Ilford Ortho Plus 80 Review

Dramatic shots like of this Jaguar XK120 is what I am always aspiring to achieve on film. 1/250s 80mm F2.8 with polariser.

As you go up the film formats in size the number and types of films available decreases. Ilford has a wide range of films in 35mm but in large format there are only four options: HP5+, FP4+, Delta 100 and Ortho Plus 80. The first three I have a lot of experience with, but the final one I’d never shot due to cost and its different properties. As its name suggests this is an orthochromatic film which means it has little to no sensitivity to red light. This is actually what monochromatic film started out as in the early days as you could process it in the dark room with a red safety light. Interestingly particular emulsion is a new film stock released originally as copy film before arriving as roll film in 2019.

An architectural shot taken inside the Design Museum. 8s 80mm F8.0 with polariser.

Using my 10 stop ND filter I managed to smooth out the water from this fountain in bright daylight, with orthochromatic film the red bricks are dark and contrasty. 30s 80mm F8.0 with polariser & 10 stop N.

A Bentley Mk6 Lightbody, unfortunately this particular image showed the worst of the uneven development on this roll. 1/250s 80mm F2.8 with polariser.

So why shoot this over a usual panchromatic film (which is sensitive to all wavelengths of light)? Depending on your subject it can create a more contrasty look between the green/blue tones and the red tones in the image. It’s mainly marketed for landscape photography, but it can also be used for striking portraits where red hair colours and make-up combinations can produce really punchy contrast. It’s most often compared to to Ilford’s Delta 100, due to its equivalent development times and similar ISO. However, as the ‘Plus’ on the box tells you, this is not a T-grain film. Being an orthochromatic film though I would say the levels of contrast are much more in line with Delta 100 than to Pan F+ 50, which has very low contrast. Though naturally all three films have fine details and low amounts of grain.

A classic car and an art deco background made for a great subject on black and white film. 1/250s 80mm F2.8 with polariser.

As this MG Midget was mostly red I jumped at the chance to photograph the car on Ortho Plus and I really like how the image turned out. 1/125s 80mm F2.8 with polariser.

Quite the unusual pairing! The red and baby blue colour scheme of the Ferrari wasn’t to my tastes but it looked far better in monochrome with really strong contrast between the two colours. 1/60s 80mm F8.0 with polariser.

Before buying into more expensive sheet film, I decided to pick up five rolls of 120 to shoot with my Bronica SQ-A. I didn’t get off to the best start as I ruined a roll due to a faulty film back (which I managed to get replaced) but my second and third attempts were a lot better. One thing I will preface is that the reason some of these shots look different to usual is not because of the film stock, but because I have been changing the way I shoot with my film cameras. When I first started out, I would almost always shoot stopped down to F8.0 or F11, ensuring everything was in sharp focus, but over time I’ve been shooting wide open more and more. Great for bokeh and subject separation but it does also mean the images are not quite as sharp and there is more halation. Not necessarily a bad thing but if I’ve shot one image at F2.8 and another image on another type of film at F8.0, it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison.

These next two images of Derby Bentleys are a good example of the differences between shooting wide open and stopped down to F8.0. This first one has great separation between the subject and the background but it s bit softer with more halation… 1/250s 80mm F2.8 with polariser.

…in contrast this image taken at F8.0 is much ‘flatter’ with everything in focus, but it also holds more detail. 1/60s 80mm F8.0 with polariser.

Now whilst there definitely is more contrast to be found here it’s important to understand that it’s not going to magically turn an uninteresting scene into something that will end up in your portfolio. The difference wasn’t always as pronounced as I expected at times, and I definitely think you need to pick your subjects carefully in order to get the most out of it. Now admittedly I still do not have a great deal of experience with orthochromatic films, and I look forward to shooting the last two rolls I have remaining to further my understanding. I really should shoot some of these out in the countryside with lots of green and blue tones to see if it makes a difference. I was very fortunate to have shot almost an entire roll in a classic car showroom with some of the most expensive and impressive cars in the country and I am really happy with how those images turned out.

Whilst there is some good separation between the green leaves and red flowers, you are still left with a muddied mess. Shooting with orthochromatic film will not automatically fix bad images. 1/60s 250mm F5.6.

I was surprised by this shot of red brick walls leading to a green door. There wasn’t as much difference in contrast as I had expected. Perhaps it is one I will have to revisit with Delta 100 or Pan F+ to compare. 1/125s 250mm F5.6.

Increasingly Delta 100 is becoming my favourite film stock to shoot in black and white, not just for its low cost compared to Fuji Acros II or Kodak T-Max 100 but also because I just love the detail and contrast it gives me.  I see orthochromatic films complementing my shooting by giving me something a bit different when needed, but I don’t see being a replacement simply because it is more expensive and is not as versatile in all situations. For example, you wouldn’t want to shoot this when photographing a vibrant sunrise or sunset with lots of red tones. As ever with film, more experimentation is required.

This upstairs showroom had plenty of interesting lighting to go with a stellar collection of cars. 1/30s 80mm F5.6 with polariser.

It’s not everyday you get to photograph a Silver Ghost. 1/4s 80mm F2.8 with polariser.

A close-up of this headlight shows off the smooth transitions achieved with a low grain film like Ortho Plus 80. 1/8s 80mm F2/8 with polariser.

What are your thoughts on orthochromatic film? Do you prefer shooting it over standard panchromatic films? Or is it one you save for a special occasion? Let me know in the comments down below.

With thanks to Vintage & Prestige.

This Jaguar XK150 sits on the outskirts of what looks like a stage for photographing cars. 1/15s 80mm F5.6 with polariser.

A large selection of pre-war Rolls-Royces were lined up side-by-side. 1/4s 80mm F2.8 with polariser.

Not a Lamborghini you see very often, this tractor caught my eye and I managed to frame it up with structure of the stairs. 1/2s 80mm F2.8 with polariser.

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