Bergger film

The History of Bergger

Bergger was founded in 1995 in France by Guy Gerard, a chemical engineer with around thirty years' experience at the French photochemical firm Guilleminot, and Daniel Bouche. The company is based in Vicq-sur-Breuilh, France, and has drawn on the photochemical heritage of the Guilleminot lineage in its marketing, though the current Bergger business itself dates to the mid-1990s. Guy Gerard retired in 2014, after which Aurelien Le Duc took over as majority shareholder and CEO, modernising the company.

Bergger doesn't coat its own film. Its flagship Pancro 400 is manufactured on Bergger's behalf by InovisCoat in Germany, a specialist coating company operating former Agfa and Wolfen coating technology, while its printing papers are produced by Harman Technology in the UK and its developing chemistry by German manufacturers. Bergger operates as a focused brand and distribution business rather than a vertically integrated manufacturer.

Bergger's Camera Film Ranges

Bergger Pancro 400 is the brand's signature product, a dual-emulsion black and white film combining silver bromide and silver iodide layers, nominally rated at ISO 400 but genuinely usable anywhere from ISO 160 to 1600. It's available in 35mm, 120 and sheet formats, and known for distinctive grain and unusually wide exposure latitude. Bergger also makes PrintFilm, a very slow ISO 3 sheet film designed specifically for darkroom printing, alongside its own range of developers including PMK, Berspeed, Superfine and BER49, plus fixers and printing papers.

Choosing the Right Bergger Film

Pancro 400's wide exposure latitude makes it a forgiving, versatile choice for photographers who like to push and pull their film, handling mixed or challenging lighting conditions with ease. If you're printing in a traditional darkroom, PrintFilm is a specialist option worth investigating. Compare Bergger film prices on Filmproof.