In 2019, Ilford Photo started hinting at a new product. Late in the year, we learned what it was to be — a “new” orthochromatic film in 120 and 135 formats. The word “new” is in quotes because the emulsion isn’t new; it’s been available for years in large format sheet film, but it is new to roll film users. I was particularly excited to try Ortho Plus, and after shooting several rolls of the film, I feel I’m finally in a position to write a proper review.
For those reading who may not know the meaning of “orthochromatic,” a great definition from Lexico (powered by Oxford University Press) is as follows:
(of black-and-white photographic film) sensitive to all visible light except red. Orthochromatic film can therefore be handled in red light in the darkroom but does not produce black-and-white tones that correspond very closely to the colors seen by the eye.
https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/orthochromatic
That pretty well sums it up. Most black and white films we shoot are panchromatic, defined as follows:
(of photographic film) sensitive to all visible colors of the spectrum.
https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/panchromatic
The key thing in the first definition is this one: “…but does not produce black-and-white tones that correspond very closely to the colors seen by the eye.” That very thing is what makes orthochromatic films interesting to many of us (including me); it’s the creative potential — something different, something interesting, something most of us have very little hands-on experience with, given that these days, there are (from a historical perspective) very few films on the market from which to choose.
Apparently I wasn’t the only one. The film was extraordinarily hard to find at first, and two different retailers I spoke with told a very similar story — that Ilford had done an initial production run based on some assumptions about market demand, but that it sold out very quickly, and it took some time to get another production run scheduled, completed, and into distribution.
The film eventually became relatively easy to find, and I bought several rolls of it assuming that I would enjoy the experience of shooting of it. Once I started using it, however, I began to regret that I stocked-up on an unfamiliar film, and you can read more about that later.
To be certain, orthochromatic film and its results take some getting used to. You have to remember that the film is not orange or red sensitive. The chart provided by Ilford in the film’s data sheet shows the sensitivity falling off at between 550 and 575 nm (nanometers). Yellow is right at 570 nm, so essentially, its color sensitivity barely reaches beyond the green part of the light spectrum. That means that anything entirely orange or red in your subject will appear quite dark, and anything that has orange or red components to its overall color mix will be darker.
These facts can yield some really interesting creative results; portraits, in particular, can become unusual and creatively interesting with ortho films due to the reds in human skin of all shades — and that alone is reason enough to try shooting it, just to see what you get.
But speaking of spectral sensitivity, it’s also worth noting that using a red or orange contrast filter with this film will yield a photo that is blank or nearly blank. This occurs for the same reason you can handle the film under a red safelight: the film is not sensitive to these colors, and you’re basically turning all the light entering the lens into a safelight. Yellow filters may still have some value, and they’re even mentioned in the Ilford data sheet, but their results will be somewhat different with orthochromatic films than with panchromatic ones.
What I Like
Judging a film is as much subjective as objective, and both my subjective and objective reactions to this film are not all that positive.
- Scans Well
It’s hard to dispute that the shots I’ve taken with Ilford Ortho Plus scan well. Whether this is a testament to the film, or a testament to the Epson V800 scanner is open to debate, given the comments about the film that I’ll make below. Regardless, despite other challenges, the digital scans are pretty decent. - Rich Contrast
The scans result in images that have really rich blacks, very clean whites, and a ton of contrast, without losing the middle tones. In short, it’s a look I generally prefer; others may prefer the detail you get from a less contrasty image, but those often seem to me to lack life and vibrancy. Perhaps I’m too used to seeing digital simulations of black and white photography, like those offered by the “noir” setting in the camera of my iPhone, but regardless, I like the punch. - Can Be Handled Under a Safelight
I am so used to handling panchromatic films in complete darkness that this is a dubious benefit, but it is possible to handle Ortho Plus under a safelight in a darkroom. This is beneficial to students and others new to processing their own film, because you can learn how to load the film into a processing reel by a method other than solely by feel. This is a short-term benefit; once you know how to do it, you’ll have to do it in the dark eventually if you shoot and process panchromatic black and white (most black and white films), or of course, any color films.
