Dnipro Pan is the first roll of film produced by The Optics Lab — a slow, fine-grained panchromatic black-and-white negative based on Svema KN-2, a Soviet motion picture camera negative manufactured in Kyiv, Ukraine.

KN-2 was the standard outdoor cinematography stock in the Soviet film industry. It was designed for location shooting — bright daylight, natural environments — and optimized for the initial camera exposure, not duplication. The emulsion was rated at 32 units in the old GOST system (roughly ISO 40 by the 1946 standard, or ISO 32 by the revised 1987 standard). Practical shooting speed has settled around ISO 5–8.

The film resolves 100 lines/mm — a figure sourced from the original Soviet specification (Gordyichuk, 1979). This is exceptional for a camera negative of its era and class. Grain is fine and tight, with a character distinct from modern emulsions: organic, textured, but never intrusive.

Our stock was sourced directly from Kyiv and shipped to San Francisco during Ukraine's ongoing war with Russia. The emulsion dates to February 1992 — manufactured just months after Ukrainian independence.

Panchromatic sensitivity means full-spectrum tonal rendering. Skin tones, foliage, skies, and mixed lighting all translate naturally to grey values. The film must be loaded, handled, and developed in total darkness — no safelight of any color is safe.