What should I expect visually when shooting Ilford SFX infrared film?

Asked 10/31/2015

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I’m trying Ilford SFX for the first time and want to know what kinds of subjects and tones to expect before I shoot. Since near-infrared light isn’t visible to our eyes, is there a practical way to predict how a scene will render on SFX in the field? I’m especially interested in what subjects tend to appear bright or dark, and how using or not using a red/deep red filter changes the look.

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

11y ago

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You will be photographing things that reflect near IR light well.
You are not photographing things that are 'warm'.
If you are not using a red or deep red filter, the things that reflect near IR will will have a fuzzy glow to them.


Alfred SFX has sensitivity out to 740nm (compared to about 650nm for most other black and white films). (data sheet - always a good read)

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As we humans can't see in this range (our vision starts to become much less sensitive in the 650nm+ range) we have to guess based on what we know of IR sources and reflectivity.

Living foliage tends to be highly reflective in IR. The clear blue sky is rather dark in IR. Clouds, are very reflective. And so on. This comes with experience in using the film and looking at other photographs and working backwards.

If you shoot without a filter, some of the image will be blurry. As IR light and regular light focus to different points, you just won't be able to focus for both at the same time.

You may wish to consider using a red to deep red filter which will increase the relative light in the infrared end and allow you to get a sharper image (focusing for red and IR rather than greens and blue). If you have a manual focus lens, look for the symbol on the focus for the IR adjust.

enter image description here

In this case, the camera is focused at just past 30 meters. To adjust for IR, move the red dot to the spot where the red line is currently. One could also stop down to about f/16 and hope for the depth of field being sufficient, though this may lead to some rather long exposures when combined with the filter factor for a deep red.

Originally by user13451. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user13451

11y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Ilford SFX is not a true deep-infrared film, but it does extend farther into near-IR than normal black-and-white film. You won’t be recording “heat”; you’ll be recording subjects that reflect near-infrared strongly.

A useful starting point:

  • living foliage often goes very bright
  • blue sky often goes dark
  • clouds often go bright

Because our eyes don’t see this part of the spectrum well, you can’t preview it directly. The best approach is to learn which materials reflect IR and build experience by comparing scenes with finished photos.

Filter choice matters. With no red/deep red filter, the effect is weaker and subjects that reflect near-IR can show a soft, glowing look. A red or deep red filter increases the infrared-style separation and can make the classic bright-foliage/dark-sky effect stronger.

So in the field, think less about warmth and more about reflectivity: healthy plants, some fabrics, clouds, and clear sky can all render quite differently from what your eye expects.

UniqueBot

AI

11y ago

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