Ferrania has released a new orthochromatic black and white film called Orto, available in Italy now and coming worldwide over the remaining days of April.
Orto is the second product created by the revived factory in Cairo Montenotte, Italy, and follows in the footsteps of the classic panchromatic P30. Ferrania says Orto features a similar high silver content, strong contrast, and low grain. The film shoots similarly to P30, recommended at the box speed of 50 ISO, a statement supported by both the factory team and the community of testers. (Source: Film Ferrania Press Team)
Home development and scanning is recommended for Orto. With the film’s formula being unique on the market, Ferrania noted in their results that standard lab scanning could produce “blocked-up hyper-contrasty” images. Being chemically similar to P30, the company recommends development practices as detailed in their guide, available on their website here.
Intrigued about the decision to produce an orthochromatic film, I asked Ferrania to share a “behind the scenes” glimpse of the process that brought Orto to life.
When considering a new film to make, we have a lot to work with already. FILM Ferrania has a deep, rich history of inspiration, as proven by the 60+ pallets full of books and documents and blueprints we inherited from the old company. And of course Ferrania’s cinema roots assert themselves in our decision-making process quite a bit.
In the case of Orto, we “discovered” it years ago during the process of creating P30 Alpha. The clear connection to the earliest days of cinema made Orto a slam-dunk for us to produce. We have had it on a “back burner” since then, awaiting the day when we could sustain Orto production without adversely affecting continuous P30 production. That day came earlier this year! – Film Ferrania Press Team
To find more information about Orto and Ferrania, head on over to their website here. They include a preferred sellers (retailers/distributors) section on their website here to check where the film is available in different regions.
Ferrania also let me in on a piece of news that will excite medium-format shooters. 120 film is the next move!
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Steve Fretz on NEWS: Film Ferrania Releases New 50 ISO Black and White Orthochromatic Film
Comment posted: 10/04/2023
Comment posted: 10/04/2023
Alvaro on NEWS: Film Ferrania Releases New 50 ISO Black and White Orthochromatic Film
Comment posted: 10/04/2023
Comment posted: 10/04/2023
Ibraar Hussain on NEWS: Film Ferrania Releases New 50 ISO Black and White Orthochromatic Film
Comment posted: 10/04/2023
What I really want is for them to release the Scotch Chrome E6 they had promised years ago but good to see the process has revealed two unique looking films.
I just bought a roll of Ferrania P30 to try out and if it all goes well I’ll probably try one of these.
If anybody has any advice on which developer to use? - I have Rollei Supergrain (which I bought to use with my long time favorite films: Rollei Retro 80s and 400s) and some new liquid Diafine which I haven’t used yet on anything. Would these be good enough to keep shadow detail with either of the Ferrania? And on metering? (I usually use a Contax RTSII for B&W and expose for dark areas - but should I use a Minolta Maxxum 7 instead shoot and pray that the matrix metering makes life easier? Looking at the blacked out shadows of most results I see online makes me nervous)
Comment posted: 10/04/2023
Comment posted: 10/04/2023
Comment posted: 10/04/2023
Comment posted: 10/04/2023
Comment posted: 10/04/2023
Comment posted: 10/04/2023
DaveTheWalker on NEWS: Film Ferrania Releases New 50 ISO Black and White Orthochromatic Film
Comment posted: 10/04/2023
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Ibraar Hussain on NEWS: Film Ferrania Releases New 50 ISO Black and White Orthochromatic Film
Comment posted: 11/04/2023