Lab Recommendation for IR?

Greetings all,

I haven't shot IR film in a few years now, and the lab that use to develop for me no longer does C-41. A friend just asked for a lab recommendation for her first rolls of IR film. Can any of you provide some input?

Thanks,
Mike

b/w IR processing

I thought it developed just like other b/w film, specifically in accordance with film mfr/s recommendations, but handling is supposed to be an issue. Some say stainless steel tank is needed to keep ambient IR from reaching film during processing. That is what would concern me with farming it out at some great distance. I'd wrap it in something absolutely IR opaque (not sure what qualifies).

I suppose b/w labs are fewer and further apart in Alaska than in congested lower 48, but shouldn't that be incentive to do own developing?

Determining exposure is apparently as much of a project as finding a lab. There are some good sites on the web (I printed out to save...somewhere) with starting ISO's filters etc.

After stating my concern about shipping film away, I hesitate to recommend my local lab in Michigan, for surely there must be something closer.

25ASA here on APUG (Daryl on f295) regularly uses IR film and processes it himself - may be helpful to PM him for processing notes.

C-41?

AFAIK there are only two (main) kinds of IR film - B&W (developed as any other black-and-white film - in D76 or whatever) and slides. The slide film I remember had to be developed in E4, unlike just about everything else which is processed in E6. I can't remember having ever heard of a colour negative IR film - although I expect to be corrected if I'm wrong. C-41 is the standard colour negative film process.

The current version of color IR slide film can be developed in E-6 chemistry (and the less common AR-5 chemistry). However, the concern I always had was whether the lab's machine had any IR sensors in it that needed to be turned off (or if they could be turned off). I believe I have read that the slide film may be cross-processed in C41 to give some strange results, but have never done that for any of my films.

B/W IR film can be processed by anybody at home. I once had a lab who accidentally processed some of my b/w IR in C41. Needless to say, I had nothing left but some barely visible image frames on my negatives. They did give me a free roll of HIE because of their screw up.

We process EIR (false color infrared E-6) at work all the time...you can always send the E-6 stuff to us, you can even put it to my attention and get an APUG 10% discount! We don't do the B&W, but I'm fairly certain you could send it to the lab a couple of blocks from ours. Here is the info on both:

For E-6 or C-41: http://www.newlab.com/

For B&W: http://www.gammasf.com/


Good luck with your IR shooting!
Matt

I'm sorry guys... I had a brain cramp. I meant to say that my old lab no longer processes any print films (to include C-41 & B&W), and now only does E-6. So I'm looking for a lab that will do traditional B&W and is careful about properly handling IR films.

Cheers, and thanks again for any info.

Mike

Geographically practical or not, I don't know...(someone out West sends his old ortho rolls here, so maybe...)
http://www.wmphotoworks.com/
Mike Smith (not Michael Smith, a different one)

Murray