Discover Kentmere Pan 100 sample shots on 35mm film

Rediscovering Simplicity Through Film

In a world of high-resolution digital sensors and instant previews, there’s a quiet magic in returning to film. Recently, I took a walk along the Kennet and Avon Canal, a stretch leading into Newbury, England, armed not with a modern mirrorless setup, but with my Canon EOS 300V, a roll of Kentmere Pan 100, and the venerable Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L lens, the result were some lovely Kentmere Pan 100 sample shots..

This blog post isn’t about chasing technical perfection—it’s about the joy of slowing down, observing light and shadow, and capturing the simple beauty of a familiar path in a timeless medium.

Product Description

Kentmere 100 is a medium speed, black & white film suitable for a wide variety of applications where good lighting conditions are available (both outdoor or indoor with controlled / studio lighting).

The fine grain and excellent sharpness make it suitable for enlargement prints while its broad tonal range and wide exposure latitude make it a smart choice for beginners and those returning to film.

The Kentmere range is owned and manufactured by Harman technology and follows the same high quality processes that are used to make all ILFORD PHOTO films and papers.

Kentmere 100 is panchromatically sensitised and can be processed in a wide range of different developers using spiral tanks, deep tanks and automatic processors.

The Route: A Canal-Side Stroll into the Heart of Berkshire

The Kennet and Avon Canal offers a scenic passage through Berkshire’s landscape. As you leave the more rural paths and start approaching Newbury, the scenery shifts subtly—from quiet locks and reflective waters to narrowboats tucked against the bank, then to the old brick bridges and more urban hints of life.

Footbridge over the Kennet and Avon Canal near Newbury. Kentmere Pan 100 Sample Shots

It’s a walk I’ve done many times, but shooting it on film changed how I saw it. With just 36 exposures and no room for mindless clicking, I found myself paying closer attention: the way early morning mist caught in bare tree branches, the strong diagonals of towpath fences, the stillness of water breaking only with passing swans.

Why I Chose Kentmere Pan 100 for This Journey

There’s something fitting about pairing a slow, deliberate walk with a slow, deliberate film. Kentmere Pan 100 is often seen as an entry-level stock, but in the right light, it holds its own. Its fine grain and subtle tonal range are ideal for capturing texture-rich scenes—stonework, foliage, ripples on water, cloud details—without overwhelming contrast.

Kentmere Pan 100 Sample Shots along the Kennet and Avon Canal into Newbury

Shooting at ISO 100 encouraged me to look for light, rather than rely on it. Morning sun filtered through trees cast long, soft shadows. Overcast skies brought out silvery midtones in the water. I let the film do the storytelling, trusting its range and classic monochrome feel.

A Canon EOS 300v and a Telephoto Lens: An Unusual but Rewarding Combo

The Canon EOS 300V is a plastic-bodied, lightweight film camera from the early 2000s. It’s easy to overlook in favor of older mechanical SLRs, but I’ve always appreciated its simplicity and dependable autofocus. Mounting the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L lens onto it may seem like overkill—but it created a fascinating juxtaposition.

The reach of a telephoto lens on film opened up compositional opportunities I’d normally miss on a walk like this. I could isolate textures in crumbling brickwork, compress depth in long stretches of canal, and frame distant walkers or birds without intruding. The fast f/2.8 aperture, though not always necessary in bright conditions, gave me beautiful background separation and helped me handhold comfortably at slower shutter speeds.

It was also fun—lugging this beast of a lens on a casual film shoot felt indulgent, but liberating.

The Process: From Exposure to Negative

Shooting film is only the first part of the experience. After completing the roll, I had the negatives developed and scanned. Seeing those first previews pop up on screen was like opening a time capsule—each frame holding not just a composition, but a memory. I made minimal edits during post-processing—just some light dust removal and slight exposure adjustments for consistency.

Film has a way of forcing presence. You remember taking each shot. You remember the breath of cold air, the sound of the water, the crunch of the towpath gravel beneath your feet.

Why Black and White? Why Film?

There’s a reason so many of us keep coming back to black and white film photography. Without colour, you’re left with light, form, and emotion. The scene becomes distilled. Along the Kennet and Avon Canal, that meant leaning into contrasts: dark silhouettes of winter trees against pale skies, reflections in water, linear textures of bridges and fences.

Film slows you down and keeps you honest. There’s no histogram, no LCD, no burst mode. Just the quiet click of the shutter and the hope that you’ve seen something worth remembering.

Final Thoughts: A Lens, A Walk, A Roll of Film

These 13 photographs are more than just images—they’re a quiet tribute to the beauty of walking with intention. The Kennet and Avon Canal into Newbury is a place I’ve known for years, but on this day, with this film and this setup, it became something else—a space for stillness, light, and reflection.

If you’re considering picking up a roll of Kentmere Pan 100, dusting off an old Canon EOS film body, or even mounting your favorite EF lens onto something with a film advance lever, I say do it. Let yourself enjoy photography not just as an output, but as a practice of noticing. If you have a go, share your Kentmere Pan 100 sample shots!

Like what you read? Fuel my next post with a coffee – hit that PayPal button and keep the caffeine flowing!