Aerochrome 4x5 (18 sheets)

STORING FILM

Film should be kept in the original package in a freezer. It may be stored short-tern in the refrigerator. Unexposed film can handle up to one month at temperatures not exceeding 55°F (13°C). If kept frozen, the film will last several years at least. To prevent moisture condensation, allow film to reach room temperature before opening the box, otherwise sticking or spotting may occur. Warm-up time from a refrigerator is about 1 hour and about 2 hours from a freezer.

 

LOADING

This film was made for roll tension systems. It’s not designed to be used as sheet film, so we are really breaking the rules here. The film tends to curl and doesn’t always lay flat. It is also thinner than many other film stocks out there. I don’t think they are particularly hard to load, but handling can be awkward.

 

There are 3 ways to locate the emulsion side of the film. First, the emulsion side feels much slicker to the touch than the base side. Second, the film almost always curls inward towards the emulsion. The emulsion is on the inside of the curl. Lastly, I have clipped off the upper right corner of the sheet. If you hold the sheet lengthwise and the upper right corner is clipped, then the emulsion is facing you. To help with orientation, the cardboard inserts are also clipped. Believe me, I don’t want to clip the corners, but it’s the only absolute way for a user to find the emulsion side. This clipping does not affect the image area.

 

FILTERS

Kodak recommends using a #12 Wratten yellow filter. This filter is a safe choice. However, it is not the only option. A different filter may be more suitable for your application. It is also a matter of taste and objective which filter to use. I prefer a light orange filter for outdoor work, but I like a yellow filter for indoors. Using a red filter is a risk. Although you can get some fantastic results, you are most likely to end up with a pure red photo with a deep yellow cast across it. A black and white infrared filter such as the R72 is out of the question and should not be used. There are CIR filters still on the market that perform well, but they are expensive, hard to find and a #22 orange does about the same thing. Using no filter will yield a monochrome magenta result that is most likely overexposed.

 

FOCUS

Focus compensation applies to black and white infrared photography only. With Aerochrome, just focus as you normally do.

 

FILM SPEED

As with all infrared films, the actual film speed is relative to the specific lighting conditions. I rate the average film speed at 400 ISO with a #12 yellow filter on the lens in normal daylight conditions. This 400 speed rating is “nominal” and is meant to be a starting point! Remember that this film is not very tolerant, with exposure latitude limited to ± 1/2 stop.

 

PROCESSING

This is a chrome slide film and is designed to be processed in standard Kodak E6. A negative can be achieved by cross-processing in C-41 as with any color slide film. The Photography can be further influenced by lab process such as exposure time, developer, push processing, etc.

 

Follow these procedures when processing infrared film:

 

The film must be opened, handled and processed in total darkness.

Do not process in equipment using infrared film scanning for replenishment rates

Turn off all sensors and LED displays

Do not use temperature probes

Turn off all infrared camera-to-light sources

 

Do not process infrared film in labs that will not turn off the infrared sensors in their machines for you.

The infrared sources used by photofinishers will fog CIR Film.

The lab technician must be willing to turn off the infrared cameras and not use infrared goggles. Labs using roller-transport processors should first verify the presence of infrared sensors. Many of these processors have a manual replenishment mode, which will turn off the sensors. Film fogged by infrared radiation in the lab will have an overall magenta appearance or sometimes just have large streaks across the image. Damage from sensors can also completely fog the infrared layer, leaving only an image from the red and green sensitive layers. A good indicator that the film has been fogged in this manner is that the space between photos is also affected, when it should normally be black. Labs receiving film for processing must keep it in the box until it can be opened in complete darkness.