Ilford Photo has just announced a range of new products to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the British film manufacturer. As well as offering a newly updated range of resin-based photographic paper, Ilford will release their orthochromatic black-and-white film, Ilford Ortho Plus, in new 120 and 35mm formats.

ILFORD MULTIGRADE RC DELUXE

ILFORD announced the world’s first variable contrast MULTIGRADE paper in 1940 and in 2019, as we celebrate our 140th anniversary, we are pleased to announce the 5th generation of our best-selling MULTIGRADE RC Papers.

MULTIGRADE IV RC papers (4th generation) were launched 25 years ago and have been hugely successful becoming the ‘go-to’ black & white RC papers for discerning students, amateurs and professional darkroom users all over the world.

“Improving them was not going to be easy but we wanted to bring the manufacturing in line with the latest emulsion making technology used in our other RC and fiber papers and so we have redesigned the emulsion from the ground up. This project has been in development for 8 years and we are extremely pleased and excited with the final product.” Giles Branthwaite, Sales & Marketing Director.

These new papers have a slightly warmer base tint than their predecessor as well as better, deeper blacks, improved mid-grade spacing for easier printing and more consistent contrast throughout the tonal range.

ILFORD ORTHO PLUS

ILFORD are expanding the world’s biggest selection of black & white films with the addition of ILFORD ORTHO PLUS in 135 and 120 formats. As the name suggests this is an orthochromatic black and white film (all other ILFORD and Kentmere films are panchromatic) rated at ISO 80 in natural light and ISO 40 in Tungsten.

“Our Ortho film was designed as a technical, high-resolution copy film for negatives and has been available in sheet format for some time. We know photographers want choice and love to try new films and so we have now coated our Ortho emulsion onto an acetate base for 35mm cassettes and 120 rolls. We believe ORTHO PLUS offers superb photographic potential thanks to its fine grain and sharpness and some of the results we have seen are stunning.” Giles Branthwaite, Sales & Marketing Director.

The blue and green sensitivity of this emulsion enables the film to be handled in deep red safelight conditions making processing and inspection easier. Its lack of red sensitivity also means that reds and oranges are rendered darker than panchromatic films.

ILFORD ORTHO PLUS will be available from early November.

ILFORD & PATERSON FILM PROCESSING STARTER KIT

Building on the launch of the ILFORD Simplicity range of film processing chemicals in 2018, ILFORD has worked in collaboration with Paterson, a specialist manufacturer of some of the world’s most popular darkroom products, to create a starter kit containing all you need to process your first two rolls of film. You just need a light tight space and some film!

“ILFORD Simplicity chemicals are pre-measured for simple, convenient use and while they can easily be used in most tanks their volumes work perfectly with the Paterson 2-reel Universal Film Development Tank as they hold 600ml of diluted chemicals. Working closely with Paterson we have now created a kit that offers film photographers a convenient and affordable way to start processing their own films.” Giles Branthwaite, Sales & Marketing Director.

The kit contains: 1 x ILFORD 35mm Film Cassette Opener, 1 x ILFORD Simplicity Film Starter Pack (containing developer, stop bath, fixer and wetting agent), 1 x Paterson Universal Film Tank, 2 x Paterson Super System 4 Reels, 3 x Paterson 600ml Graduates, 1 x Paterson Thermometer, 1 x Paterson Stirrer, 2 x Paterson set of 2 film clips.

PLUS: HARMAN REUSABLE CAMERA AND KENTMERE FILM

Harman Technology is also launching a new HARMAN reusable plastic 35mm film camera. The kit contains two Kentmere Pan 400 36 exposure films. The camera comes with a built-in flash, a battery, and a strap.

“Demand for our Single-Use Cameras (which are made from recycled parts) continues to increase year on year,” says Branthwaite. “While we don’t see this slowing anytime soon, we understand there is a desire to reduce single-use plastic products, and as such, we feel it is important for people to have an alternative.

“Additionally, the demand for 2nd hand film cameras is pushing prices up and so we wanted to give people an entry point to try film for the first time without having to make a significant outlay.”

ILFORD ORTHO PLUS in 35mm and 120 will be available starting in early November 2019, as will the ILFORD & Paterson FILM PROCESSING STARTER KIT. Pricing, as well as the availability of the MULTIGRADE RC paper and HARMAN reusable camera, will vary based on region, so check with your local distributor.

More info on ILFORD’s website.