NoColorStudio no.12 Baryta is a speciality orthochromatic black and white sheet film in 10.2×12.7 cm (4×5 inch), 25 sheets to the box, ISO 6. It is not a general-purpose film but a material with a very specific intent: it was conceived as a nod to the early experiments of William Henry Fox Talbot, who in the 1830s photographed with silver halide emulsions absorbed into paper fibres.
How the picture looks
This is not an imitation: the emulsion really is coated on fibre paper of 180 g/m² rather than on a film base. Hence its whole aesthetic: warm tone, medium contrast, medium resolution, and a grain that resembles the texture of paper rather than the grain of film. The image comes out soft and slightly woven, with a physical presence modern films do not have. The emulsion is orthochromatic — blind to red: lips, brick and tanned skin go dark while the sky goes light.
What to shoot on it
Nineteenth-century-flavoured portraiture, still life, architectural detail — anything shot slowly and deliberately. ISO 6 means studio lighting, a long exposure, or bright sun with a tripod. It is a film for one particular artistic result, not for general work.
How to shoot it
ISO 6 requires a handheld meter; most built-in scales do not go that low. Account for the orthochromatic response when choosing a subject and when metering — the usual brightness relationships do not hold here. There is one comfort in return: orthochromatic film can be loaded and developed under deep red safelight, so you can see what you are doing. Sheet film is loaded into holders (double-sided, two sheets each) in complete darkness — you need a darkroom or a roomy changing bag. One sheet is one frame, and that changes how you shoot: exposure is worked out in advance, composition is built on the ground glass, and every frame costs time. The box holds 25 sheets — roughly €3.37 a frame.
Processing and scanning
The maker supplies development information as a data sheet with every order — the emulsion is bespoke and general tables do not apply to it. It is processed like photographic paper: in trays, in most film tanks, or in an automatic processor built for paper. Development is by hand in trays; red safelight is permitted, which makes the process visible and lets you develop by inspection.
How it compares
Its shelf neighbours are orthochromatic films like Foma Ortho 400 and Rollei Ortho 25, plus the Japanese Washi films on unusual bases. But in intent no.12 stands apart: the others are films with orthochromatic sensitivity, while this one reproduces the look of the very first photographs. Comparing it to an ordinary black and white film is beside the point — it is bought for precisely what the others do not do.
