Ortho Films?

maxbloom · Oct 29, 2007

I'm running out of my stocks of Kodak Contrast (Process Ortho), which I shoot at ISO 12 and DBI. I'm looking for a 4x5 replacement. ISO isn't much of an issue, since they're basically all ISO 100 or slower.

As far as I can tell, this is what's out there:

ADOX ORT25
EFKE PL 25 ORT (Same as ADOX?)
Rollei Ortho 25 (Same again? These three are all FK, no?)
Ilford Ortho Plus (Gone from Freestyle website...)
Maco/FK PO 100c (I'll have to call freestyle about this one...)

Are there others I've forgotten?

Does anyone have experience with any of these? I was hoping to get a little input, advice, recommendations, or cautionary tales before I run out to order a bunch of different ones. If it comes to that, then I will, and test them all.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Robert Hall · Oct 29, 2007

How about films more sensitive to blue, even though they may be pan films?

Something with a higher speed such as 100ASA or higher?

jd callow · Oct 29, 2007

Failing a good ortho film what would be a good filtration to simulate ortho's sensitivity?

jim appleyard · Oct 29, 2007

jd callow said:
Failing a good ortho film what would be a good filtration to simulate ortho's sensitivity?

I've used an 80B filter on the camera lens with pan film. I believe you can get bluer, but an 80B will give somewhat of an ortho look w/o too much trouble.

maxbloom · Oct 29, 2007

One of the biggest reasons I like shooting ortho right now is developing by inspection, which I can't continue to do under red safelight if I simulate ortho on a panchro film. Ideally, I'm looking for a true ortho replacement.

Vaughn · Oct 29, 2007

X-ray film

Jerevan · Oct 29, 2007

I have only experience with the Ilford film, which as far as I can tell basically is FP4 with an orthochromatic emulsion. It works very well, is consistent, easy to handle but quite expensive.

dmax · Oct 29, 2007

May or may not fit your exact requirements, but Freestyle's APHS, which is primarily designed as a graphic arts film, may work. Abundant in various sizes, and is very inexpensive. Development under a red safelight is also built in. There are many posts here about how to process APHS in different developers for different applications, including in-camera shooting. My estimated EI for APHS in bright daylight is about ISO 4 or thereabouts.

maxbloom · Oct 29, 2007

I've though about APHS, but I'd prefer regular ortho to ortho lith for the tones. I may give it a shot anyway.

janjohansson · Oct 29, 2007

I have tried the efke ort25 in 35mm.
it took me a few tries to get the contrast ok.
With the contrast tamed this is a film i will
use for the proper subjects.

i have not tried the other ones mentioned.

-j

ricksplace · Oct 29, 2007

dmax said:
May or may not fit your exact requirements, but Freestyle's APHS, which is primarily designed as a graphic arts film, may work. Abundant in various sizes, and is very inexpensive. Development under a red safelight is also built in. There are many posts here about how to process APHS in different developers for different applications, including in-camera shooting. My estimated EI for APHS in bright daylight is about ISO 4 or thereabouts.

I have shot a lot of this stuff. I shoot it at iso 6 and develop it in very dilute (1:150) rodinal for about 7 minutes ( by inspection) with very minimal agitation. There is a shot on my gallery called roadside lake where I have used Freestyle's ortho lith film. I get good tonal gradation with the very dilute rodinal.

Len Eselson · Oct 29, 2007

If you order APHS for your 4X5 DON'T order the 4X5 film. It won't fit your holder. Instead order the 3.9X4.9 size. It fits like a glove.

nick mulder · Oct 29, 2007

Bergger BPFB-18

maxbloom · Oct 29, 2007

nick mulder said:
Bergger BPFB-18

TIGHT. Any idea what the speed is for exposure in camera? Or how to decipher it from their exposure notes for copy work?

