Kodak Ektachrome EIR Infrared Slide Film

Kodak Ektachrome EIR Infrared Slide Film 

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 11  
[May 07, 2008]
bennici@tarquinius.de
Expert

well, i bought some more, but its getting very expensive now that its off the market. I decided to cut it down myself to medium format. anyone interested??

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Apr 16, 2008]
dean
Expert

Strength:

no film, not even digital infrared can copy it.

Weakness:

cant use in camera with IR sensor.

film can be unpredictable if one is unexpereinced.

well, i like this EIR film so much, that I started paying high prices for the stuff, then decided to buy some bulk and cut it down to 120 medium format for my beloved pentax 67.

I still have some if anyone is interested!

www.tarquinius.de

bennici@tarquinius.de

Similar Products Used:

no other product on the market, except the black and white infrared films

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Sep 28, 2005]
Lthlwpn1979
Intermediate

Strength:

Who needs photoshop to do this when the film and filter do the work.

Weakness:

Can only be used in older cameras that don't use IR sensor to advance film (X-Pan II camera the exception)

This film is truely unique. The color changes can turn an ordinary shot into an other-worldly experience. Foilage turning magenta, light skin tones into yellow, an oddly blue sky, and many other wonderful things. It is an expensive and touchy film to work with but is well worth the trouble. If you can develop it by hand instead of taking it to a lab, do so and save some money. My best results have been at ISO 200, f/8, shutter meter TTL, yellow filter.

Customer Service

Alexander's Photo in Des Moines has never done me wrong and the staff has been very helpful.

Similar Products Used:

Kodak HIE infrared film Maco 820c IR film

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jul 09, 2003]
mdub68
Intermediate

Strength:

Rich blacks and brillant whites. Very surreal.

Weakness:

nothing. best sharpness and saturated blacks/whites than agfa and ilford IR films

I first started using this film back in 96-97 as a 2nd year photography student in high skool. The first time using it, i experimented with ASA 50 with a red 25 or polarization filter. Focused without filters, usually using a tripod in my earlier days, found good exposure reading, then bracketed 2 stops above and below. developed with D-76, no dilution, "straight, no chaser". The negatives came out a little fogged. Hadn't used this film for a few years, then in October, 2002, purchased another roll with an open mind to new experimentation. Spoke with old photo teacher, he gave me new info, and worked like a charm, lucky charms that is. Instead of setting the ASA to 50 or 200, from what most professionals like to abide by, he told me to use ASA 640. Purchased myself a HOYA R72 filter. Most delicious. This filter requires a tripod, being that the filter is very opaque. Can capture up to 720 nanometers. Anyone fimilar with this film knows the light spectrum and knows that 720 nanometers cant be seen with the naked eye. A WRATTEN 87 filter can see up to 870 nm, but there are stronger ones out there, those capable of seeing infrared light well past 1000nm. Again, using D-76 for developer, this time the film didnt fog and was very crisp. Very beautiful.

Similar Products Used:

none. read lots of material based on other types of IR films

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jul 21, 2002]
John Mirinov
Intermediate

Strength:

Surreal colors, deep blue sky on sunny days, very eye catching

Weakness:

Very high cost (about $20 per roll in the US), more visible grain than most other slide films

This film is wonderful to experiment with. If you want a different look to your images, try infrared! Green vegetation will turn bright magenta, yellows tend to go white, and skintones turn a ghastly yellowish color. Very surreal. I suggest you expose this film with a manual camera (I use a Nikon FM2N or a Minolta X-700) at ISO 200 and use a yellow filter to start with, and just start experimenting from there. This seems to give the best effect. I have also used this film with a green filter, and everything turns very deep blue! Looks like the image was taken late at night. I suggest you buy a roll or two, and just plan on testing it out. Try different filters and different exposures to see what works best for you. Most labs in my area don't want to develop infrared, so I suggest you send it to A&I for processing, or do it yourself at home with an E-6 kit as I usually do.

Customer Service

None needed

Similar Products Used:

There is nothing quite like this!

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
3
[Oct 19, 2001]
Daniel Austin
Expert

Strength:

This film has good color saturation and grain for it''s speed class. Colors are surreal and interesting.

Weakness:

It is vital to do your research before wasting money on this film, otherwise that is exactly what you will be doing. Because it is an infra-red film, it is important to use it in a manual camera (that doesn''t use infra-red diodes) I use a Minolta X-700. Must be handled very well and taken to a good lab that will handle it properly.

