Pictoriographica (J Lane) Speed Plates (Improved Speed and Contrast)

Hand-coated orthochromatic silver-gelatin emulsion on glass, made by Jason Lane — a working optical engineer with 25+ years in lens design — at the Mountain Home, AR facility of his lens-optics company Ozark Optical Systems, LLC, which operates Pictoriographica as the dry-plate brand. ASA 8 — the fastest J Lane plate ever offered — recreates a late-1890s ortho formulation. The "Improved Speed and Contrast" formulation is the November 2025 restart of J Lane production after a 2022–2025 pause for relocation; it is a re-engineered emulsion, not a resumption of the pre-2022 line.

The plate-size catalog spans modern view-camera sheet sizes (4×5 / 5×7 / 8×10 / 11×14) alongside historic plate sizes (Whole Plate, Half Plate, 1/4 Plate, Ninth Plate, Postcard / 3A) for which 19th-century plate cameras were actually built — including a 6.5×9 cm Sixth Plate sized specifically for the Mamiya Plate Adapter. As an orthochromatic emulsion, Speed Plates are sensitive to blue and green but not red; faces render with characteristically darker lips and reddish skin. Plates can be developed under a deep red safelight, which makes the workflow visible in a way that panchromatic film cannot match.

Currently the only J Lane plate in production. For practitioners who want to coat their own emulsion rather than buy pre-coated plates, see the DIY emulsion recipe on darkroomFYI.