Ilford SFX filters

Gary Holliday · Mar 20, 2007

I am looking for a suitable filter to use with Ilford SFX.

Ilford's filter is unsuitable so if anyone has suggestions for a bay 60 or 100x100mm filter let me know.

A slight infra-red effect will be fine.

Bob F. · Mar 20, 2007

The filter is equivalent to a Wratten 89B (very dark red - almost opaque) so any filter that claims 89B compatibility will be fine.

Cheers, Bob.

Roger Hicks · Mar 21, 2007

Dear Gary,

Look for a T50 (50 per cent transmission) of 710-720nm for strong infra-red effects, T50 of 695nm or so for more modest effects.

I always used 52mm filters in a 52-Bay60 adapter when I used Hasselblads -- but I had no wide-angles, so I don't knw what the effect would be there.

Cheers,

R.

Terence · Mar 21, 2007

Depends what you mean by slight infrared effect.

To get "wood effect" with leaves going white, I've never been able to achieve it.

To get jet black skies and water and puffy white clouds, a Red # 25 will often give it under bright conditions, and a #29 is even better. I rate it at 100 speed, and adjust for the filter factor.

It's my favorite film by far for photographing old steel bridges, buildings, etc.

Robert Hall · Mar 21, 2007

I would like to know why you mention that the Ilford filter is "unsuitable"?

thx

epatsellis · Mar 21, 2007

Gary,
if you have a gel holder, I'm pretty certain I have a Wratten 89b in 125mm square.

erie

pentaxuser · Mar 21, 2007

Terence said:
Depends what you mean by slight infrared effect.

To get "wood effect" with leaves going white, I've never been able to achieve it.

To get jet black skies and water and puffy white clouds, a Red # 25 will often give it under bright conditions, and a #29 is even better. I rate it at 100 speed, and adjust for the filter factor.

It's my favorite film by far for photographing old steel bridges, buildings, etc.

I could never get this wood effect with a red# 25 either but it can be done with a SFX filter as I have seen in the R Hicks and F Schultz book "Quality in Photography."

pentaxuser

Roger Hicks · Mar 21, 2007

pentaxuser said:
I could never get this wood effect with a red# 25 either but it can be done with a SFX filter as I have seen in the R Hicks and F Schultz book "Quality in Photography."

pentaxuser

...at EI 6 to 12 (insofar as EIs mean anything with IR)

Cheers,

R.

Ryuji · Mar 21, 2007

A lot of people go very far in cutting visible light component, but in my experience with Konica Infrared 750, I can get very good IR effect (with bright leaves) using an orange filter, which is easier if you use an SLR. (I personally prefer rangefinder or p&s for infrared.) This may not be the same with HIE or SFX, though.

I want to burn a lot of IR film in my panoramic camera so I'm in market for cheap IR film... to take place of Konica.

wirehead · Mar 21, 2007

That's because Konica 750 had a hump in the middle, so it really didn't matter if you used an orange or a red filter. It was kind of an ortho + IR film. IIRC, Laurie White's "Infrared Photography Handbook" covered that. HIE was similar, simply because it's got so much IR sensitivity.

The IR film J&C announced was like 750, to the point where you could use a green safelight.

Alegedly (and I'm going to test this some over the weekend, assuming the second half of my recent Adorama order comes through) Efke IR820, Rollei IR, and SFX all don't play like that. The new Rollei IR film may be more like HIE and Konica, which would be awful nice.

Roger Hicks · Mar 22, 2007

wirehead said:
That's because Konica 750 had a hump in the middle.

Pit, rather than hump, surely: the 'green gap', caused by the absence of a red sensitizing dye. I have to say I hadn't realized this, but I do know that SFX is an extended-red pan film, in other words, with full pan sensitization plus near-IR.

Cheers,

R.

wirehead · Mar 22, 2007

Roger Hicks said:
Pit, rather than hump, surely: the 'green gap', caused by the absence of a red sensitizing dye. I have to say I hadn't realized this, but I do know that SFX is an extended-red pan film, in other words, with full pan sensitization plus near-IR.

Cheers,

R.

I stand corrected.

Gary Holliday · Mar 22, 2007

Thanks for the replies. By unsuitable I meant that the size of the Ilford filter would not fit my 100x100mm ProShade.

I've found a 89B Lee 100mm filter on feeBay so that's perfect.

By slight IR effect I meant that I don't go for the full blown HIE look of IR.

J&C 750 IR?? Their site is down so I'll see if I can find some information on that.. Can anyone elaborate?

Dave Miller · Mar 23, 2007

Kood do a 720 filter that fits an 85mm holder which is competivly priced; note I don't say cheap. I'll be amazed if this link works.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Kood-Coki...59446QQcategoryZ30045QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

Bob F. · Mar 23, 2007

Dave Miller said:
... I'll be amazed if this link works.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Kood-Coki...59446QQcategoryZ30045QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

Be amazed: it worked!

The Cokin P007 is about the same price from dealers. I just ordered one of the new Ilford/Cokin P-size filters from RK Photographic (it's not on the website as far as I could see) for about £15 as my old gel one has sustained unacceptable levels of collateral damage...

Cheers, Bob.

Rob Archer · Mar 24, 2007

I usually use a B&W 091 (I think that comes somewhere between a 25 and the SFX filter) I find I cuts through haze see picture in my gallery:

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Ilford SFX filters

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