Rollei IR 4x5" - is it coming back ?

[Mark J]

I was just about to buy a box of Rollei IR 4x5, then I noticed it was out of stock everywhere in the UK, and some other countries.
Is it available anywhere - does anyone have any insider information ... ?

 

[Ivo Stunga]

I don't shoot large, but considering it's Aviphot 200, maybe it's possible to find it under different brand names?
Rollei Retro 400S, Superpan 200, IR400 - all the same emulsion, rated and branded by reseller at random.

There are more smaller brands reselling it, somebody else will name the reseller.

 

[Mark J]

Unfortunately I don't believe there have been the alternate versions made in sheet film size(s), somebody can correct me if I'm wrong. I am using Superpan 200 in rollfilm , getting really nice results, although I wouldn't want that film base in 4 x 5 size, far too thin.
I can only see Orth 25 as the other sheet film in Rollei's range.
I see it's showing as in stock at B&H, maybe I'll have to import a box. I'll see what I can find out first. I emailed AG Photographic in the UK but didn't get a reply.

 

[Mark J]

I called AG in the UK today and they said it had been a while since they had seen any IR sheet and they believed it had been discontinued.
So, later on today I checked again with B&H in the US and they were still showing stock, so I have ordered 2 boxes and taken the hit on Duty & VAT. I'll confirm on this thread once it's arrived , just in case there was any mistake on their listings.

 

[Mark J]

OK so bearing in mind that this seems to be a really niche interest I have here, for anyone to whom it matters, I did receive 2 boxes of 4x5" Rollei IR today from the US.
Get some now from B&H if you have any plan to try this.

I have been looking for anything resembling an expiry date, on the packaging. The best I can see is '213025' printed near the barcode on the cardboard 'belt' that goes around the box. I don't know if anyone has any experience with Maco-packaged Rollei film and can comment ?

 

[abruzzi]

I have no experience with superpan (your second post above) but Rollei IR is also VERY thin. It works, but I'm sure the reason they never cut it to 8x10 is that the film is so thin it would just fall out.

 

[btaylor]

I have no experience with superpan (your second post above) but Rollei IR is also VERY thin. It works, but I'm sure the reason they never cut it to 8x10 is that the film is so thin it would just fall out.

Interesting- there is a guy over at LFPF who is cutting and loading the Aviphot 200 into his 8x10 holders and happy with the results. I bought a roll (9" x 250') from an Indian vendor on eBay and am going to try it out in 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10 and see how it goes. I'm curious if the thin film with present any processing issues with the set ups I have now.

 

[Mark J]

Yes, I am a bit concerned about the thickness, it's going to be thin.... On the 4x5 sheet packaging it says 100um PET. Superpan 200 is the thinnest rollfim I've used, this is listed on the Superpan 200 datasheet as PET 100um ( Polyethylene terephthalate ) then later in the same document in the comparison table, as 'Clear triacetate' ! Now, my previous experience of Rollei IR 400 , from batches up to 2015 , was that it was usefully thicker. It is listed in Rollei's comparison table as 'Polyester Transparent'. In the current Rollei IR datasheet it is also listed as 100um and as PET and Polyester, so it's probably the same thin base nowadays.

Did you get along Ok with it in 4x5, Abruzzi ?

 

[Don_ih]

I cut Aviphot 200 to 8x10. It worked fine. I, too, have a huge roll of it. It'd easily work in a 4x5. I'd be concerned trying to process it in a spiral holder, since it's flimsy.

 

[abruzzi]

Did you get along Ok with it in 4x5, Abruzzi ?

sure, no problem. I use a Cokin filterholder system ('P' sized) and got their circular IR filter that fits in the P holder. I believe its an 720nm filter. I usually meter at EI12 on a sunny day (i.e. lots of IR, I'm not sure how cloudy days would behave, but then we don't have many cloudy days down here.)

 

[Mark J]

Yep, I'm with you on the R72 filter and EI 12 , maybe EI 6 in the woods.
Thanks for the reassurance on the 4x5 and 8x10. I will only be processing small numbers of sheets, I am going to be trying out tray process with plastic peg dividers, for using with Pyro PMK or WD2D. I'll start with 5x7 first ( already modified an 8x10 tray ). A few years ago I tried shuffle development with 5x7, but I couldn't do it with washing-up gloves, and the dental gloves I tried seemed to develop holes really fast, so I got paranoid and gave up for a while ...