Maco IR 820c development Questions

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Chris L. - 19 May 2004 06:18 GMT

just exposed and developed my first roll of Maco IR 820c in the 120
format and have made these observations:

This first roll was to establish exposure/development/filter
combinations.

The camera is a Mamiya TLR C33 and exposure readings were with a hand
held meter-set to ASA 6.

The filter used was a Hoya R72.

I have not yet attempted to print any of the negatives but I make the
following observations:

The negs are "thin", my bracketing of shots shows that detail will
improve with either one stop longer exposure or longer development( I
used D76 stock for 8 mins@20C) What do you suggest? I realize that IR
radiation at my picture location could have been an important factor to
the exposure settings.

What are the consequences of NOT pre-soaking the film prior to
development? I forgot!!!!

The developer was NOT discoloured - so I don't know if the anti-halation
layer was disolved.

There is a faint blotchiness on the film - not on all frames.

Can I ascertain whether the layer is still in place? If so, can it be
removed now? (But wouldn't the developer have washed it off!!!)

Hope you can help me please

Cheers Chris Lermanis.

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mr. chip - 19 May 2004 08:06 GMT

Hello there.

Just shot and developed my first roll of the same stuff yesterday too, by
coincidence.

I used a Rolleicord V and used both a polariser and the Ilford SFX filter
(equivalent to the R72). To get a meter reading I simply plopped the filters
on my Minolta Dynax SLR, set the ISO to 80 (the Maco film states a speed of
100 - I used 80 to err on the side of caution) and took the readings from
there.

The developer I used was Xtol 1+2 for 15 minutes. This is roughly between
what is recommended in the packaging for the film and what is given on the
www.digitaltruth.com data.

I got great negs as a result. In fact I think it was pretty much spot on as
one frame was exposed twice by accident and was definately too dense, by
about a stop.

Also, I didn't pre-soak either. I'm not sure why you are concerned with
this? I've never heard of the need to wash away the anti-halation layer (?)

I know that Maco make a version of the film without an anti-halation layer,
I assume to get the same effects as Kodak HIE, and I've heard of washing
away the layer before exposure to get these effects, but not before
development.

Also I had no blotchiness that you describe.

Hope this helps,
Simon.

> just exposed and developed my first roll of Maco IR 820c in the 120
> format and have made these observations:
[quoted text clipped - 30 lines]
>
> Cheers Chris Lermanis.

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Chris L. - 19 May 2004 10:23 GMT

> Also, I didn't pre-soak either. I'm not sure why you are concerned with
> > this? I've never heard of the need to wash away the anti-halation layer (?)

G'day Simon

The following is from the Manufacturers web site :

Prewashing/presoaking
MACO IR 820c has a clear base and a water-soluble anti-halation
(AH) backing. In order to remove this backing, for higher actual speed,
and for more uniform development, it is recommended to presoak
films for 30 s in tap water prior to development. Agitation should not
be excessive (Invert once every 2,5 to 3 s.), and use water at
approximately
the same temperature as that intended for subsequent processing
steps.
Note: Having resolved the water-soluble AH backing, the wash water
will be deep blue when poured out of the tank. This is normal. One
washing cycle, as described above, is sufficient. It is not required to
wash until the wash water does not show any more signs of dyes.

Maybe the specifications/design of the film have been changed !!!!

any way it didn't affect YOUR development - although I was wondering
about the cause of MY "blotchiness".

Just to clarify your exposure setting ie the ISO with the filter in
place on the lens:

Did you rate the film at ISO 80 even when the suggested rating WITHOUT
filter is 100 ? This seems strange given that the Hoya R72 filter is
almost opaque. But I dont know about the Ilford SFX filter you used.

But then you got satisfactory results :-)

I'm thinking of "pushing" development slightly for the next test roll
and then its time to put this film to creative work.

Cheers Chris

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mr. chip - 19 May 2004 17:21 GMT

> Maybe the specifications/design of the film have been changed !!!!
>
> any way it didn't affect YOUR development - although I was wondering
> about the cause of MY "blotchiness".

Hmm... That's the first I've heard of this. Maybe they have changed the
specs since the introduction of the 'Aura' (no anti-halation layer) and
'Precision' (with layer) flavours of the film.
I saw no blue colouration in the developer as I poured it out. I sometimes
cross-process slide film and use a pre-wash to get the film up to
temperature and that has a distinct blue colour as I pour it away...

How do your blotches appear?

> Just to clarify your exposure setting ie the ISO with the filter in
> place on the lens:
>
> Did you rate the film at ISO 80 even when the suggested rating WITHOUT
> filter is 100 ? This seems strange given that the Hoya R72 filter is
> almost opaque. But I dont know about the Ilford SFX filter you used.

I set the ISO on my Minolta SLR to 80 and took a TTL reading through the
polariser and the filter. I gave it a third extra exposure to be on the safe
side. I then transfer the exposure settings to my Rolleicord, put the
filters over it's lens and expose.
I also take meter readings for Ilford's SFX film and Konica's 750nm IR film
in the same way. For example, the Konica film has a speed of 32. So, I put
the filters on my Minolta and set the ISO to 32 or maybe slightly lower. the
same with Ilford SFX and the speed of 200. It's worked every time (so far).

The SFX filter has the same light transmittance as the Hoya R72 filter (but
is a lot cheaper). It is nearly opaque.

> But then you got satisfactory results :-)

Here's one of the shots I took yesterday:
http://www.photosig.com/go/photos/view?id=1236072

> I'm thinking of "pushing" development slightly for the next test roll
> and then its time to put this film to creative work.

Good luck!
Simon.

> Cheers Chris

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