Kodak Technical Pan (Tech Pan) emulsion on a film base has been in use at the U.K. Schmidt Telescope (UKST) since 1992. This material is extremely fine grained and its resolution is well matched to images produced by UKST under good conditions. Tech Pan yields wide angle photographs which are about 1 (stellar) magnitude fainter than equivalent IIIa-F plates but with considerably lower grain noise. A wide variety of new projects are underway which take advantage of this remarkable material. In this paper empirical results from experiments with Tech Pan from a number of sources are tied in with UKST experience to present an overview of the properties of the emulsion from an astronomical perspective. We compare Tech Pan's properties with equivalent IIIa-F emulsion to which it seems superior in almost every respect. This overview and groundwork are currently missing from the published astronomical literature. The technical background and developments leading to adoption of this material at the UKST are presented.