Orthochromatic film

thuggins · Feb 25, 2017

A search for orthochromatic film brought up a bunch of "this product no longer available". Is this just completely gone?

keenmaster486 · Feb 25, 2017

I actually stumbled upon this just today:

http://www.ultrafineonline.com/ulorlifi35x2.html
https://www.amazon.com/Ultrafine-Ortho-Litho-Film-Exposure/dp/B00FRUT8PG

I have no idea how good it is though.

Trask · Feb 25, 2017

I believe it's available from macodirect.de -- https://www.macodirect.de/en/film/black-white-films/?p=3 . The 120 is in stock, and 35mm expected to be back in stock in a week or so. I bought a couple of rolls of 35mm from them a few months ago; took a while to get here, but overall it was a good purchase experience.

Jim Noel · Feb 25, 2017

Most x-ray film is orthochromatic. Works beautifully.

removed account4 · Feb 26, 2017

tim
i think ilford still makes an ortho film
if you don't mind PAPER instead of film
washi film is a ortho emulsion on paper
you can put in your camera ( 135/120/4x5 )
isn't local though, you have to have it shipped from france ...

Doremus Scudder · Feb 26, 2017

...or you can use a Wratten 44 or an 80A filter with pan film to approximate the effect of ortho if that's what you are looking to do.

Doremus

Fraunhofer · Feb 26, 2017

+1 on the filter

Wayne · Feb 26, 2017

Didn't Foma used to make one? I don't see it on their website anymore. Emil has been posting images shot on F05 ortho over on LFF, whatever that film is or was. He acts as if its new to him, but it may be an older film. Google doesn't seem to know what it is.

Wayne · Feb 26, 2017

Ah, there it is. Seems to be made by Banse & Grohmann but can't find any recent references to it so it is possibly defunct now too.

Well there is this, but you'll have to translate it

http://www.banse-grohmann.de/fotoprd.htm

Gerald C Koch · Feb 26, 2017

keenmaster486 said:
I actually stumbled upon this just today:

http://www.ultrafineonline.com/ulorlifi35x2.html
https://www.amazon.com/Ultrafine-Ortho-Litho-Film-Exposure/dp/B00FRUT8PG

I have no idea how good it is though.

Orthochromatic yes but also high contrast. There are two uses of orthochromatic film first come to mind. Male portraits and outdoors when you want to open up the shadows. In both cases you want normal contrast.

keenmaster486 · Feb 26, 2017

Gerald C Koch said:
Male portraits and outdoors when you want to open up the shadows.

Yes, and also maybe for educational purposes when you want to develop under a safelight.

removed account4 · Feb 26, 2017

keenmaster486 said:
I actually stumbled upon this just today:

http://www.ultrafineonline.com/ulorlifi35x2.html
https://www.amazon.com/Ultrafine-Ortho-Litho-Film-Exposure/dp/B00FRUT8PG

I have no idea how good it is though.

its good, but you will have to use a restrainer if you process this in a normal print developer
it can be kind of foggy . jim galli has a post somewhere here on apug or the lf site
where he spells out the developer benzo cocktail he used to hold back some of the fog
to get this film OK for pictorial use.

paper with a yellow filter tends to cut the contrast ( a la gandolfi's portriat work )

or you can embrace the contrast and use it expired so the for you and use it on even lit lighting...

keenmaster486 said:
Yes, and also maybe for educational purposes when you want to develop under a safelight.

no reason NOT to develop it under a safelight its blind.

Jim Noel · Feb 26, 2017

Gerald C Koch said:
Orthochromatic yes but also high contrast. There are two uses of orthochromatic film first come to mind. Male portraits and outdoors when you want to open up the shadows. In both cases you want normal contrast.

High contrast is easily controlled with proper development.

bvy · Feb 26, 2017

Gerald C Koch said:
There are two uses of orthochromatic film first come to mind. Male portraits...

Yes!

Jim Noel said:
High contrast is easily controlled with proper development.

Yes!

This is Arista Ortho Litho under studio lights, 8x10 contact print.

Chris Livsey · Feb 26, 2017

http://www.ilfordphoto.com/webfiles/2011427119221450.pdf

Ilford ORTHO COPY PLUS Film is a medium speed fine grain film for studio photography, continuous tone copying, medical and forensic applications. It is available in popular sheet film sizes. ORTHO COPY PLUS can be developed to a normal contrast in ILFORD ID-11 or MICROPHEN and to a high contrast in ILFORD PQ UNIVERSAL and PHENISOL. ORTHO COPY PLUS Film can be developed in dishes under red safelighting.

