INFRARED FILM
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ROLLEI INFRARED IR400 |
EFKE IR820 |
| Grain |
Very Fine |
Moderate |
| Contrast |
Excellent |
Soft |
| Sharpness |
Excellent |
Average |
| IR Sensitivity |
Good |
Strong |
| Daylight Loading |
Yes |
No |
| Resolution |
160 l/mm |
110 l/mm |
| ISO/ASA for IR |
25 |
25 |
| Compare to |
SFX 200, Konica Infrared |
Kodak HIE |
| Pro + |
- Far superior in terms of fine grain, contrast and sharpness
- Clear polyester base best for archiving and scanning
- Excellent 400 ISO film without filter, ideal for shooting normal and IR images on the same roll!
- Milder IR effect can produce more effective images
- Withstands machine processing at high temperatures (40°C)
- Unrivalled quality control and batch consistency
- Easy daylight loading. No black bag needed.
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- Easier to obtain IR effects with standard red filter
- Graininess and low contrast create textural dreamlike quality
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| Con - |
- Requires Deep Red or Opaque filter for IR effects
- IR effect limited when IR levels are very low
- Polyester base can be hard to load if reels are damp
|
- Requires absolute darkness when loading camera (35mm)
- Base fog and grain make for difficult scanning
- Grainy and lacking contrast
- Emulsion not suitable for machine processing above 25°C
- Highlights can blow out easily
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| Rollei Infrared IR400, ½ sec, f.16 |
[+] |
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Efke Infrared IR820, ½ sec, f.16 |
[+] |
Evaluation and comparison
by Daryl Duckworth
Efke IR820 and Rollei Infrared IR400
A series of exposures were taken with a 135mm Symmar-S at f/16 using a Hoya R72 filter.
All films were all developed in ACU-1 (1+5) for 12 minutes.
1200 dpi scan detail shows the Rollei Infrared IR400 to be far superior to the Efke IR820 with regards to grain and tonality Photographs ©Daryl Duckworth. All rights reserved |
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| Rollei @1200dpi |
Efke @1200dpi |
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Note: All results have been provided by independent testers. Scans and images have NOT been manipulated.
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