Kodak Panatomic-X Aerial 3400

Panatomic-X Aerial 3400 is the reconnaissance variant of the Panatomic-X family Kodak introduced in 1933. The civilian Panatomic-X was an ASA 32 panchromatic stock with extremely fine grain. The 3400 product code refers to the aerial sheet and roll product used in metric and mapping cameras like the Fairchild systems flown on Cold War survey aircraft, where dimensional stability of the polyester base mattered as much as the extended red sensitivity of the emulsion.

The distinguishing property is resolution, not tonality. Kodak engineered the aerial Panatomic-X family to resolve features small enough to matter from altitude, pushing grain past anything sold for handheld still photography. Compared to Plus-X or FP4 at similar speeds the grain is markedly tighter. Compared to a modern T-grain stock like T-MAX 100 the character differs: classical cubic crystals, no tabular flattening, longer mid-tone scale, gentler shoulder.

This was never a consumer product. Aerial Panatomic-X went to government contractors, mapping firms, and reconnaissance programs. Surviving rolls turn up through surplus channels and estate auctions. The base is unperforated in most aerial configurations, which complicates loading a 35mm body even when the chemistry works. Processing notes for D-76 or HC-110 exist but are sparse compared to the consumer variant, which Kodak discontinued in 1987.

The Aerial 3400 product outlived the consumer stock by several years and was withdrawn in the early nineties as digital sensors took over reconnaissance work. Adox CMS 20 II shares the technical orientation but not the aerial dimensional standards.

Reciprocity exponent is 1.31, conventional for silver-grain panchromatic film of this era. Zone Light Meter applies the correction past one second. A 30-second metered reading lands at roughly 90 seconds at the negative. Aerial frames at 1/500 ran on motion-compensation mounts, not tripods, so reciprocity never came up at altitude. For a surviving roll today, treat it like Tri-X.