120 Bergger PANCRO 400
Product information
120 Bergger PANCRO 400| Manufacturer | Bergger |
| Film | Pancro 400 |
| Type | Black and White |
| ISO | 400 |
| Format | Medium Format 120 |
Bergger Pancro 400 120: Dual Emulsion in Medium Format
Shooting in medium format means seeking absolute optical excellence. The Bergger Pancro 400 120 elevates that pursuit by delivering a truly unmatched tonal experience. Its complex dual emulsion rescues highlights and shadows with astonishing pictorial elegance. It is the perfect film roll for deep portraits, dramatic landscapes and creators who demand a black and white with an artisanal soul.
What makes the Bergger Pancro 400 120 film roll special?
Its immense uniqueness lies in its internal chemical architecture. It has two superimposed silver layers (one of bromide and another of iodide). This configuration generates extreme exposure latitude. Highlights never burn out abruptly. On the immense surface of medium format, this tonal richness is multiplied, offering 6×6 or 6×7 negatives with an enviable three-dimensionality and classic character.
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Masterful texture Discover 35mm Format.
If you love the pictorial character of this giant dual emulsion, take it with you every day. Get this fabulous auteur film roll in classic 35mm format to capture street reportage with your pocket rangefinder camera.
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Technical Specifications and Basic Comparison
Understanding the photochemical core of this premium film is vital. We break down the exact technical x-ray of this gem manufactured in France.
- Format: Medium Format (120).
- Nominal sensitivity: ISO 400 / 27°.
- Emulsion type: Panchromatic black and white (Dual Emulsion).
- Base support: Ultra-clear PET.
- Development: Standard B/W chemistry (Requires extended fixing).
| Feature | Bergger Pancro 400 120 | Ilford HP5 Plus 120 |
|---|---|---|
| Emulsion Design | Dual layer (Massive silver) | Standard single layer |
| Dynamic Range | Extreme (Unburnable highlights) | High (Noble latitude) |
| Visual Texture | Pictorial and dense | Classic and versatile |
Technical Variables of the Film
- Contrast and Tonal Range: Offers moderate contrast. It displays an immense palette of grays thanks to the combined performance of its two emulsions under the light of the lens.
- Spectral Sensitivity: Pure panchromatic. It reacts wonderfully to all spectra, behaving sublimely with both natural and artificial studio light.
- Grain Structure: Classic crystals. It exhibits organic grain, which in the immensity of 120 format provides an exquisite texture without invading fine details.
- Acutance: Medium. It prioritizes silky tonal transitions over aggressively sharp edges, making it superb for fashion and faces.
- Resolution (Resolving Power): Highly capable. It makes the most of the optical power of the large crystals of your medium format analog camera.
- Push/Pull Flexibility: Exceptional. Its dual layer easily withstands pushes to ISO 1600 while retaining tonal details in the shadows.
- Base Support and Antihalation Layer: Synthetic PET base equipped with an antihalation layer that clears completely upon fixing.
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Why buy your Bergger 120 at Camera Market?
We have been processing auteur emulsions in our tanks for more than ten years. We are true active analog artisans. We understand that premium medium format like Bergger requires absolute climate care. We rigorously keep our stock in refrigerators to protect its dual silver layer. We dispatch your film rolls quickly within 24/48 hours with traceability. If you encounter chemical problems with this manufacturer, an experienced technician will assist you by phone with empathy.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Bergger Pancro 400 120
| Advantages (Pros) | Disadvantages (Cons) |
|---|---|
| Monumental exposure latitude thanks to its double coating. | Requires fixing times notably longer than other brands. |
| Classic pictorial look; faces appear three-dimensional. | Faster exhaustion of the chemistry due to its excess silver. |
| Extreme tolerance to overexposure; almost impossible to blow out highlights. | PET base prone to fogging if the film roll is loaded in full sun. |
Comparison Table: Pancro 400 vs similar 120 film rolls
| Medium Format ISO 400 Film | Visual Profile | Base Technology |
|---|---|---|
| Bergger Pancro 400 120 | Massive grayscale, pictorial, organic | Dual Emulsion (Heavy Silver) |
| Ilford HP5 Plus 120 | Rich mid-gray, noble contrast | Standard single emulsion |
| Kodak Tri-X 400 120 | Strong contrast, deep blacks | Classic single emulsion |
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The classic giants Top sellers in 120.
