Orthochromatic Film

[charlie_strack]

I'm going to try orthochromatic film for lanscapes and portraiture. Has anyone else tried this? Have you been pleased with your results? Any suggestions or recommendations?

[john_lehman2]

I have used Ilford 4x5 ortho film quite a bit for landscapes and have

been happy with the results. FWIW I use an EI of 40 and develop in

PMK.

[j._patric_dahl_n]

Isn't ortho film very sensitive to blue and gives very dark reds?

[charlie_strack]

Ortho is sensitive to blue and green light, but not to red.

 

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Most panchromatic films are less sensitive to green light than the

eye, and my hope is to get foliage that is rendered about as the eye

sees it, instead of dead, dark, grays.

 

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Also, I'm interested in tray development of 8x10's with a safelight.

 

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For portraits, ortho supposedly adds "character" to mens' skin. The

pink and red coloration goes dark.

[wolfram_j._f._kollig]

Hello Charlie,

 

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I've used Kodak Ortho Lith 35mm last weekend, E.I. around 12,

developed in Rodinal 1:100, about 10 min at 200C. Used without filter

the sky is almost blown out, so 1:150/1:200 or PMK could be useful.

Apart from that landscapes look similar to panchromatic, e.g. trees do

not look any lighter than normal, at least to me. Resolution of the

film is good like all slow copying film.

 

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Sorry, can not comment of portrait yet and not the next two week, as I

did forget to put some Ortho Film in cartridge for holiday, and I'm

leaving in 90 min straight from my office to the train station.

 

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Kind regards,

 

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Wolfram

 

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p.s. Thomas, Rodinal seems to work, while C 41 developer gave neither

with TP nor with Kodak Ortho Lith good results.

[j._patric_dahl_n]

Have you tried Efke KB25/R25 or KB50/R50? They are orthopanchromatic

films and have a very fine grain. They are very well suited for

landscapes and portraits and darkens red and lightens blue and green,

but gives a more correct greyscale than the plain ortho films. They

can be developed in D-76, Neofin Blue, Rodinal and Acutol/Aculux 2

with very fine results.

[pete_andrews]

A green filter?

[j._patric_dahl_n]

Group portraits outdoors with Agfa APX 25 and 100 films and a light

green filter... WOW!

[bill_shaden1]

A Wratten #44A blue-green filter is supposed to work. Has anyone tried

this?

[charlie_strack]

In response to Patric,

 

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I have not tried the Efke products, but I haven't seen them is sheet

films, which is what I'm planning to use.

[j._patric_dahl_n]

Efke Pl 100 comes in sheets. BUT they are not orthopanchromatic. :-/

But if you someday will use 120-film, so is Efke an alternative.

 

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Ortho film can be fun to use is one wants to get a result that looks

like the old photos from the 1800's and early 1900. :-)

[john_lehman2]

In response to Bill, I have tried a 44b filter, and it does work.

OTOH, it costs two or three stops and is available only as a fairly

expensive and fragile wratten gel, so when mine died from

environmental stress, I switched to the new Ilford ortho+ film.

[j._patric_dahl_n]

Why not use a green or a blue filter? Or maybe both combined? Yeah,

that's the ticket! I recommend B+W filters!