Rendering profile
- Tags
- green-bias, desaturated-shadows, grainy, cinematic
- Best use cases
- outdoor summer, landscape, artistic
Film stock wiki
ORWO NC500
ORWO Wolfen NC500 is a limited-edition ISO 400 C-41/ECN-2 color negative film in 135 format, produced at Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany. Announced in May 2022 and shipped from July 2022, it is ORWO's first new color still film in decades, characterized by its green bias, desaturated shadows, and pronounced grain.
Key specs
- Brand
- ORWO
- Model
- NC500
- ISO
- 400
- Process
- C41
- Formats
- 135
- Production status
- In production
- Introduced
- 2022
Grain
pronounced
Contrast
medium
Saturation
Unknown
Latitude
Unknown
Technical details
- Film base
- polyester
- Push/pull
- No rem-jet; rate at ISO 400 despite '500' designation
Handling notes
- Exposure
- Rate at ISO 400; box speed '500' is a naming convention
- Development
- C-41 or ECN-2
Profile notes
Wolfen NC500 was announced by ORWO in May 2022 and began shipping in July 2022, marking the first new color photographic film from the Bitterfeld-Wolfen factory in decades. Despite the '500' designation, the film's actual ISO is approximately 400; the name references ORWO's historical film numbering. The emulsion draws on a chemical formula based on the legendary Agfa stock (famously used in Out of Africa) and is characterized by its pronounced grain, green emphasis, and heavily desaturated shadows—producing a distinctly cinematic and nostalgic look. Without a rem-jet layer, NC500 can be processed in either C-41 or ECN-2, giving photographers and labs flexibility. NC500 is also available in 16mm and 35mm cine formats for motion picture use.
Aliases
Wolfen NC500ORWO Wolfen NC 500
Related stocks
C41
ORWO NC400
ORWO Wolfen NC400 is an ISO 400 C-41/ECN-2 compatible color negative film in 135 format, produced at the historic Bitterfeld-Wolfen factory (Germany). Released in 2022, it is the companion film to NC500 with less grain, a subtle green bias, and more vibrant color rendering than the NC500.
C41
ORWO NC200
ORWO Wolfen NC200 is an ISO 200 C-41/ECN-2 compatible color negative film in 135 format, produced by ORWO/InvisCoat at the historic Bitterfeld-Wolfen site in Germany. Teased in 2023 and first publicly shown in March 2025, it is ORWO's first ISO 200 still-photography color film and resolves the dull color cast noted in the NC400/NC500.
BW
ORWO P400
ORWO Wolfen P400 is an ISO 400 panchromatic B&W negative film in 135 format, produced at Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany. A variant of the ORWO N74 cine emulsion stripped of its anti-halation layer for still photography, it delivers a ±2-stop latitude and is noted for rich tonal gradation on a polyester base.