Aww. Freestyle only has it in really large formats. I hate cutting down film...I can never get it totally straight or just the right size.

maxbloom · Oct 29, 2007

Also, their fixing notes recommend a much longer fix time than Formulary recommends on the bottle of TF4 that I generally use. Which should I follow?

sun of sand · Oct 29, 2007

I was going to create my own thread earlier this morning but I may get my answer here

I bought some Kodalith
I tried a few sheets in Dektol around 1:9 and at ASA 3-5
It's coming along ok, I guess

Thing is
The negative comes out Brown&White as opposed to Black&White
Why?

Michel Hardy-Vallée · Oct 29, 2007

I've used the Adox and the Maco Ortho films in 35mm, and in Rodinal 1+100, 11' for an exposure index of 25 was pretty good. I think they are the same film, but from what I've read the Rollei ortho is a different one.

At any rate, the advantages of true ortho films over pan+filter is that you get the extra-fine grain of ortho (always finer than Pan of the same speed) and the ability to develop under red safelight.

maxbloom · Oct 29, 2007

sun of sand said:
I was going to create my own thread earlier this morning but I may get my answer here

I bought some Kodalith
I tried a few sheets in Dektol around 1:9 and at ASA 3-5
It's coming along ok, I guess

Thing is
The negative comes out Brown&White as opposed to Black&White
Why?

Dektol is an interesting choice. Most people (myself included) develop the stuff by inspection either in really dilute HC-110 or Rodinal.

As for the brown in the negative, are you sure you're fixing properly?

sun of sand · Oct 30, 2007

I sure thought I was fixing properly. I fix Tmax the same way and see no brown coloring. I've heard of dichroic fog but that sounds like it's more metallic
This
I'll just attach a negative. This one isn't my best test shot/development but it's all I have scanned and is very representative
Anything? It still prints the same

Also
when using orthochromatic material what filters can one use?
Obviously orange and red are out
Blue would only lighten the sky even more, right?
Green would perhaps darken the sky a little and whiten greens?
Any way to create a cloud filter?
I was thinking of trying multigrade filters. Maybe a 4 filter
Does it work like that? More magenta=darkening blue sky with red component but keep the light visible due to the blue base of magenta and thus differentiate clouds
It seem since you can use these filters on orthochromatic papers they must have some effect on film

dancqu · Oct 30, 2007

maxbloom said:
ADOX ORT25

EFKE PL 25 ORT (Same as ADOX?)

Rollei Ortho 25 (Same again? These three are all FK, no?)

Ilford Ortho Plus (Gone from Freestyle website...)

Maco/FK PO 100c (I'll have to call freestyle about this one...)

Are there others I've forgotten?

Or not encountered? From Google search for,
Valley Litho . Check out the process films
within the offset printing section. Dan

sun of sand · Oct 30, 2007

ya know what
I don't think I've bothered with HCA or washing them for any length of time and since Kodalith is a bit more mauve -or whatever color-
maybe that "dye" just isn't washing out

I have to develop a couple kodaliths from yesterday right now so I'll see

Vaughn · Oct 30, 2007

sun of sand said:
I was going to create my own thread earlier this morning but I may get my answer here

I bought some Kodalith
I tried a few sheets in Dektol around 1:9 and at ASA 3-5
It's coming along ok, I guess

Thing is
The negative comes out Brown&White as opposed to Black&White
Why?

I have noticed that litho film can be brownish if under-developed.

Vaughn

maxbloom · Oct 30, 2007

dancqu said:
Or not encountered? From Google search for,
Valley Litho . Check out the process films
within the offset printing section. Dan

Thanks Dan, but I'm looking for plain old ortho, not ortho lith.

sun of sand · Oct 30, 2007

Really, Vaughn? I will remember that.

I just did my two Kodas from yesterday and fixed them for a longer period of time
about 3.5 and 5 minutes in rapid fixer
3.5 almost got rid of the brown ..kind of a light sepia instead of coffee/tea
5 minutes completely gone. Black&White!

Since lith film is so thin is a hardening fixer better to use? I have bottles of that waiting for a purpose in life

Vaughn · Oct 30, 2007

sun of sand said:
Really, Vaughn? I will remember that.

Well, that is the result when our students yank it out of the developer early because they see the highlights getting dense enough to use as radiation shields!

vaughn

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