MoreAgfa has announced the introduction of its new black and white aerial film, Aviphot Pan 400s, replacing Aviphot Pan 200s. Agfa worked closely with aerial customers to develop Aviphot Pan 400s, which is specifically designed to have superior scanning capabilities.
Customers indicated they needed a high-speed black and white negative film that met their demands. The film also had to be fine grained with low contrast and scanner-friendly.
"It has superior scanning characteristics," said John Matthews, President of Southern Resources Mapping Corp (www.srmcmaps.com), located in Northport, AL. "Its low contrast gives us more information in both highlights and shadows than any other film we have used," Matthews added.
Abrams Aerial Survey Corporation (www.abramsaerial.com) of Lansing, MI, has been providing high quality aerial photography for 80 years. Abrams Aerial's president Don Stoecker said he liked the film's contrast abilities for use in scanning and contact printing.
"I found the Pan 400S to be more scratch resistant, has less curl and seems more durable than other films we have used. We like the speed of this film. It works especially well for our low altitude flights. The Aviphot Pan 400s performs well in Michigan winter months where the sun angle does not provide us with ideal bright photo days," Stoecker said
Mark Powell, manager of Air Flight Service (www.airphoto.com) in Santa Clara, CA, noted the film's capabilities with different types of vegetation and shadow detail was excellent. "Being located in California, we fly from the coast to the deserts to the Sierras. We'll fly a dozen different locations with a dozen different altitudes throughout the state every day. We needed a versatile black and white film that could accommodate all terrain types and all altitudes from 1,000' msl to 24,000' msl. That one film and one process with acceptable results for all was Agfa's Aviphot Pan 400s," Powell said.
Agfa's dual layer emulsion technology maintains high speed and low granularity resulting in excellent scanner response. Aviphot Pan 400s can be processed low contrast for large-scale photography and medium contrast for survey and mapping applications. Pan 400s' high speed allows for fast exposure on airborne cameras and the near infra red extension, combined with its high red sensitivity level, allows for operations from dawn to dusk. The sharp and low grain images due to the near IR portion of the image allow for easier object recognition.
Other characteristics of the new Aviphot Pan 400s film are:
Spectral sensitivity near the infrared range resulting in excellent penetration through atmospheric conditions Extended red sensitivity for sharper images Permanent anti-static Resistant to scratching
"Working closely with several aerial customers during the extensive testing of this film has paid off," said John Brandes, Aerial Manager, Agfa Corporation. "Aviphot Pan 400s maximizes the lens resolution capabilities of older camera systems and links well to scanning for a digital workflow. With its high speed it also works well with the latest low-altitude helicopter photography. This film will be a great all-purpose film that fits well with Agfa's concept of aerial films designed for scanning," Brandes added.
Customers in the U.S. interested in speaking to an Agfa representative about Aviphot Pan 400s - or any other aerial product - should call 1-800-540-2432: Wayne Florence (ext. 8116) - western region Earl Bechtel (ext. 8260) -- central and northeast regions Richard Breitlow (ext. 8258) - south central and eastern regions
Customers in Canada can contact Henry Ding at 416-241-1110 ext. 8951. The film is available now.