Discover what professionals are loading into their 6×6 backs. Explore our black and white medium format 120 section to see the most in-demand ISO 400 films in the store.
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Development Times for Bergger Pancro 400 120 (at 20°C)
Squeezing its two halide layers requires exactness. We show the verified laboratory parameters for processing medium format at home.
| Developer | Dilution | Exposed ISO | Time (Minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bergger Berspeed | 1+1 | 400 | 12 min |
| Kodak D-76 / ID-11 | Stock (Pure) | 400 | 9.5 min |
| Kodak HC-110 | Dilution B | 400 | 9 min |
| Kodak XTOL | Stock (Pure) | 400 | 10 min |
Camera Market Pro Tip: The exhausted fixer trap
Many photographers panic when they take their Bergger Pancro 120 out of the reel and see a milky, whitish negative with no apparent contrast.
The laboratory technique: Because it has a double emulsion densely loaded with silver, this film devours the fixer bath at breakneck speed. A used liquid that works perfectly for a Kodak Tri-X will fail spectacularly here. You must invariably use very fresh rapid fixer (Rapid Fixer). Additionally, extend your usual fixing time to double (if you normally fix for 4 minutes, raise it to 8). If after the final wash the strip is still milky, return it to the tank with fresh fixer immediately; the image will magically clear.
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Physical Behavior and Scanability
We analyze a fundamental virtue for your hybrid workflow, constituting the great joy of anyone digitizing medium format at their desk.
Flatness (Film Curl)
The PET base used by Bergger behaves amazingly. After drying, the wide 120 strip lies wonderfully flat and docile. Using clips with moderate weight, you will completely avoid transverse bowing. This immensely facilitates its placement in the negative holders of Epson scanners, guaranteeing clinical focus without resorting to expensive optical glass.
Inversion profiles (Scanning)
Inverting this roll in software such as Negative Lab Pro is a visual gift. Its overwhelming dynamic range prevents the scanner from clipping the skies. Always apply linear emulation profiles. You will get a massive raw file full of information. Given its natural organic texture, avoid applying aggressive digital sharpening masks so as not to dirty faces with artificial noise.
To the Limit: Extreme Exposure and the Zone System
Discover the immense photochemical endurance of this chassis before ruining your author session.
Reciprocity Failure
It works like a traditional heavy emulsion. It shows moderate light fatigue in your long night exposures. From the first second, it requires compensation. If your light meter reads 10 seconds, the emulsion will require about 30 actual seconds of exposure. Get used to using a cable release and checking the official correction tables.
Extreme Push and Pull Processing
It is an incredibly malleable photographic beast. It handles push processing to ISO 800 or 1600 wonderfully with Berspeed chemistry, protecting deep shadows thanks to its secondary emulsion. Conversely, a Pull to ISO 200 will tame any trace of grain, delivering midtones of sculptural silkiness in the studio.
Dynamic Range Map
Its supreme attribute is the invulnerability of the highlights. You can overexpose the shot by up to three stops and the clouds will still contain scannable texture. It is very difficult to blow out. It brutally forgives overexposure, but it requires you to meter sensibly, guaranteeing enough light to feed its dense dark areas.
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Expert Technical Management 120 Format Lab.
We measure the exhaustive fixing times for you. Send us your exposed 120 roll so we can apply precise manual processing and a TIFF scan that will reveal all its tonal richness.
Request Professional 120 Processing
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Camera Market Pro Tip: Overexpose to Succeed
Often, medium format photographers shoot Bergger Pancro 400 120 strictly at ISO 400 and comment that the shadows come out a little flat or lacking the expected "punch."
The professionals' trick: Due to its two-headed nature, this film literally devours light. Unlike modern tabular films, it delivers its maximum splendor when you give it a slight excess of light. Set the light meter on your Hasselblad or Mamiya to ISO 320 or 250 and shoot. Then develop it in the tank following the normal ISO 400 times. This subtle overexposure will flood the lower layer with information, lifting the shadows and creating a fabulous three-dimensional depth effect.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Bergger Pancro 400 120 (FAQ)
What exactly does it mean that it has a dual emulsion?
