A Film Nobody Asked For But Is Actually Kinda Good: Kentmere 200

Still would rather a refined budget color film though...

How did Harman Technology get to the point where they said, ‘You know what? We totally need ANOTHER black and white film right now…our color film project with “experimental results” can wait to be improved.

Perhaps a similar train of thought like RED (redscale film recently released) - oh yes, that’s definitely what film photographers are crying out for right now…not better, cheaper, newer color film…

Also - the packaging…erm, what IS this color??

Alright, I’ve got the unhinged film photography hater in me fueled by high levels of progesterone out of the way now, so let’s talk about how good this film actually is…

Oh look, a film photographer going to a car show and shooting classic cars…surprise surprise!

but honestly, I’m obsessed with this photo :)

Harman mentioned this panchromatic black and white film was made with more contrast than the other Kentmere films. This is something hard to judge because contrast can be altered by many different factors.

It’s also not a good idea to dive deep into comparisons with only one roll. I defer to my fellow YouTubers who absolutely crush the deep dives into the technical aspects of film, which at times include using color charts.

Recommendations for technical know-how and deep dives: Shaka1277

In fact, if you asked me, I’d say Kentmere 200 looks exactly like Kentmere 100 pushed one stop…hmmm more contrast you say??

So again, the justification for this film when you could push Kentmere 100 is light, but I do understand a lot of folks don’t want to mess about with pushing or pulling film (and I usually don’t), so perhaps the box speed 200 film does suit a need for something in the middle of 100 and 400.

This roll was developed in 510 pyro for 12 minutes. It was in EcoZoneFix for 5 minutes.

510 pyro is my preferred black and white developer but there was no standard time out for this yet so I made an educated guess. The negatives were a bit dark so perhaps I needed more or less time? Not really sure, but it scanned alright!

Here’s the price at B&H as of [6.13.25]:

Kentmere 200 completes Harman’s budget mid-level ISO product line which does feel like a pretty bow-tie around a neatly wrapped present. But are folks going to pick it up on a regular basis? You tell me! Have you tried it?

For myself, it’s not something I’d probably reach for on the regular, especially because (and prepare yourself for extreme levels of pettiness) the color of the packaging is an eyesore…

I said what I said. ;p

Until next time!

~MK