Roll film assembly in Bad Saarow

Klaus_H · 2011-07-31T11:20:57+00:00

Nachdem der ADOX CMS 20 Rollfilm 120 erfolgreich in Bad Saarow konfektioniert wurde "Made in Bad Saarow", stellen sich mir nun die Fragen: Darf man in absehb...

Klaus_H

Now that the ADOX CMS 20 120 roll film has been successfully manufactured in Bad Saarow – "Made in Bad Saarow" – I find myself wondering: can we expect an ADOX IR 820 roll film in the near future, one that is reliably and neatly manufactured using EFKE material? Or is there perhaps another, impeccably manufactured IR film on the horizon? Best regards, Klaus

MirkoBoeddecker

Hello Klaus, That’s a very good question, which I’m happy to answer, but I’m afraid you won’t like the answer :-( One of the reasons why Kodak discontinued the HIE was the fact that all other films are manufactured under infrared light and all available machines operate with infrared sensors. Kodak had to maintain a completely outdated production process just for the IR film. In the end, it just wasn’t viable anymore. Every modern machine is electronically controlled. Every control system requires sensors. In photographic factories, they make do with sensors (to be regarded as a complete unit with a light source) that emit/read out at a relatively narrow bandwidth of 920 nm (i.e. in the IR range). Although the Efke 820 is 100 nm below this, there is a concern that the sensor’s emission might extend into the range visible to the film. Furthermore, for health and safety reasons, we must provide ‘room lighting’ in the packaging area. This also falls within the IR range. In that respect, manual processing in Croatia is currently the best option available for this film. What exactly is bothering you so much that you don’t want to use the film? Best regards, Mirko

Klaus_H

What exactly is it that puts you off using the film so much?

Hello Mirko, As you feared, I’m not impressed by your comprehensive and clear answer. There are two things that bother me about EFKE IR film (and the other EFKE films too): 1. The quality control of the film stock (in terms of casting and emulsion defects) still has huge untapped potential. You could also say the quality control is rubbish. I have yet to process an EFKE film (with the exception of EFKE KB14 in the early 80s) that was completely free of defects. 2. The roll film is rarely attached to the backing paper as it should be. Ideally, an adhesive strip should cover the entire width of the film and secure it to the paper, so that the film can be fed through any camera. Unfortunately, the film is often (very often) only attached to the paper in the middle section, so that the corners of the film take on a life of their own and get caught at the guide points in Hasselblad and Bronica film magazines, causing the film to tear away from the paper. Two years ago, I had a batch of film (20 rolls) which I rewound in the darkroom and reattached to the paper backing after four films had torn off in the magazine and one magazine was damaged. The IR820 is currently the only genuine IR film. However, given its quality fluctuations and issues, it is only my third choice. I’d love to have it as my first choice, even if it costs a bit more! Best regards, Klaus