The Darned Good Excuse You've Been Waiting For

on June 04, 2014

You've been sitting looking at your 35mm camera or your 120 TLR or SLR haven't you? Now that you have a digital camera and a computer it has gone into disuse, hasn't it. You are feeling guilty, aren't you?

But there hasn't been a good opportunity to use it, has there? Well now there is a good excuse - a new film available here at the shop.

Not new. Nothing is new. ( With the possible exception of new shoe designs for dancers...) These films have been going for a while, but not in this packaging. It is all the prompting you need.

Agfa must still exist in some form in Belgium - probably the old Gevaert works - and they are making infrared film. Maco in Germany hold the license but you can decide amongst yourselves who actually coats it and who sells it. Sort of like Ilford's paper works...


The IR film has an extended sensitivity up to 820nm. It has a basic sensitivity of 400 ISO before you put a filter on the front of the lens so you do have a useful range of exposure in the camera. The manufacturer's listing says that it can resolve up to 140 lines per millimetre. If you overexpose it your can get a real aura around the subjects - this is a photographic aura, not a psychic one...

Developing is standard chemistry - they quote times for Rollei, Rodinal, D76, Xtol, ID 11, and Ilfosol S on the package so it looks as though there is a good chance you'll have the developer already. Standadrd lab stuff if you don't want to do it yourself.

Results will be white foliage, black skies, waxen skin, and all the classic IR images.

New packaging means that you get standard 120 film and 35mm cassettes in waterproof containers for field use. You still need to keep the film from strong light and heat when you are loading it, but that is a characteristic of IR films.
BACK TO TOP
x