I love ortho filmstocks, their tonal range is fantastic for both portraits and landscapes due to how they are overly blue sensitive and either do not see the red end of the light spectrum or only a small amount of it. However FPP unlike Ilford Ortho Plus, or Rollei Ortho is very contrasty and a nice take on this form of black and white film.

I shot this roll of FPP Sonic 25 on a bright summer day in London using my Canon EOS 33, and I love the results. There’s this dreamy glow about the photos that really appeals to me. It’s a slow film at ISO 25, so I needed a tripod for all but the brightest shots.

I metered for the mid-tones and it worked out okay, but next time I’d like to try a roll metering for the shadows instead, or prioritising highlights instead. The highlights blow out really easily and go bright white, while the blacks come out super punchy. It suits bold compositions best and works beautifully for silhouettes.

Would I shoot this again? Yes, without a shadow of a doubt. It reminds me a bit of Svema Mz3 but without the hard work. ISO 25 is far more manageable than ISO 3, and my camera meters for it without any fuss.

In post, the highlights aren’t recoverable, but there’s a bit more latitude in the shadows. So you’ll need to pick your subject carefully. Personally, I’d meter for the shadows next time and just plan to let the highlights go. Trying to protect them is more likely to leave you with flat, grey whites — and that’s not what this film is about.