Gerald C Koch · Feb 26, 2017

Jim Noel said:
High contrast is easily controlled with proper development.

yes, with regular film this is easy. However when the high contrast is built into the film it is much harder. I have tried on numerous occasions to tame the contrast of microfilm without any real success. A slightly different product but it points out the difficulty.

thuggins · Feb 26, 2017

Jim Noel said:
Most x-ray film is orthochromatic. Works beautifully.

That is an interesting suggestion. Apparently it is readily available and fairly cheap in quantity.

I am concerned about the high contrast, though. I am interested in making black and white positives by contact printing ordinary negatives onto negative film. The appeal of ortho, of course, is that it can be used under a safelight. But if it is too contrasty the subtle tones will be lost.

Gerald C Koch · Feb 26, 2017

If you are making positives slides then you need higher contrast just like you have with photographic paper. So in this particular instance you are fine. But this brings up another problem. X-ray film is not intended for projection, that is any increase in magnification. Therefore grain and resolution may be a problem for slides.

Wayne · Feb 26, 2017

thuggins said:
That is an interesting suggestion. Apparently it is readily available and fairly cheap in quantity.

I am concerned about the high contrast, though. I am interested in making black and white positives by contact printing ordinary negatives onto negative film. The appeal of ortho, of course, is that it can be used under a safelight. But if it is too contrasty the subtle tones will be lost.

But its good for many alternate processes.

Lachlan Young · Feb 26, 2017

Chris Livsey said:
http://www.ilfordphoto.com/webfiles/2011427119221450.pdf

Ilford ORTHO COPY PLUS Film is a medium speed fine grain film for studio photography, continuous tone copying, medical and forensic applications. It is available in popular sheet film sizes. ORTHO COPY PLUS can be developed to a normal contrast in ILFORD ID-11 or MICROPHEN and to a high contrast in ILFORD PQ UNIVERSAL and PHENISOL. ORTHO COPY PLUS Film can be developed in dishes under red safelighting.

This is the best option - if you shoot LF. I've used it quite a bit & like it a lot both as a camera film & for masking purposes in the darkroom.

It's as easy to use as FP4 & can be developed absolutely normally in the usual film developers, or if you develop in PQ Universal it can be taken to the high CI's needed for printing out processes. You can develop it under a 906 safelight.

Frankly, people are wasting their time & money on false economies with X-ray films, when a film this good & adaptable is readily available.

thuggins · Feb 26, 2017

Chris Livsey said:
http://www.ilfordphoto.com/webfiles/2011427119221450.pdf

Ilford ORTHO COPY PLUS Film is a medium speed fine grain film for studio photography, continuous tone copying, medical and forensic applications. It is available in popular sheet film sizes. ORTHO COPY PLUS can be developed to a normal contrast in ILFORD ID-11 or MICROPHEN and to a high contrast in ILFORD PQ UNIVERSAL and PHENISOL. ORTHO COPY PLUS Film can be developed in dishes under red safelighting.

Unfortunately, that film is "currently unavailable". B&H shows an availability in September.

Rick A · Feb 26, 2017

thuggins said:
Unfortunately, that film is "currently unavailable". B&H shows an availability in September.

I have two 25 sheet boxes of 4x5 I'll part with. Had them in the freezer since purchased fresh.

Jim Noel · Feb 27, 2017

/QUOTE]
Reducing the contrast to the range you want will take a little experimentation on your part. Try developing in HC110 or Rodinal 1+100 with gentle agitation. This should give you a good starting point.

Jim Noel · Feb 27, 2017

Lachlan Young said:
Frankly, people are wasting their time & money on false economies with X-ray films, when a film this good & adaptable is readily available.

That is your opinion. There are too many photographers doing beautiful work with x-ray film to accept such a statement. At $0.35 to $0.80 per 8x10 sheet it is well worth doing the necessary experimentation to make this film work in the manner desired.

Chris Livsey · Feb 27, 2017

thuggins said:
Unfortunately, that film is "currently unavailable". B&H shows an availability in September.

Both sizes shown available in the UK from the factory shop.

Orthochromatic film

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