ORWO N75

N75 is the high-speed half of ORWO's current black-and-white cinema lineup, the modern continuation of the East German Wolfen tradition that survived the 1994 liquidation and came back through Filmotec in 1998. Rated ISO 400 with a 27 degree DIN reading, it is the ORWO answer to HP5+ or Tri-X for motion picture cameras: a workhorse panchromatic stock for documentary, news, and difficult interior light.

The current N75 is available in 16mm and 35mm. The 35mm comes in 100ft and 400ft cores on triacetate base with standard BH 1866 perforation and K-Code edge numbers. Still photographers who want to try it have to source short ends or cut down 100ft cans, which a handful of small distributors will do. There is no 120 or sheet option.

Compared with HP5+, the N75 grain is slightly more pronounced and the tonal curve is steeper in the highlights. Compared with Double-X 5222, it sits closer to the modern Ilford response than to the punchy mid-century Kodak look. The film pushes acceptably to 800 in D-96 cinema developer. In standard still chemistry like D-76 or ID-11 it behaves predictably, though the grain reads larger than you would expect from a 400-speed modern emulsion.

The look is what you might call utilitarian European. Not as celebrated as the Ilford or Kodak counterparts. ORWO N75 has a small but committed user base among independent filmmakers in Germany and central Europe who like the price and the local supply.

ORWO produces it in Wolfen on the same site the company has used since the original Agfa factory opened in 1909. The K-Code edge numbers identify it down to the foot for lab work.

Reciprocity exponent is 1.31, the standard silver-grain baseline that Tri-X and HP5+ also use. Zone Light Meter folds in the correction past one second. A metered 30-second exposure becomes roughly 90 seconds at the film. For night cinematography or interior tripod work, the math matches what Ilford and Kodak users already know.