Ken Wronkiewicz has just posted some test shots with Efke’s new IR820c infrared black and white film.
Check them out at his site, Wirehead Arts.
Tag: film
B&W film & chemistry manufacturer Forte folds
Damn it! Another one!
Hungary’s once great photo chemicals producer Forte incurred losses of over HUF 150 million in 2006 and is forced to close down for good. Forte, which makes black & white film, photographic papers and other photo materials, will stop production in February and lay off every worker, news portal index.hu has reported on Tuesday…
Continue reading at portfolio.hu
Ilford SFX 200 infrared film returns
35mm and 120, hell yeah!
Direct PDF links: data sheet, development chart
Ilford press release:
Monochrome enthusiasts will welcome the news of the reintroduction of ILFORD SFX 200 infrared film – the unique medium for adding incredible definition and texture control to outdoor black-and-white photography.
Black-and-white goes red
Underlining its commitment to the world of black-and-white photography, ILFORD PHOTO is in the process of reintroducing various specialist films. Leading this movement, and available from March 2007, is the much admired ILFORD SFX 200 infrared film.
ILFORD SFX 200 is a special red-filtered film perfect for landscapes, mountainscapes and similar subjects due to its ability to add high definition to green foliage, cloud formations and open skies, especially when combined with the ILFORD SFX 200 Cokin ‘P’ series mounted red filter. It is also popular with architectural photographers due to its characteristic for emphasising contrasting textures.
A medium speed panchromatic film, ILFORD SFX 200 is available in 35mm and 120 roll film. It has long been a favourite with specialist photographers, but was not continued when the company went through a corporate reorganisation in 2005. Because of its sensitivity, the film will be produced in small quantities on a ‘made on demand’ basis to ensure that it is always fresh and fully active.
"We have always been aware that the black-and-white market incorporates many photographers who revel in pushing the abilities of their film to the maximum in order to attain extreme results," says ILFORD PHOTO marketing director Howard Hopwood.
"The revival of ILFORD SFX 200 film will enable those specialists who concentrate on outdoor photography to achieve a remarkable degree of control over their images, utilising all types of weather conditions to produce their ultimate visual concepts."
A major user of ILFORD SFX 200 is professional photographer Dave Butcher: "Most of my photography is with Ilford FP4+ 120 film," he says "however, I use SFX for the striking effects it produces when foliage is producing infrared (in the Spring and Summer when the sun shines!). Unlike some infrared film, it can be handled in daylight with no special precautions, so it is very easy to use in the mountains where I spend much of my time.
"Another good reason to reach for the SFX is when there is a strong heat haze. It’s difficult to take big views on days like these with normal films like FP4+, but SFX with an infrared filter cuts through the haze and lets you get a shot of the view you can’t even see with the naked eye!"
ILFORD SFX 200 is available in special value promotional packs which contain three rolls of 36×135 film plus an ILFORD COKIN P red filter.
An ILFORD SFX 200 print competition is planned to encourage photographers to experience the versatility of this film, and to put their artistic talents to the test. Full details will be announced shortly.
A full technical data sheet on the ILFORD SFX 200 film can be downloaded from www.ilfordphoto.com
TV show "Lost" footage killed by airport x-ray
Film from ABC’s hit show "Lost" was ruined when security employees at the Honolulu International Airport accidentally X-rayed the canisters despite warnings labels asking them not to.
The show’s crew had to reshoot the scenes because there were no copies.
Continue reading at The Honolulu Advertiser
Oops.
Via photographer Wally B
Two Polaroid 600 technique how-tos
Two new step-by-step how-tos have been posted at Alternative Photography:
An introduction to Polaroid 600 and image film manipulations
Indirect Low Light Polaroid 600 Photograms
Both were written by Jenelle Norris, whose work you can see at her web site and her gallery at AlternativePhotography.com.
Fujichrome Fortia SP film re-released in Japan
Fuji have re-released the "limited edition" Fortia SP slide film in Japan. It’s ISO 50 (though it’s recommended that you shoot it at 64), has extremely high colour saturation (apparently higher than Velvia 50), and high contrast. It’s available in 35mm and 120 with no plans for distribution outside of Japan.
