Limestone Cairns Süd Tyrol Rollei Infrared

These two mountain shots may not be the best to show of the IR qualities with R72 but I was surprised that more of an IR look didn't show up. The skies do not look as dark as I had expected, especially given the altitude and its effect on helping to darken skies.

That's true. The IR effect is very hit and miss. I was really using this film as a means to cut through mountain haze and it does that very effectively with the R72. I think this film is more an "extended red sensitivity" than IR. In fact, many of the Rollei films have extended red sensitivity so marketing this film as IR is a bit of a stretch. I was really only playing with the film; sometimes it is interesting and pleasing and it does have a fine grain. At other times it behaves oddly and seems unpredictable. It is easy to get far too much contrast and end up with semi-bizzare but striking images where there is a very sharp cut off between bright sunlight and deep shadow. Those pictures are black/white and nothing in between. I might post a few more if I have time to print. It does have a certain "look" which reminds me of military photographs -no surprise there as it was used for aerial reconnaissance. I like the way it handles with the polyester base; seems easier to achieve absolutely spotless negatives than with acetate base films but it does pipe light which makes it a bit more tricky to load the camera outside. It's fun if the photos are not important.

The other photo I posted today does show some IR effect. The grass is unnaturally bright as compared with some photos I took at the same time on FP4.

In all honesty, I love mountains and hiking in them but I find it difficult to take decent shots. The light is harsh, the weather changes rapidly, they are dangerous places and even on a good day there is often a lot of haze. I should really refine my technique with "standard" films rather than play with difficult and unpredictable films but I have to mess about sometimes!