New Efke 820c IR in 120 tests

[habsphoto]

I have new test images on Efke Infrared 120 on my flickr site. Yes it's slow, but in 120 and 4x5 it makes a

nice fine grain option for those architectural shots. How slow? ASA ONE with a 092/R72/89B cut-off filter.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/schafphoto/<div></div>

[john carter]

Do you set the camera ISO setting at 25 and then meter through the IR filter? I used to use just one sun setting for HIE with the red filter on:f11 @ 1/250. I assume I am right about the setting of the camera at 25 ISO. Not to many cameras have 1or2 ISO setting. Now with HIE gone Efke IR is the only choice?

[john carter]

I looked at your site; thanks for all the information and tests.

[william_john_smith1]

<I>Not to many cameras have 1 or 2 ISO setting.</I><P>The Lecia M7 ISO setting goes to 6

and by adding minus two compensation the ISO will be 1.5. It is true that most cameras low

ISO is 25 but with minus two compensation, which most cameras have, the effective lower

ISO will be 6. Me thinks one can figure out how to get to ISO 1.5 from there.

[john carter]

With some further viewing of his site of Flickr, I have the answer. In full sun ISO 25 would give you f16 @ 1/30 (1/25). You would use a filter stop reduction of 6 stops (with the 092 filter) to get to his f8 @ 1/2 second. So he is metering through his camera AND though the filter with camera set at ISO 25.

[william_john_smith1]

<II...AND though the filter </I><P>Question on Photo 101 test; How would you change the

ISO if you were not using a filter? The correct answer will prove the above in error. Good

luck.

[bobmichaels]

Oh my, such complexity in setting your camera's internal light meter to some arbitrary rating to include filter compensation. Talk about making a simple problem really complex.

 

Has anyone figured out there really is a simple answer to this? Hint: the light intensity of the sun on earth is constant.

[john carter]

Very good Bob, that's why I will use a hand meter. As per Steve, it will be set at ISO 1 when using my IR filter on my non metered camera with Efke IR film.

[rustys pics]

ISO 1 is about right when using a deep red filter. I have found the Efke IR 820c to be incredibly slow, but very fine grained also. The 35mm seems to suffer from static electricity marks if the film is wound or rewound too quickly. The larger formats do not have this problem.

Since Kodak killed HIE, this is now the most sensitive film out there for IR. Unfortunately it suffers from the well known Efke quality control issues.

Nonetheless it's a good film, and all we've got left beyond 800 nanometers. To their credit Efke makes it in 127 size!

[bobmichaels]

John, how about making it even simpler? ISO 1 is one second at f16, half a second at f11, quarter of a second at f8 if it's a normal sunny day. That's the constant. You're not going to be shooting IR film when it's cloudy or overcast anyway. You might want to tweak that exposure up or down a half stop depending on subject luminance but that's also done very well with eyeball / brain.

 

So actually, there is no need for a light meter at all. And no being fooled by the meter, calibrated for visible light, having a difference in reading the IR spectrum.

 

I always shoot IR like this. I have an exposure that always works, so I always use it.

[peter_fitzsimons]

I'm with Bob, makes perfect sense to me.

[Bill Bowes]

Hello all. Great to read all the above post now that I am playing with the 820 IR film. Big Question: Non of my Yashica Mat EM's have an IR focus indicator, nor do my early K1000 lenses.

What is the approximate focus correction from the visible light point? Is it plus or minus from the visable point? Thanks, Bill

[john carter]

Thanks, my roll of Efke is in the mail. I'll post, but it will be awhile because of 36 exposures and winter. Sorry for the confusion but when I was starting to shoot HIE. Nobody would be completely clear about their metering. Filter, no filter, hand meter, ttl, red filter, or IR filter, it drove me crazy. I was just try to nail everything down from Steves Flickr page. By putting three test images and their statements together. I was able to do it.

[bobmichaels]

John, I can be very clear about metering shooting HIE. I've found that I like the look of a 25A with HIE best of anything.

 

So, my metering with that combo is simple. I don't. I always expose f8 @ 1/250th.

