Maco 820c IR film

[patricia de roeck]

I've just processed my first 35mm roll of this film and have some very muddy negs. I loaded and unloaded in pitch black dark, rated it at 80asa, bracketed all exposures and took all shots on a bright sunny day with a red 25a filter on and processed in ID11 neat for 8 mins. A couple of frames are a bit more contrasty than the rest but still pretty muddy. Also both edges of the negs have a bright green line running along that sometimes creeps up into the frame - come to think of it that line corresponds to each edge of the back where it closes on to the body - some kind of IR rays getting in there maybe. But can anyone give me some idea of where I'm going wrong with film rating, chemicals etc. I'm not after that IR 'woody' effect that HIE gives, just after an exaggerated high contrast effect - the only other developers I have to play around with are TMax and Rodinal. I realise IR's a bit of a lucky dip and don't expect a magic bullet but a guiding hand would be a good start. Many thanks, Patricia

 

[Ray Heath]

g'day patricia
ir can be very rewarding, but it is hit and miss, many variables, many problems to overcome, is the camera ir light tight, is the film getting too hot, is humidity a problem, do the camera light seals leak ir but not white light?

do you have similar problems developing normal films?

perservere, it's worth it

 

[Fotohuis]

It seems to be that your camera is not suitable for IR film but it's hard to make an exact diagnose.
By the way, this film is discontinued already for some time. What is the exp. date? and what 35mm camera you're using?

If you do not need the full IR sensitivity (like HIE) I can only suggest to try the new Rollei/Maco I.R.-400 film. You can load and unload this film in subdue light. Wood effect you will get only up from 665nm or higher (695nm or max. 715nm IR filters are possible). But less critical und easy in development.

There is just a very interesting article in the Fine Art Foto magazin in Germany. Also about using this I.R. film with a red filter, I.R. filter and the expected results. It's in German and we have written permission to publish it on the web from Rollei/Maco and the publisher (Hillebrand). It has copyright (c) but links are further allowed.

http://www.fotohuisrovo.nl/documentatie/Rollei%20IR%20FAF%203-06(0).pdf

Hope to be helpfull.

best regards,

Robert

 

[Fotohuis]

I forgot to mention some usefull links about both films. Including the new Rollei developing table:

Dead Link Removed

Dead Link Removed

and for the Maco I.R. 820C:
Dead Link Removed

You can also find the data on the Rollei website:
http://www.rollei.de or the maco website:
http://www.mahn.net

 

[gnashings]

What camera are you using? Is it a modern, autofocus camera with DX coding, motor drive, etc? I know that some of them use IR diodes for (I believe) film indexing and other functions (some AF related in some cameras, I think). You probably know this already, but I thought I'd just throw it out there.

Peter.

 

[Willie Jan]

Hi,

i also did some work on the 820 film and developed it in id-11
have a look at foto-art (gallery) for some examples.

I used a hoya R72 filter and used it as 3-6 asa with this filter.
My equipment was a pentax 645.

I loaded the fim on the spot in subdued light.
loading film in tank at night in my darkroom.

Willie Jan

 

[Fotohuis]

IR820C 120 ROLLFILM you can load/unload in subdue light. 135-36 (35mm) film NOT due to the pipelight effect in the clear base.

Rollei IR-400 you can load both versions in subdue light due to the fact that the sensitivity goes down fast over 750nm for this film. That's also the reason you can use modern AF cameras with IR filmtransport detection (EOS) for this last film. They work on the edge in sensitivity for the Rollei IR-400 film. So no problem with e.g. an EOS 30 camera or so.

 

[Jerry Thirsty]

In Hugh Milsom's "Infrared Photography", he recommends an ISO of 20-32 with a red filter, depending on atmospheric conditions, developer, etc.

 

[Shmoo]

I've used the Maco 820c IR film with a 25 red filter and the results are not as good as using an 89B or 87 filter. Also, using an ISO from 6 to 50 works better. Definitely use a tripod. I'm not sure how you get a green stripe on b&w film after you develop it. The results when using an IR incompatible camera is a fogging on the film, but that's usually on one side of the 35 mm film and runs through the sprocket area.

S

 

[patricia de roeck]

Thanks for the quick response everyone - I've never had this problem with any of my other films so it looks like one of the problems was that I had the rating wrong to start with and I'm pretty sure that though my Nikon is fully manual it isn't suitable for this type of film. Yes, I've just found out that this film is discontinued (I live at the far edge of the world so it takes a while for me to catch up with the rest of you) so now I'll give the new Rollei 400 film a try with my 645 Bronica providing I can actually buy it here in Oz - hope I won't get the same response from the importer as when I asked why I can't buy Ilford warm and cold tone developers here - told me I was the only person in a population of 20 million to ask for it - yes, I know there aren't 20 million traditional photographers here but surely to goodnes...... I disgress - thanks again everyone. patricia.

 

[Willie Jan]

hope I won't get the same response from the importer as when I asked why I can't buy Ilford warm and cold tone developers here - told me I was the only person in a population of 20 million to ask for it - yes, I know there aren't 20 million traditional photographers here but surely to goodnes...... I disgress - thanks again everyone. patricia.

Why not buying it from the internet patricia?
I buy a lot of stuff in other countries. Shipping costs mostly are not that high, and if you order with some persons together these costs drop fast.

Willie Jan

 

[Dave Miller]

Try doing a search of older threads Patricia, there has been a lot of discussion on this subject. Note that the new Rollei IR film is a completely different film to the MACO IR that you refer to.

 

[Fotohuis]

Dear Patricia,

You have to contact:
VANBAR PTY LTD

159-165 Cardigan St.
Carlton, VIC 3053
0061-3-9347-7788
0061-3-9347-0407
service@vanbar.com.au
www.vanbar.com.au

If they are not able to deliver you the Rollei IR-400 we are going to deliver you straight by air post mail some 120 rollfilm samples F.O.C. for your Bronica 645.
The suggestions for this IR820C film E.I. 20-32 for red and E.I. 3-6 for 720nm R72 or Heliopan 715nm are correct.

Note that for a wood effect you need for the Rollei IR-400 film at least a 665nm filter and on the top side (max.) a 715nm black IR filter.

Maybe it's also a good idea to get in touch with Nicole Boenig Mcgrade
www.nicoleboenigmcgrade.com
She lives in West Australia and maybe you have combine some things to get access to the special films from Europe.

If necessary you can contact us via our e-mail on our website to exchange some information.
We can not guarantee an x-ray free package to Oz but we are able to minimize the cosmic radiation by packing in special foil.

Best regards from Holland,

Robert