You can order it from megaperls, though, who carry some other films that are difficult to get outside of Japan, such as Fuji Neopan SS (ISO 100, not Acros) and Fuji Presto 400 B&W films and Fuji Natura 1600 colour print film. It aint cheap, though.
Masked double exposure technique
waking_dream made this masked double exposure in two stages: one was made with a round piece of tape blocking the center of the lens, while the other was made holding a card with a circle cut out in front of the lens. Expose the center and then everything except the center. Very cool!
For exposing the middle, you could cut a hole in your lens cap rather than using a card (obviously more appealing if you use a Holga as he did).
Check out his photos, too; the man’s got skills.
Film is digital and digital is analog
Think you’re cutting edge and cool because you lead an up-to-the-minute digital lifestyle and shoot digital because film is old? Fuck you! Think you’re more virtuous than the unwashed infidel masses because you shoot film and only listen to music on vinyl? Fuck you, too! Of course if you’re in either of these groups, you’re probably unperturbed by facts anyway, but you both can suck on this:
Film is a binary medium. Either enough photons hit a particular grain of silver halide to alter its charge—after which it will turn into a grain in the developed image—or not. There or not, on or off, 1 or 0, with nothing in between. Film is binary.
Sensors in digital cameras are inherently analog devices. Each sensor site responds to light by producing a continuously variable ("analog") voltage which is then converted to a numeric value by an analog to digital converter.
So use the right tool for the job—whatever that is for you at a given time and task—and shut the fuck up already.
For fuck’s sake, it’s just 120 film, not 120mm!
120 is a number that specifies the format of the film. Remember 110? Disc? Same thing. There is no measurement of 120 film that is 120mm: not of the film itself, the paper backing, the spool it’s on, any of the standard frame sizes shot on it, or, likely, even the paper band that holds it closed. Calling 120 120mm is like calling Disc film Discmm: it’s incorrect and makes no sense.
First thoughts on Jobo 2500 daylight processing tank
I’m helping my friend Jonathan get set up to do his own black and white film processing, so I made him a shopping list. I suggested the Jobo 2500 daylight tank because it looks good on paper, and I can’t recommend my Paterson Multi-Reel 5 Tank/Super System 4 kit.
The Paterson is a plastic tank and reel system that would be great except for the little BBs that grip the film to advance the film into the reel for loading. They’re not a problem for me with 35mm, because the film is so narrow that it’s still pretty rigid. Medium format is another story, though: if there’s even the slightest bit of moisture on the BBs, they tend to jam and not release the film while you’re loading. This means that you have to take the reel apart and start all over again, sometimes making crimping the film unavoidable, which makes a nice big white mark over your photos. What’s worse is that sometimes the BBs will fuck up the edges of the film, creating a place where it will jam almost no matter what you do. Not good.
I went over to Jonathan’s the other night to show him how to load everything up and got to play with the Jobo. Its reels adjust to accommodate 35mm, 120/220, and 127 just like the Patersons do, but they don’t have the stupid film-jamming BBs! They are larger in diameter, which may a problem for people with smaller hands, but they actually just work. No jamming, no ruined frames, just easy loading. Hell yeah!
The tank itself is nice, too. It’s part of a whole system, so you can get extension tubes should you need to increase capacity at a later date, or chop it down for smaller batches.
But wait, there’s more! There aren’t many options for daylight 4×5 processing, and as I’ve written previously in this review and follow-up, the Combi-Plan 4×5 daylight tank sucks. I’ve heard good things about the Paterson Orbital processor that does four sheets at a time and uses almost no chemistry, but they’re discontinued. Having been a UK product, they’re nearly impossible to get in the US. Jobo to the rescue again—you can get reels for 4×5! I haven’t handled them yet, but the idea of having a single, good system that can handle 135 through 4×5 is extremely appealing. I’m about to order a setup for myself and will report back on the 4×5 reels once I’ve tried them.
I can’t wait to get my hands on this thing… hopefully I’ve lost my last frame to crappy reels!