[john carter]

Thanks Bob, You and I are one stop off for HIE. In California in the Summer this is what worked for me: F11 @ 1/250. Now I have to calibrate Efke IR. And this session has given all of us who are new to Efke IR a start.

[habsphoto]

Sorry I haven't been around for this discussion, but it sounds like fun, soooo many topics.

Where do I start???

 

BDE... Basic Daylight Exposure, F16 using the film ASA as the shutter speed. Hence ASA 1

is 1 second at f16. ( except that I always found BDE to be more reliable at f11) So my EFKE

tests seem to indicate somewhere around f11 at 1 second in bright sun. Yeah that sounds

close.

 

This would be great if I shot most of my work in bright sun, but that's another story....

 

TTL metering: I used it all the time with HIE, 23 and 25 red filters, no problem. My HIE ASA

is 200 TTL, and 40 ASA hand held. Then I process in T-max developer, normal T-max

time. If you use any other developer or photo lab your time/temp/results will vary. That's

OK, diversity is good, just hard to explain.

 

Efke 820c really can not be TTL metered, I've seen approximate filter factors of 20 to 40

with an 092-type IR cut off. So a hand held meter is the way to go, it's not like you're in a

hurry with a tripod and a 1 second exposure...

 

That being said, my Gossen Luna Pro only goes to ASA 3. Then I have to engage the brain

and do long division. Half of 3 is?? Half of 1.5 is??? Which is why my correct exposure is

closer to ASA .075 (ASA 3/4). Since you're all not using my photo lab for processing, I'd

say ASA one is a good middle for your bracket, until you determine your own ASA. Please

let me know what you find...

 

The Efke 820 is a fine grain film... very nice, I like it better than Konica 750 120size.

 

As far as focus shift for cameras with no IR focus mark... The actual formula is add 0.25%

of the focal length to the extension of the lens. Firstly that means you are ALWAYS going

to move the glass away from the camera. The easy way to remember this is when your lens

is set at infinity, there is only one way to turn almost all lenses... to a closer distance, not

uber-infinity. So on a 80mm Yashica Mat 124, you would be moving the lens less than a

quarter of a milimeter away from the body. I would just stick to f11 and f16, let the DOF

cover the shift, and forget about the fine refocus. What the hell, a 2, or 4 second exposure

isn't that far from a 1 second exposure anyway, it's not like we're gonna shoot sports with

this film.

 

As far as the blooming, halated highlights are concerned, my early tests lead me to believe

that push processing and slight overexposure will make EFKE 820c glow very much like

HIE. I know it has an anti halation backing, but aparently not a very effectve one....

 

My 2 cents.

-Schaf<div></div>

[john carter]

Excellent, thanks. I have my roll (35mm) and will load it soon. I have an R72 Hoya filter. And I have a Leica viewfinder (for SLR). I'm set. My Sekonic Master goes to .1 ISO (ASA). I'm excited about IR again. I was bumbed out about HIE.

[danagonzales]

Hello

After reading all the post, I see what nobody is talking about is what the ASA is for this Infrared film. I rate HIE at 200 ASA with a R25 filter and I rate the Efke 820c at around 100 ASA with no filter. I always use a Hand Held meter and shoot with my Leica M3

 

I have had good results across the board for my taste. Dark Contrasty images with White Whites. I will post some of my image to my portfolio.

 

I really do not like the Efke as it does not seem to be true Infrared film like Kodak HIE

[habsphoto]

In the first post, I mentioned the ASA is 1. I am doing further tests that indicate perhaps an

ASA of 0.75 or 0.50, may work better for an enhanced Wood Effect, or perhaps ASA 1 with +1

push processing.

[habsphoto]

New images in the wind with 2 and 4 second exposures, this is a really nice way to shoot this

film. see images at:

[dirty]

i been using the 35mm version and been testing it set to asa 6 and did what freestyle told me at asa 25 the film is too thin so how do you calculate

to asa 1 do i set the meter to asa 6 and open up to more stop or is it five stop like in 6,5,4,3,2,to 1