Czech Republic film producer Foma Bohemia has announced a few orthochromatic medium-format black-and-white film which is being released this summer.
Foma Ortho 400 will only be available in 120 and Foma Bohemia told Kosmo Foto the film will start being stocked by distributors from June.
The 400-ISO film is described as having an “increased sensitivity to green colour” and a wide exposure latitude, from ISO 160 to 1600.
Like all orthochromatic films, the new Foma film is only sensitive to blue spectrum light and renders red light much darker than normal, giving pictures with a distinctive look.
The new film is not yet listed on Fome Bohemia’s website, and details are currently sparse, but the company did share a leaflet on the new film, which you can see below:
Foma Bohemia told Kosmo Foto there are no current plans to release the film in 35mm.
The new medium-format film is the first to be announced by the Czech producer since it marked its 100th anniversary in 2021.
Foma Bohemia released special anniversary editions of its 120 films – Fomapan 100, 200 and 400 – featuring packaging based on designs used by the company in the 1930s.
A year after the anniversary, Foma Bohemia then released new retro packaging for its 35mm films, the delay blamed on production issues caused the coronavirus pandemic.
The release of Foma 400 Ortho follows the recent announcement of FILM Ferrania’s Orto film last month and Harman’s Ilford Photo-branded Ortho Plus film, which was unveiled in 2019.
I'm a New Zealander who has been living in London since the mid-1990s, shooting film seriously since the year 2000. Kosmo Foto was launched in 2012 and has since become a film brand, with the release of my first films Kosmo Foto Mono 35mm (2017) and Kosmo Foto Mono 120 (2019).
I’m doing everything I can to promote film photography in the 21st Century, and help it survive and thrive. If you want to write something for Kosmo Foto, please drop me a line at foto.dowling@gmail.com.
Glad that they are rolling out new emulsions! Especially in 120.
Would this be the fastest orthochromatic film ever? Ortho films were generally slow in their heyday. Also, this will work wonderfully with ruby windows in old folders!