It is the secret of its quality. The base is coated with two different chemical formulations: one of bromide and another of silver iodide. While one layer captures detail in the shadows, the other restrains excessive development of the highlights, achieving a colossal dynamic range and a richness of tones that is hard to match.
Is Bergger Pancro very different from Kodak Tri-X in 120 format?
They are different worlds. Tri-X offers aggressive contrast and a classic photojournalism aesthetic. Bergger Pancro 400 unfolds an infinitely softer range of grays, retaining textures in the whites and providing a pictorial and artistic character reminiscent of early-century photography.
Can I load the 120 roll in full sunlight?
We recommend you don't. The PET base of this film can act as a light conductor (Light Piping). If you load your medium format camera under direct sun, light could leak through the edges of the backing paper and partially fog the negative. Always look for deep shade for greater safety.
How much does it cost to process this premium medium format in Camera Market?
We apply our standard lab rate for manual black and white processing in 120 format. We treat this highly complex film with rigorous thermal control and extend the fixing times to guarantee maximum negative longevity. You can add scanning on our website.
Why does the negative have a slightly bluish tone after processing?
It is a characteristic of European films with a PET base. After processing, the base usually retains a subtle bluish or purplish tint. It is completely normal and purely aesthetic on the negative; it does not affect at all the quality of the digitization or the final result in printing.
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The perfect ecosystem Bergger Berspeed Developer.
Get the most out of the French double emulsion. Use the Bergger Berspeed liquid developer specifically designed to enhance acutance and master the pushing of this film.
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Embrace the painterly look in the masters' format
The Bergger Pancro 400 120 confirms that chemical craftsmanship is still beating strong in Europe. Its superb dual-emulsion structure and its colossal palette of grays make it the non-negotiable tool for medium format photographers seeking to endow their work with a poetic soul, texture and crushing three-dimensionality. Do not let this opportunity slip by to nourish your camera's back with true photochemical magic. Add several rolls to your cart right now and take advantage of our secure shipping in 24/48 hours. Remember that our lab specialists are eager to process these complex silver layers with the extreme artisanal rigor that your works demand.
120 Bergger PANCRO 400 is in <strong>perfect working condition</strong>. Each unit has been rigorously inspected by our specialized technical team, guaranteeing optimal performance.
The specific cosmetic condition (possible signs of use, superficial scratches, etc.) is detailed in the actual photos of the product and in the full description.
The purchase includes the 120 Bergger PANCRO 400 and a <strong>warranty</strong> against manufacturing defects. As this is a second-hand product, accessories (caps, lens hood, case…) <strong>vary by unit</strong>.
Want to know exactly what this specific unit includes before buying? <strong>Message us via the website chat</strong> and we'll confirm right away.
All our products include a <strong>warranty</strong> covering any manufacturing defect or technical failure.
<strong>You can extend the warranty of your item:</strong>
- <strong>12 months</strong> of full coverage for only <strong>{price_12}</strong> (one-time payment)
- <strong>24 months</strong> of maximum peace of mind for <strong>{price_24}</strong> (one-time payment) — <em>recommended</em>
We also offer <strong>14-day no-questions-asked returns</strong>. If you're not completely satisfied, you can return it for a full refund.
At Camera Market, most of our items are imported from Europe, so orders can take up to <strong>14 calendar days</strong> to arrive at your address.
However, we offer expedited delivery of <strong>4 to 5 business days</strong> for selected products with immediate availability. All shipments include a <strong>tracking number</strong> so you can track your order in real time.
Comprar the 120 Bergger PANCRO 400 reacondicionado y certificado en Camera Market te ofrece <strong>múltiples ventajas</strong>:
- <strong>Significant savings:</strong> Prices up to 40-60% lower than new, without compromising quality or performance
- <strong>Guaranteed quality:</strong> Each product is inspected, tested and verified by specialized technicians
- <strong>Warranty included:</strong> standard coverage, extendable with the optional extension
- <strong>Sustainable purchase:</strong> You contribute to the circular economy and reduce the environmental impact of electronics
- <strong>Accessible professional equipment:</strong> Get high-end models at more competitive prices
Our refurbished photography equipment maintains the same optical and technical performance as new. Depreciation does not affect image quality or performance, only the price.
