I really do like this film even though it's more a portrait film. When you start shooting in shadowed areas, it really works. In normal daylight, I've found that stopping down two stops works great for gathering details without blowing anything out.
I've been using Tetenal, Neofin Blau. Easy to get while I'm here in Germany, but I'll be stateside again soon so I'll have to learn a different one. I'd like to try the Caffenol developer. Probably start that in mid/late November, and I'll post to let everyone know how it worked.
I really do recommend this film, but I am biased in what I like. I seem to a little off from the mainstream.
The best I've found for this film is this:
Shots in sunlight, go 2 stops dark.
In a shadowed area like the side of a building shadows (on a sunny day) 1 stop + works great.
For darker shadows, like an alley, 2 stops + works.
Anything beyond that I judge by my Gossen and follow it's readings.
The film varies a little from normal B&W like Tri-X, but I like it. One shot I did in a restaurant with light coming in from the window onto the subjects, I blew way out because everything else in the room was so dark. The amount of details that came in on those two subjects was just amazing. When scanned, it was so easy to lower the EV in Photoshop and watch the details emerge.
I've got a box of the Orthochromatic in this Rollei 25 also, but have been packing and have not been able to finish the first roll. All my developing stuff is getting packed too so I won't get any rolls developed until at least mid November.
