Ilford SFX 200

[WillMcC]

Has anybody shot with this without a filter?
Has anyone got some photos they're willing to share of the results?
I've not shot with it before, was curious as to the results.
Am I right in thinking that it'll come out just like a regular expensive B and W film as it's not a true InfraRed film?
Kind regards,
Will.

 

[markbarendt]

I don't have any scanned to share but yes it looks very normal shot without filters.

 

[bdial]

It's grainy compared to the contemporary usual suspects (Tri-X, TMax xxx, HP5,FP4), which gives it a bit of an "old school" look.

 

[IloveTLRs]

I have shot a few rolls of it without a filter, pushed to ASA400, developed in HC-110 dil B. I was extremely happy with the results: http://sansdigital.tumblr.com/post/23861723877 (135)
http://sansdigital.tumblr.com/post/3618543582
http://sansdigital.tumblr.com/post/42835421939/up-the-stairs-and-into-a-different-time
and
http://sansdigital.tumblr.com/post/42820032638/old-stairwell (120)

 

[darkosaric]

Hi,

I shoot it without filter - pretty normal look. Example with Rodinal:

Dead Link Removed

regards,

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

It's a really great portrait film. Its grain is beautiful, and I would like to imagine that its slightly extended red sensitivity helps skin tones.

Why not purchase a few rolls and try it out on the subject matter you like? Discover its possibilities by changing your technique with exposure, different lighting scenarios, different developing times, etc. Print a few of the negatives, and then judge for yourself.

 

[polyglot]

An example with flash and no filter. Looks sort of red-filtered by default as you'd expect - see the lip paleness.

It can certainly be used as an IR film and give a good Woods effect.

 

[hoshisato]

Indeed, a bit grainier than HP5+, IMO. I normally use it with the Hoya R72 filter as I prefer to shoot the cheaper FP4+/HP5+ for "normal" shots.

 

[Loulou]

I really like the results I get with SFX 200. I've shot it both with and without a red filter, if you want to see some results have a look at the ones I posted on Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/louise_aren/sets/72157631551340660/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/louise_aren/sets/72157631482673632/

 

[Robert Ley]

How does one shoot this film with an IR filter such as the Hoya R72? Any problems with a dark red filter?


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[Thomas Bertilsson]

How does one shoot this film with an IR filter such as the Hoya R72? Any problems with a dark red filter?


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A dark red filter will produce minimal IR effect. In order to fully bring it out, it's best to use the SFX filter that Ilford makes (I think they still make it), which lets through only a narrow band of wavelengths to hit the sweet spot of the film.
You'd have to be on a tripod, and use a meter as if the film was around ISO 1 to ISO 3 or so, and then bracket. Like with any IR film you will soon learn what works and what doesn't.

I hope that helps.

 

[Tony-S]

A dark red filter will produce minimal IR effect. In order to fully bring it out, it's best to use the SFX filter that Ilford makes (I think they still make it), which lets through only a narrow band of wavelengths to hit the sweet spot of the film.

The Cokin 007 is the same filter.

 

[polyglot]

I use a generic Chinese clone of the R72 (720nm lowpass) and SFX comes out well at EI2 with that filter.

I also found that TTL metering with my Dynax 5 worked fine through the filter with this film (DX box speed 200) - your results will vary with the spectral sensitivity of your camera's meter so you might need to apply a consistent adjustment, e.g. by forcing the camera's ISO setting to something else.

 

[MattKing]

My entry in the Ilford APUG contest a few years ago was shot on unfiltered SFX 200.

The slightly different spectral response is interesting to work with.

 

[Truzi]

I've only shot a couple rolls, and do not have an IR filter (sorry, don't have a scanner to post pictures).

I really like SFX. It does look like "normal" B&W without a filter, but seems to have a different "feel" to it.

 

[Robert Ley]

Thanks for the exposure info on this film. I shot a few rolls of this film years ago, but forgot how I shot it. I have found a few frozen rolls of 120 that I think I might like to try and will probably try to process it in Thornton's two bath developer. Any other processing suggestions?


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[polyglot]

It fogs pretty quickly once expired, even frozen. You might want to give it an extra stop.