What I Don’t Like
I wanted to like Ilford Ortho 80 — I really did. But after several rolls, as much as I like many of the resulting images, I find myself not to be much of a fan, because:
- Cost
As I write this review (July 2020), Ilford Ortho Plus in 120 format is US$10 per roll from the least expensive sources I can find (Freestyle, Glass Key Photo), but is generally closer to US$11 to US$13, depending on the retailer. That puts it into the same per-roll price tier as things like Kodak Portra 800, Fujifilm Velvia 50, and Kodak Ektachrome E100 — all among the most costly 120 films available. And, it’s more expensive than Kodak’s classic and highly regarded Tri-X 400, or their flagship T-Max black and white films. I’ll call a spade a spade: that’s expensive. Orthochromatic films are potentially a real benefit to students and others processing film themselves for the first time (see the item in the previous section), but with a price point that’s anywhere from 2x to 3x higher than economical panchromatic films (like the Fomapan films I really love), I’m not sure it’d be very appealing to students and newbies. - Disappointing Negatives
I can chalk this up to my own inexperience with orthochromatic films up to a point, but across all the rolls I’ve shot, I’ve ended-up with negatives that are either over-exposed, overly dense, or both. This is the main reason why I’m surprised that the negatives scan as well as they do. I’ve tried adjusting my exposure calculations, and I’ve tried different development times in my standard HC-110 developer chemistry, but the results are consistently very dark, very dense negatives. Maybe this is the nature of the orthochromatic beast, or of this particular film — I honestly don’t know, because the reviews I’ve read from others don’t make mention of the state of the negatives. What I do know is that attempting to enlarge and print the negatives hasn’t been especially successful so far in my limited experience working with them. - Unpredictable
Saying that this film is “unpredictable” is, I’ll be honest, a bit unfair. But if I take the entirety of my experience shooting, developing and scanning this film, and try to summarize it with a single bullet item, this is the one I’d choose. If I shot an entire brick of this film, I’m confident that I’d eventually learn how to get the best out of it, and to do so consistently. But with one roll having turned-out very dark, and the others inconsistent but dense, unpredictable is definitely a word I’d use to describe this film.
Again, perhaps it’s the orthochromatic nature of it that’s the issue, and I’m just not used to it. But when I’m accustomed to dropping any random roll of black and white film into a camera (whether it’s Ilford’s FP4 Plus, or Fomapan 400 Action, or Kodak Tri-X, or CatLABS X FILM 80, or Bergger Pancro 400, or, or, or, or…), metering for the printed box speed when shooting, and following the data sheet or public information for processing the film in HC-110 developer, and getting good, solid results on the first try? Well, the fact that half a dozen rolls of Ortho Plus later I’m still left scratching my head leaves me wanting more predictability than I’m getting with this film.
The Proof
Despite the grumbling, I’ve gotten some nice photos with Ortho Plus:
The Verdict
Between the cost of the film, and the negatives I’m able to get out of it, I can’t really justify using this film on any sort of regular basis. I’d rather shoot something that provides good negative density and predictable, consistent results, and there are plenty of films that provide that at a much more affordable price point.
It’s entirely possible that with time and experience I’d warm-up to Ilford Ortho Plus. Unfortunately, I’m not sure I’ll invest the time or money to find out beyond the rolls still taking-up space in my film refrigerator.
Finally, despite everything I’ve had to say about this film, I would highly recommend that film shooters get a roll or two, and try it for themselves. Orthochromatic film, as I outlined above, provides interesting and somewhat different results, and it’s something that every serious film shooter should try. Perhaps your own experience with the film will be more favorable.
Processing Notes and Development Times
While I’ve tinkered with the processing times to see if I can get the negatives to be more satisfactory, the times that seem to work best are those commonly cited by public sources. (Ilford themselves don’t include processing times about non-Ilford developers for this particular film.) The Massive Development Chart shows a listing for Dilution B at 8:00 minutes, and another at 6:00. Given the densities I get with 6:00 minutes, I would very strongly suggest that the longer time would be a mistake. The Dilution H time is the customary doubling of Dilution B, and in my experience, both yield indistinguishable results.
- HC-110 Dilution B, 6:00 minutes at 20°C.
- HC-110 Dilution H, 12:00 minutes at 20°C.
- Stop, fix, rinse, hypo clear, wash and surfactant as normal / desired.
