photographic @ge - Kodak Ektachrome Infrared Film Review

Is this really an Infrared Film?

Kodak Ektachrome Professional Infrared EIR Film is an infrared-sensitive, "false-color" reversal film. The amount of infrared reflectance present at any given time will affect the final color rendition. From the results in this pop up window image, it would appear as if it truly does record heat as red tones.

This film can be processed using Kodak EA-5 Chemicals (Process AR-5) or Process E-6 using Kodak Ektachrome Chemicals. However, images run through Process E-6 will be higher in contrast and more saturated in color.

Just like Kodak High Speed Infrared B&W film, this film must be loaded in the camera and handled in complete darkness. The felt lining the opening of the cassette is not enough to keep out infrared light. After exposure, be sure to rewind the entire film leader into the magazine. Unlike other 35 mm films, this film does not contain a light piping dye, so visible light may pipe into the roll via the leader or even through the light trap.

If the color of the dye in a particular layer bears no relationship to the color of the light to which the layer is sensitive, the relationship is not complementary and the resulting colors are false.

Getting Started

If you are not fond of experimenting with different films then this film's price of twenty four dollars per roll will certainly scare you away. But, if you are looking for a very unique photo session, then it is worth the price.

Processing can be another draw back, since many machine processors use infrared sensors to transport and detect film at various stages. You will need to make sure you let your lab know that this film needs to not be used in a machine with infrared sensors turned on. I highly suggest processing the film yourself with a Kodak E-6 processing kit or a Tetenal E-6 processing kit.

Since all three layers of this film are sensitive to blue radiation, you will need to use a yellow filter to eliminate the excessive blue light. You will also get very interesting results using an orange or other colored filters. If you do not use any filter, your resulting images will have a strong magenta cast in them, as you can see in this pop up window.

Much like shooting Black & White Infrared film, you will not be able to tell what colors will be reproduced from looking through the viewfinder. But after you have processed a roll, you will notice two distinct predictable results.

Red & Yellow Everywhere

First, you will find that green becomes vibrant red/pink and red becomes vibrant yellow. In every image I captured, that had green grass or other plants in it, the greens came out reddish pink. Any red subjects became very vibrant yellow. And the scenes with skies or large bodies of water in them reproduced them almost accurately.

As you can see in this pop up window, the green lily pads are reddish pink but the murky water looks pretty much as it did. And in the second image of this pop up window you will notice that the red flowers reproduce as vivid yellow, their leaves deep magenta, yet the sky still remains blue.

Again we see in the third image of this window that the red handle becomes bright yellow and the grass becomes magenta. Although the brightness is not quite like in the other scenes since this image was taken on an overcast day during a light rain shower.

That brings up the second characteristic that you can somewhat predict of Ektachrome Infrared film. That being its flat reproduction of mostly cool scenes on overcast days. Indeed I strongly suggest that you shoot this film on a fairly bright day to get maximum color in your results.

Cool Color = Flat Image

Shooting Ektachrome Infrared film can sometimes be a bit disappointing. Such as in this pop up window, you see the coolness of the steel flange and rusted bolts is reproduced in an even colder image.

After viewing the results from the predominately cold subjects, I would suggest that you shoot through an orange filter or even experiment with other colored filters.

The waterfall scene in the second image of this window is also very cold and blue. The exposure was at 1/30th of a second, but in the third image of this window of the same scene, you see some difference and slight red touches in the exposure at 1/500th of a second. This leads me to believe that a faster shutter speed may yield better results. At least it does so in scenes that are of mostly cool colored objects.

We can see that cool surfaces such as steel, running water, and concrete are not worth wasting this film on. But on the other hand, the scenic shots with plenty of greenery in them are radically fantastic. But my curiosity had me try out some macro shots in the available light studio.

The puzzle shown in this pop up window has a light pastel blue base and frame, the numbers 13,14 & 15 are pink. The numbers 1,2,3 and 4 are lime green while the numbers 9 thru 10 are yellow. You can see for yourself that none of the colors were reproduced in any sort of appealing color.

The car shown in the second image of this window is a pale yellow in color. The image came out very flat overall and also not having any unique qualities much like the puzzle. In fact, all of the natural ambient light studio images were too cool and blue.

The Verdict

Not only will the price keep many photographers from shooting a roll of Kodak Ektachrome Infrared film, the short range of subject matter will also play a role in its successful results. But when you do get brave enough to expose a roll, and you choose to capture scenes with lots of greens and reds, you will love the colorful results.

With just a slight bit of adjustment in Photoshop you can fine tune the images to perfection. Such as in this pop up window where I removed just a pinch of the red cast to clean up the color of the water to it's natural state.

Try out a roll and be ready for the unexpected.