M3 Experiment - Ilford SFX 200

dave lackey

dave lackey

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Okay, so I am almost finished with a project that has kept my M3 and R4 dedicated to specific films for the duration. I had picked up a roll of Ilford SFX 200 in hopes of doing some infrared. Will this film do that?

If so, I need a lot of coaching on this. I have the infrared filter (Leitz Rm) for the Summarit lens and will be ready to go in a couple of weeks.

Your kind and gracious help, as always, is appreciated.:angel:
 
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SFX is not a 'true IR film' but you can get some ir effect with it. I use it as a nostalgic film from the fifties by using just a red filter (25) and shooting it at EI 40 (develop HC110h-18minutes):

3344597988_ab628bb4f8.jpg


Here are some that others have done with a true IR filter:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/388363@N24/pool/tags/r72/
 
Umm...my bad. I was told that SFX 200 would work for infrared before I ordered one roll...so, now I have two projects but so far have no real advice for either.

SFX 200...good for portraits, architecture, landscape, etc. How should I shoot it? Using the red Rm filter? If so, how do I shoot it? Exposure compensation? What do I expect?

What "real" infrared film would one recommend that is readily available? And the same questions above apply to this one....?

I suppose bracketing will be necessary but where to start?:angel:
 
I'd go for the Rollei 400 IR film, and shoot it basically as if it were an ISO 25 film, assuming you're using an IR filter.

With an IR filter, they are almost completely dark, so not a lot of fun on an SLR, as you can barely see through them. On a range finder however, it makes no difference.

You want a lot of daylight, but apart from that, shoot it like it was any slow B&W film.
 
Looking at some of the examples in the flickr link, from charjohncarter above, it looks as though you can use the sensitivity of the film above 720nm and get interesting results. The thing to compare will be the shapes of the graph for the sensitivity of the film and the transmission graph of the filter which you have. The examples were mostly made with a 720nm filter.

If someone with a Holga can manage it, then you are looking at much more control using an M3 . . .
😉
 
Cool.... Rollei film sounds like the way to go.

Just for kicks, I shot this image with a D40 and the Rm Summarit filter instead of my 55mm Hoya 25 red filter. The exposure was 16/1" at ISO 200. Auto levels, desaturate, diffuse glow....I bracketed around 1 second and this seems to be better than faster or slower. It also seems that broader leaves work best and using the sun to one's back instead of at 90 degree angles.

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The SFX is a nice B&W film, with nice contrast and fine grain. I never quite got the hang of it, but I may return to using it as a regular B&W film. When I tried a couple of rolls with my Contax G1 and a Planar 45mm I did get one or two images with an IR look, but nothing really impressive where I wanted it. However, the shots in which there were no reds or greens turned out very nice and contrasty... if you're into that kind of thing.

EDIT: I shot it with a red filter, the #25 IIRC.
 
dave lackey said:
Umm...my bad. I was told that SFX 200 would work for infrared before I ordered one roll...so, now I have two projects but so far have no real advice for either.

SFX 200...good for portraits, architecture, landscape, etc. How should I shoot it? Using the red Rm filter? If so, how do I shoot it? Exposure compensation? What do I expect?

What "real" infrared film would one recommend that is readily available? And the same questions above apply to this one....?

I suppose bracketing will be necessary but where to start?:angel:
Click to expand...

SFX 200 when I use it is a red filter 25 and EI 40. Develop in HC-110h for 18 minutes. I really like this film, it has a very distinctive look.

I use Efke IR820 for my IR film. I use a R72 filter and shoot in full sun f/11-16 for one second. The EI is very low, if you do the math it is .500-.365. But you can do a portrait in full sun at f/3.5 at 1/10 second:

4821928471_11952ba651.jpg


I have never used the Rollei IR film but I'm sure it is very good.
 
The Rollei IR film is true infrared but no-one can agree on a suitable ISO. I tried ISO 4 (with an R72 filter) after reading up on the Internet; this gave dense, almost unscannable results with the recommended development time. However (and this is the important bit) I also shot an unfiltered frame at ISO 400 as reference, and this came out far too thin.

My next attempt will be ISO 16 and with 50% more development time.

For a preview of the IR effect, you *may* have sufficient IR sensitivity in your eyes. Many people have red cones with slight sensitivity down to 1050nm - much better thaqn the film - so if you hold the R72 filter over your eye, blocking all side light, you can see a pronounced Wood effect. DO NOT LOOk AT THE SUN as all its IR energy will go onto your retina through a wide-open pupil.
 
as others have said, sfx is not a full ir film. It does have extended red sensitivity though and with even a yellow filter it can add drama to an image. Good for skies with clouds IMO cos aids darkening of the blues more than standard films when using orange and red filters.
SFX ID11 using yellow filter (I think) with a bit of post scan processing.
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