Handling kodak high speed infrared 2481

Hello.

Just got hold of some Kodak Infrared. It's been expired for at least 4 decades. Don't know about the conditions it was kept in. The box is still closed.

I want to shoot it anyway. I know you need to handle it in total darkness. But I do have some questions.

Seeing it is an expired film, I was thinking of shooting it at a low ISO. The lowest I could get. But what does that change at the processing stage? Can I even send it to a lab or should I try doing it myself?

It doesn't have an assigned ISO, so that's confusing.

Also how do you USE it? How it WORKS? I know you need a red filter and that the pictures get a kind of eerie glow, but how much infrared light there's around anyway? I have to guess?

That's it,

thanks.

I do also have some frozen HIE rolls and shoot them from time to time. The way I shoot them, using a red filter (Tiffen 25, B&W 090) or something similar on my SLR. I use the through the lens lichtmeter, rating the film at 200 asa, metering through the red filter. I used to rate at 400 asa when the film was fresh so I added one stop for presumed speed loss. Advice has always been to bracket, one stop over and under, so do that. This because there is no way of knowing what amount of IR lights is actually present in the metered light. It is usually higher at end of the day.

The last roll I developed came out surprisingly good, being frozen for close to 15 years. Grainy, but that is the point of shooting HIE, with good Wood effect. I have used it this way in a Minolta X-700, without any caveats, and in one of my Contax Aria's . The Contax has a infrared frame counter, which fogged the top parts of my negatives. Since then I modified one of my Aria's to partially shield the frame counter, so it now only foggs part of the sprocket holes. It still counts frames.. So depending on what camera you are planning to use, be aware of things like that.

As you said, handle in total darkness, although I have come away with loading HIE outside on a bright day, under cover of a coat. Now I always bring a changing bag when I travel with HIE. When flying with it I insist on hand inspection at security. The attached photo is taken in Birma on HIE that had to be negotiated out of frying by multiple airport security officers, and was Lith printed on return. The Woods effect is still very convincing. The film was over 10 years old ad the time.

Is it sheet film? I shot a ton of HIE in the past. I have a 4x5 box I picked up a few years ago that expired in 1967, that is still going strong, although base/fog has increased by about a third of a stop. When this stuff was still being produced, I shot it at EI 100, with a #25 red kodak wratten filter. I always treated it like a regular film. Took my light readings from the shadows and based my exposure on them. There is IR all times of the year, more in the summer, mid afternoon, and when sun is out. IR focuses differently than light, and you have to adjust focus IF you use a strong IR filter like the 87C (opaque). I never bothered adjusting focus with just the #25 filter. You get plenty of Wood effect with just that filter (white foliage). Now, with this 1967 HIE, I expose it at EI 12 with the #25. My development time is the same with Xtol-R. 7:30 (continuous agitation in tubes). If you get really high base/fog, then best to use a developer than will minimise this... like HC-110.

Just like all films, it is affected by long exposures. My adjustments for reciprocity are:

1 sec give 1/3rd stop more; 2sec give 1/2stop; 4sec give 2/3rd; 8sec give 1 stop; 16sec give 1 1/3rd stops; 32sec give 1 2/3rds... A slight development compensation should be give, the longer the exposure time is. For 32 second exposure becomes 96 seconds, I decrease my exposure time by N-1(I'd have to check my chart as I can't remember the time)..

For sheet film, handle it by its edges. Wash and dry your hands first. It's very sensitive to finger prints!
Have fun with this stuff! One can obtain amazing results with it!