Panchromatic.

Also “panchro.” Black and white photosensitive material which responds to light of all colours in the spectrum.

Most silver-based (non chromogenic) black and white film sold today is of this variety, which is why a lot of black and white films have “pan” in the name somewhere. Pan film was a real technical breakthrough at the time - earlier ortho films only reacted to blue and green light.

Note, however, that pan film does not respond equally to all wavelengths of light, which is why simply desaturating a colour image digitally does not result in a picture with the classic black and white film look. Additionally, pan film is usually responsive to a small section of the ultraviolet segment of the spectrum, which is why excessive ultraviolet light on a scene can lead to a bluish haze. UV filters are thus useful for cutting down haze when used outside.

cf. black and white, orthochromatic, UV filter.

Entry last updated 2002-04-26. Term 875 of 1487.

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