Could night vision gear be used for loading film?

[butterfly]

Don't laugh, I am so useless at loading dark slides I saw these and would try anything:

http://www.atncorp.com/NightVision/N...ggles/ATNViper

Question is, would the built in illuminator (infra red presumably), be ok to use for loading up film into dark slides, and later into tanks and processing by inspection etc.?

I am thinking infra-red film obviously could not, but normal films (Tmax for me).

Thoughts appreciated.

Steve

[j.e.simmons]

I use one for unloading and developing film. I tried it with loading and it worked just fine, although I don't really think I need it for that.
juan

[aduncanson]

I don't see any reference to a built-in-illuminator in the product description. Night Vision Goggles that I am familiar with (admittedly years old information) use image intensifier tubes which rely on the low levels of existing light and amplify it to make it visible.

This does not mean that there is not an IR product out there that could help you. Its eyepieces would have to be carefully shielded to avoid fogging your film with its output.

Good Luck

[Ken Lee]

I have used mine for several years now. No fog. Zero. See more here.

[butterfly]

Thanks for the replies. And Ken, I mailed you with a few questions but think they have all been answered here. The ATN one's you use: do they have an infra-red illuminator?

Cheers!

[Ken Lee]

Yes, the low-end models use an illuminator. At the link I provided, you can see it, above the main lens of the monocular. The model I use is... affordable

Night Vision devices are categorized into several "generations". The more advanced generations - as used by security forces - are passive, and use powerful amplification of ambient light. They allow you to see by starlight, or even less. Since you are not broadcasting with an illuminator, there is no tell-tale IR signal, so nobody knows you are there.

I'm not sure if a passive device would work in a darkroom. Perhaps our darkrooms are not entirely dark, and a good device would detect enough light to see by anyhow. In any event, they are rather expensive, and I don't spend enough time developing film to justify a greater expense.

[Matt Miller]

I use the ATN Viper model too. It does have an IR light built in. I see no visible evidence of fogging either, though I have not tested this with a densitometer.

[ljsegil]

Would it be safe to use a unit with an IR illuminator for handling color film, positive or negative? What about with printing? Thanks for the enlightening.
LJS

[Ken Lee]

I have no idea about color materials, but have developed b&w paper with the IR device, and seen no fogging at all. Given that b&w paper is most sensitive towards the Blue end of the spectrum, I am not surprised.

What does surprise me however, is that more people do not use something along these lines - especially those who like to perform DBI, or development by inspection, as an extension of their time/temperature controlled processes.

[resummerfield]

I use an IR night vision goggle, I think it is the Viper, but I do not use the illuminator. Instead, I have installed an 87C gel in a Kodak beehive safelight with a 7w bulb, and aim it toward the ceiling for indirect illumination. It lights up the entire darkroom, instead of giving the “tunnel vision” I had with the original IR illuminator. And I've never had any problems with film.