Handling IR Films

[Kerosene Hat]

I just developed my first couple of sheets of Rollei IR 4x5...a couple observations:

* Physically THIN film base and very prone to scratching (see below)

* Developed in a Patterson tank with a Mod54 and it fell off the Mod54 sometime during the process - retrieving it from the edge of the tank after fixing or hyp wash induced some fine scratches to the film.

* I loaded the Rollei IR in my Photoflex changing room (desktop tent) in room light, maybe even with some sunlight coming in the window - no problems.

* I don't believe Rollei IR is "true" IR - I exposed with a red filter and got a nice result. Shot with an opaque IR filter (bought off eBay for $30), corrected +4 stops from EI 400 and...zip, nada, zilch. Maybe I needed 8 stops correction, I got the filter factor from Wikipedia in the field...

[Cor]

Notes are at home, but I recall that Rollei IR surely will not "see"as far as Kodak HIE did, so an opaque filter is useless (as you discovered), I believe a normal red filter (25) is not strong enough (ie too much "normal" light will be passed through). I use a stronger filter (72) but do some googeling.

Next time pick a scene with trees and water, it will show IR effects much better.

Good luck,

Cor

[Jac@stafford.net]

I remember wanting to use two steam irons as "lights"

What a great visual! You made my day.

[John Olsen]

Shot with an opaque IR filter (bought off eBay for $30), corrected +4 stops from EI 400 and...zip, nada, zilch. Maybe I needed 8 stops correction, I got the filter factor from Wikipedia in the field..

I shoot Rollei i.r. 4x5 at 6 EI with a Cokin P007 filter or 3 EI with a Wratten 89B. The result is clearly i.r. in nature, but not as dramatic as with HIE. And you're certainly right about the thin base: it requires a careful touch. But keep experimenting and you'll be pleased.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Rollei is an infra-red film, but nothing like HEI. HEI stretched out beyond 900nm, whereas Rollei gets out to about 850. Rollei IR has an antihalation layer, which prevents that nice highlight glow that HEI would give you. In regards to scratching, that has never happened to me, although at first I had issues with its thin base when I first tried this film. I loaded two sheets, one on top of the other in the holder. Also, the interweaved papers drove me nuts. I see that in recent batches, they no longer do that.

[alexmuir]

Light piping, So now it makes sense, I've wondered about that for over 30 years. I just wish I had saved the empty box. I remember wanting to use two steam irons as "lights" I had a wratten filter for my Strobonar, I think I had dreams of becoming a spy

I'm struggling a bit with this. What do you mean?
Alex


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[Duolab123]

I'm struggling a bit with this. What do you mean?
Alex


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Light Piping, explains why Kodak marked the boxes of HIE with WARNING ONLY OPEN IN DARKROOM. If you look hard enough in the old Kodak books there was a picture made with no visible light of books on a shelf, the "illumination" was pure thermal IR from two household irons, I always wanted to try that. The filter on my Honeywell flash was a total visible light cutoff gel. When fitted to my 1971 vintage made in USA Honeywell Strobonar 772 handle mount flash, in the dark when you set off the flash you could just barely make out a dim red light.

I would like to know what Kodak sold to the DoD, I bet you could only open that stuff in a secure room in the basement of the Hawkeye Works in Rochester.

[alexmuir]

Thanks for that! I pick up these old Kodak books when I see them in secondhand book shops. I haven't seen that article yet, but will be on the lookout for it now.
Alex


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[ben_hutcherson]

Well, I did get my R72 this week along with a few rolls(no sheets yet) of Rollei IR. It's a nice sunny day and we are starting to get some foliage(along with nice green grass), so I'll see what happens.

[ben_hutcherson]

Well, the first round with 35mm Rollei 400 hasn't been developed yet, but I'll already call it a partial failure.

I loaded a roll in my F3, set it to ASA 12, and went to work just walking around in the front yard. I started off metering, focusing, composing, putting the filter on, and then shooting. I finally got tired of the routine so once I knew the general exposures I was dealing with I just parked infinity at the red dot unless I knew I was shooting something closer and "shot from the hip." I was using a 50mm lens, and I have 10 years of photographing here with a 50mm, so I can pretty well compose without looking through the viewfinder. I also shot a few "reference" shots without a filter using sunny 16 for ASA 400. I finished off the roll-probably with some junk, but I hoped with some decent shots.

In any case, I went back inside and started rewinding. I felt the resistance stop on the crank, so gave it an extra turn and popped open the back. I saw a bunch of film still on the takeup spool. I snapped it back closed and started cranking again. I thought I felt resistance drop, so I opened the back again and still had film on the take up spool. I couldn't get the can to take up any more film, so I guess the film broke or pulled off the center somewhere along the way. I ended up just cutting it and pulling about two feet of film off the takeup spool. I hope that I at least have 3 feet of usable film still in the can, but I'll see this evening when I start developing.

I'm thinking the next time around I'll use 120. Truth be told, I don't know why I didn't in the first place, but at least there I don't have to worry about tearing the film.