After many months of keeping this blog dormant, I thought that I might re-start photo blogging and in the future I might change to writing about film and photography as opposed to displaying pictures. For that end I have my own Flickr account and flickr is really the photo blog.
Moskvič 412 (Москвич, Moskwitsch, Moskvich) on Orwochrom UK 17 / ORWO
Orwochrom UK17 is a little known film from Orwo, which used to be a well-known manufacturer (at one point the ORWO located in the good part of partitioned Germany became the world’s second largest producer of film, after Kodak).
Orwochrom UK17
The Orwochrom UK range has nothing to do with the United Khalifate moored off the west coast of France, but stands for UmkehrTageslicht – Reversible or Reversal film for Daylight, as Umkehr is Reversal and Tageslicht is Daylight.
Pretty prosaic.
The film expired in 1989 and I used it 2012 (Happy New Year by the way).
Soviet Svema DS4 and German (also from the good part of Germany) ORWO NC19 photographed with Orwochrom UK17
The film is rare even for relatively rare obscure long expired film from an extinct manufacturer, it is not as well known as Orwochrom UT range of films (Orwo also made reversal Orwocolor which is rare as hen’s teeth, that is almost legendary).
I got 12 rolls of 1 and used one for bracketed exposure.
When new and fresh (that was quarter of a century ago) the film was rated DIN 17 or its nominal speed was ISO 40. It seems that its’ speed now is about ISO 12 – not a catastrophic decrease considering how much time has passed. The colors had shifted quite a bit but also nothing spectacularly disastrous.
The film’s tonality is exquisitely warm.
Like with any tungsten balanced film use orange filter when photographing outdoors.
That’s basically it – here are some of the images, the rest and in higher resolution are posted on my flickr account.
The conclusion – it was probably a gorgeous, beautiful, very realistic film which alas it is not because it is expired (by quarter of a century) but is still usable with the right chemicals and produces vintage inspired imagery that I won’t bring myself up to calling “lomography”
A Reval/Tallinn municipal police car (a Peugeot) and an old Citroën Xsara, I photographed because well – it is identical to my own Citroen Xsara, that I bought new back in 1998. It drove through entire Europe from Finland to France, and is still on the road and in daily use. My friend’s dad drives it. After 15 years the automobile runs like it’s new.
Flowers
- Moskvich Mokswitch 412
Polish made ZSD Nysa on orwochrom UK17
Polish made ZSD Nysa on orwochrom UK17
My son Nikolai
Nikolai
Same as above – Soviet reversal film, Svema 32D, German negative Orwocolor NC19, photographed on long expired Orwochrom UK17
photoroobit 
Wow – Wonderful results. Great colors and nice pictures too! I love seeing those old Eastern cars. Can you talk a bit about how you developed it? – I’m happy to see you considering making this an active blog again.
Hi there! I will, I will – I also like Eastern cars – Japanese, Korean and particularly American though I myself prefer Western cars – French and Italian (there is a picture of a car identical to my first new car, the Citroen Xsara). I developed it as Orwochrom – this is very similar to the old Agfacolor Reversal process and while I am going to make this blog active again, I plan to make it more narrative, less pictorial – only because I’ve got a flickr account and all pictures are there. For the film and photographic paper development stuff I’ll probably use a different sub-blog – here it is http://photoformulary.wordpress.com/ but I have to think of or invent the most usable format for publishing usable formulas Thanks again and Happy new Year!