The SouthernLomo Community

This is pretty interesting. I wonder if anyone has ever tried this. Magkano kaya ang IR films? I bet mahal ‘to.

So what is Infrared Light anyway?

Simply put Infrared or IR light is the light that is longer than the visible red light in the spectrum yet shorter than radio waves. Our eyes are only able to see light up to around wavelengths of 700 nanometres or so. IR light begins just around that and continues up from there. As such IR light is really invisible light and has no colour which is why IR film is by nature black and white as the film is just recording how much IR light is being reflected back towards the camera. This type of light and photography is often referred to as ?near IR? because it is the IR light that is very close to the visible part of the spectrum. Please do not confuse this with thermal imaging, which is not the same.

What types of IR film are available?

As of this writing in Sept. 2007 there are 3 types of 120 medium format Infrared film that can be used in your medium format Holga. These are (in no particular order) Efke IR820, Ilford SFX, and Rollei Near IR-Film. Kodak also makes an IR film in 35mm form only called Kodak HIE lets take a look at each one. It should also be noted that these films may be hard to find in local camera shops, but are readily found online.

* Efke IR820c – This one is made in Croatia by Fotokemika and is by far my film of choice. It has the deepest sensitivity of all of the current medium format IR films on the market today going down to 840nm. This film used to be sold under the Maco brand name.

* Ilford SFX – This film is perhaps the easiest to find, as Ilford is a major supplier of B&W films worldwide. This film was off the market for a long time but was recently brought back, because it is mass produced by Ilford it is also the least expensive of IR films. The film has IR sensitivity down to around 740nm.

* Rollei Near IR – This film is very similar to the Ilford SFX film with similar IR sensitivity. However it costs more than the Ilford film and seems to be harder to find.

* Kodak HIE – This fantastic film is currently only available in 35mm rolls. It has the deepest IR sensitivity of any IR film on the market today going out to 920nm. It is possible of course to load 35mm film into a Medium Format Holga and as of this writing a new 35mm based Holga is in the works.

Preparing Your Holga For IR Film Use

Using IR film is your Holga is pretty much like using any other film with a few exceptions. IR film is more sensitive to light leaks so you can get light leaks that you never knew you had before. I tape my Holgas up and have had no problems. You should also load the film in dim light and if you are using HIE in 35mm format you should load it in darkness. I currently have 8 Holgas and load them up with film at home before I go out in the field. I have however changed film outdoors in the shade with no problems. There is information floating around online that says that the black plastic often used in ‘toy cameras’ is not totally opaque to IR light, this is just not true, I have also never had any issues with the red window on the back, however I do cover it up with black tape and peel it back when I advance the film.

for more info visit: squarefrog. AGAIN.