5 Frames with Rollei Ortho 25 Plus

I honestly do not know what possessed me to buy this film. While I shoot a number of film speeds my usual go to is 400. Other speeds less often but I usually stay between 100 and 800. Very rarely 3200. So 25. I assume some part of me just wanted to try something new.  That is justification enough initially. Then I read this on a FB post from The Darkroom:

“Orthochromatic film sees blue (outdoor) light and renders reds much darker which results in darker skin tones. Panchromatic film (the most common type of B&W) sees a wider spectrum of light, rendering B&W tones closer to what we see in everyday life.”

Ok then. Count me in. What was now clear was the camera and lens I would choose to use with it. Camera first.

With an ISO 25 film it would seem to make sense for me to choose a camera that also makes me slow down a bit. And conveniently this same camera can be set to ISO 25 so no external lightmeter would be needed.

A favorite of mine that never disappoints. Now for the lens. While my usual go-to is the slightly goofy but I love it anyway 7Artisans 50mm f/1.1 I was looking for actual sharpness, not character with this film. But I did not want to go too wide. So the choice was an easy one. A lens nearly as bright to deal with ISO 25 that is also as sharp as a tack.

This lens never puts a foot wrong. And if I were a sensible man this would be the lens I would use most often instead of the 50mm f/1.1… But I am into photography. Film photography also at that so that ship has sailed. Anyhoo. Put them together and they make for a fantastic pairing. Not as much of a camera nerd beacon when hanging around my neck as the attention-getting square hood having shiny silver TTartisans 21mm f/1.5 but it cleans up nicely.

Gear sorted. On to the experience… I did not like it. So much so that while finishing the roll I swore I would never choose this film again. Why? Well I am glad I imagined you asked. I was intimidated by the low ISO and was convinced that every shot would be a mess of motion blur. What also did not help was that Ortho film was nowhere on the Cinestill df96 monobath film list. All documentation I found pointed to other developers and trying monobath with films not listed have not worked out so well in the past. So, no developing at home for me. Which also means a wait time instead of near instant gratification. Was not bad. Took about two weeks for my favorite camera shop to develop it. But I have been spoiled by doing it at home myself.

The result? Fantastic. So much so that when I saw the negatives…

…all of my prior apprehensions were immediately erased. Here are 5 of my favorite exposures (more of the roll here).

Ok. One more outside of my local camera shop.

Immediate result? A complete change of heart. I went from swearing I would never shoot an ISO that low again to asking if they had any more in stock before I left the store once I saw the negatives. They did not so I picked a roll of Ilford Ortho 80 instead.

So overall a success I would say. Will definitely be using this film again in the future.

I appreciate having this opportunity to share my experiences with this film.

Eric L. Woods

I shoot a variety of new and old digital and film cameras. Industrial Engineer by education, IT is my vocation, and I really enjoy using, testing, and writing about cameras. All three of the latter are very therapeutic exercises for me. If you are so inclined my blog address is ewoodsphoto.com and I can be found on twitter and Instagram. All the best to you.

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