Ilford SFX 200 Infrared 120mm Black & White Print Film (ISO-200)

Comments about Ilford SFX 200 Infrared 120mm Black & White Print Film (ISO-200):

Works great with my R72 filter and old 6x6. Has nice, fine grain and great contrast when used with the correct filter. I haven't tried using it without a visible light blocker. Careful when loading/unloading. I noticed a few light leaks on the last frame of a roll I took out in bright sunlight.

Comments about Ilford SFX 200 Infrared 120mm Black & White Print Film (ISO-200):

Remember you need a red filter to use this. It does give good results with good grain and good blacks.

Comments about Ilford SFX 200 Infrared 120mm Black & White Print Film (ISO-200):

Use a deep red filter with this film. Produces nice contrast. Remember: if you can't see through the filter, neither can this film @ ISO 200.

If you want to use a 720nm filter (b+w 092 or equivalent), the settings are at bright sunlight (sunny 16 condition) at F16, exposure is 2 min. I shot at F32 with a 8 min exposure. Anything less is useless. You can probably go little more... This is primarily because this film is very less sensitive to IR and all the pictures are through the red leak in the filter. So, if you are expecting white trees, you are out of luck :( . Oh, and at this setting, the you will have a lot of grains.

Conclusion: use it with a deep red filter and not any larger wavelengths.

Comments about Ilford SFX 200 Infrared 120mm Black & White Print Film (ISO-200):

Loaded this film indoors during daytime like any other film with no problem. Used it with an 89b filter at about an ISO of 25. Loaded it into a stainless steel tank using a changing bag marked not IR safe indoors with subdued lighting. Developed like ordinary film using recommended time. No fogging.

Comments about Ilford SFX 200 Infrared 120mm Black & White Print Film (ISO-200):

Now that kodak is out of the infrared film business this is a very good substitute. I've tried it in a Holga and a Yashicamat124G hand holding a red filter and obtained decent results. No need to load in complete darkness. I was able to reload film in my car. I am happy with the pictures, now just need to find a decent 120 format film scanner.

Comments about Ilford SFX 200 Infrared 120mm Black & White Print Film (ISO-200):

The film looked great. I also recieved the order VERY promptly! I was very pleased. The only complaint is that it is hard to find a lab that will develope this type of film. The rocky mountain film lab will develope it.

Comments about Ilford SFX 200 Infrared 120mm Black & White Print Film (ISO-200):

I used this with an R72 filter from Hoya. I ended up getting some great results. Sunlit foliage whites out, and blues come out very dark to give a pronounced "wood" effect.

IR is hard to shoot with, but the results are very rewarding.

Of the three IR films I could find available(Ilford, Rollei, Efke), this one is a tie for best (I got my best end results with Efke's IR film, but it's more expensive, harder to find, and harder to use). Overall, Rollei's IR film has a less pronounced effect and is much more delicate.


Some tips for using the film:

Exposure: It's difficult to get a good idea of exposure time when using these nearly opaque filters, so I recommend bracketing about 5 stops the first time you use this film. A good starting point with this film/filter combo is the exposure level that corresponds to f/22 and 1/4 sec. on a sunny, cloudless day.

Loading: I had NO problems (fogging) loading this film indoors.

Although tripods are a pain, with IR film, they'll make your life alot easier when it comes to composing and focusing. Also, you should probably get your cable release out while you're at it.

Comments about Ilford SFX 200 Infrared 120mm Black & White Print Film (ISO-200):

I use this film for everything. It has outstanding tonal range and picks up the infrared spectrum where matters most. When shooting still-life with hot lamps it will really bring out the subject and allow for some very nice glow. In portraiture it is the best outside, hands down. It make the subject radiate. Landscapes is where this film shines. It really can capture some brilliant skies and brings detail to everything the sun touches. Plant life jumps out of every part of the frame and water darkens just enough to set it apart from the rest of the world while remaining unique.

The only downside to this film is the scan quality. It is quite grainy for the film speed and while the scans are good, can't really compete with a nice ISO 50 speed film. However, in the darkroom the film performs fantastic. It enlarges nicely to 11x14 and works very will with a fiber based, semi-matte paper. Overall I recommend it highly.