record the whole visible spectrum that get the special labels, like "ortho" (for "othochromatic" -- they don't record orangey yellows or reds, and can be worked with safely under fairly bright red darkroom lighting). There was even a time when ortho film was special new technology -- the earliest films only recorded blue light, which is why mid-nineteenth century landscapes have white skies.
I would expect that Pan X (or Panchromatic X), if it is still available, would still have "pan" in the name, since X isn't a recognizable brand name.
Originally by user2719. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user2719
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
They’re closely related, but not always identical.
“Pan” means panchromatic, i.e. the film is sensitive across the full visible spectrum. That part of the name is mostly historical labeling, since most modern black-and-white films are panchromatic unless marked otherwise (for example, orthochromatic films).
According to the community answers, Kodak’s older Tri-X Pan film was replaced by Kodak Professional Tri-X 400 (400TX). So if you’re comparing names on boxes from different eras, the newer Tri-X 400 is the successor to Tri-X Pan rather than just a pure relabel.
In practical use, they are very similar films, but not necessarily identical emulsions: development times may differ slightly, and Kodak noted some small handling/retouching differences between older Tri-X Pan / Tri-X Pan Professional and newer Tri-X 400/320 films.
So the short answer is: not just a branding change, but a newer version in the same Tri-X family with only minor differences for most photographers.
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