Ilford Ortho Plus

Ilford Ortho Plus is a distinctive black & white film built around orthochromatic sensitivity, meaning it responds to blue and green light but not red. In practice, this renders reds and skin tones darker than a standard panchromatic film would, giving images a bold, high-contrast character that's instantly recognisable once you know what to look for.

With a nominal ISO of 80, it rewards a bit more care in exposure and lighting, paying you back with excellent tonal separation and fine, detailed grain. That combination of sharpness and resolving power makes it a strong choice for macro work and anything where precision matters, alongside more everyday subjects where you want that distinctive ortho look to come through.

It's a film that's found a home with scientific and technical photographers for exactly these qualities, but it's just as rewarding for anyone curious about how different a black & white image can look when the rules of colour sensitivity change. One practical bonus if you're new to developing: because it isn't sensitive to red light, it can be handled under a red safelight in the darkroom, which makes it a good one to experiment with by hand