This is definately a film worth trying once, despite the cost. (usually twice as much as Velvia or other high end slide films $24 CAD) You get very unusual colors and interesting effects, green vegetation being rendered magenta and skin tones rendered greenish. The general issue with IR is that light meters aren''t calibrated for these wavelengths, so most people bracket rather extensively. My personal experience is that (even though I do bracket) the first meter reading (200 without a filter) is the best one. The stronger filter you use the more infra-red effect you have because you are essentially filtering out light in the visible spectrum, leaving room for more infra-red exposure. Remember that the filter you use affects the exposure index and how extensively you need to bracket. Film is a solid 4 (because I can''t rate it 4.5) Indoor vs. outdoor light and outdoor haze also affect exposure.

Similar Products Used:

Kodak High Speed Infra-red

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Aug 04, 2000]
Carl Hyndman
Professional

Strength:

Weird colors. Tight grain. unusual.

Weakness:

Film speed is roughly 100-125. Exposure is a roll of the dice. We're dealing with infrared, not visible light, start bracketing. Price. Availability.

Fun, weird, chaos. Unpredictable and expensive. Bracket like hell. This stuff exposes fairly accurately indoor with a strobe according to a flash meter set at asa 100-125, but outdoor in visible light, you better be prepared to bracket like crazy and burn a lot of film. Experimenting can be fun with some interesting results.

Customer Service

Undereducated, inconsistent.

Similar Products Used:

There isn't

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
3
[Jun 09, 2000]
Hector Acevedo
Expert
Model Reviewed: Ektachrome EIR Infrared

Strength:

Very bright exciting color renditions
for artistic effects unlike any produced by any other film available. Convenient E-6 process (see my note under Weakness)

Weakness:

Must load and unload in TOTAL darkness. Not every lab can process this film because infrared sensors in the processing machines will fog this film. Make sure your lab is familiar with this film and is able to turn off these sensors.
Many autofocus SLRs (including EOS and Maxxum/Dynax) will fog this film.
Best to use a non autofocus SLR (I know most people have AF SLRs these days)

Once you understand how this film works, this film can be great fun. I have had success with this film in a non auto-focus Minolta x-700 with the ISO set at 200. Bracket exposures. Most of the time, -2 EI adjustment seems to work best. Shoot on a sunny day. (You won't get the full effect on a cloudy day.) Unlike b&w infrared films, you do not need to adjust the focus. To get the brightest color, use a yellow #12 filter. Greens will appear red, pink will appear yellow and blue sky will look a bright blue. Choose your subject wisely. If you shoot green foliage, gardens or lanscapes and follow my suggestions you will be very pleased with your results.
The film is expensive but you won't be using it for everyday shooting.

Customer Service

When this film was introduced the staff at the toll free number for Kodak customer service was not entirely familiar with this product

Similar Products Used:

Kodak High Speed Infrared, Konica Infrared, various color slide films

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[May 23, 2000]
Jacob Newman
Casual
Model Reviewed: Ektachrome EIR Infrared

Strength:

Trippy false color effects

Weakness:

Costs WAY too much. Extremely touchy.

This film is really freaky. You get all of these wacked out false color effects that reek of altered perceptions induced by hallucinogens. Some of the pictures come out looking almost like negatives of regular film.
It must be pointed out that this film is extremely expensive ($17.95 a roll at B&H in New York). In addition to being expensive, the film is very sensitive to mishandling and to what filter you put over the lens. Use strong yellows to light reds (Wratten 15, 16, 25) for best results (IMHO). Dark red (Wratten 29) results in a hideous yellow cast.
In addition to filter problems, it is really easy to overexpose this film. Care and experimentation is required to get the hang of it.

Similar Products Used:

There aren't any!

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
2
[Jan 29, 2000]
John Smith
Professional
Model Reviewed: Ektachrome EIR Infrared

Strength:

Wacky crazy crazy psychadelic colours, gives a twist to the normal way we see things

Weakness:

Its dammned expensive and out of the 36 exposures only 20 or so were properly exposed. The person wrongly stated that he exposed it at EI 125. The EI is refering to the visible spectrum of light not the infrared spectrum which we cant see. There is no real way to meter infrared light with a photographic meter. You should bracket your shots widely. Processing it may be a problem if the lab has never handled it before. Goto a pro lab who actually do it themselves.

A good film, difficult to tame yet it delivers pleasant results. Difficult to get processed, unless you are willing to do it yourself with a kit (which is what I did, E6-scary weird chemicals).

Similar Products Used:

None

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
3
Showing 1-10 of 11  

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