Re: Reducer on IR films.

Virginia Boehm (gini@ix.netcom.com)
Sat, 12 Aug 1995 04:59:06 -0700

You wrote:
>
>
>Have you ever tried the Kodak's Farmers Reducer (FR)?
>I know that an adequate exposure and a correct development
>performed by a photographer that loves his work
>should not allow this type of error correction
>procedures, but as you already know exposing IR
>films is not easy, I've found that most of
>my exposure errors are overexposures rather than
>underesposures.
>
>So, have you used FR with IR films ? How ?
>Does FR increase or decrease contrast ?
>Does FR has any effect in the grain of the film ?
>Is there any other bad or good effect caused
>by the use of FR on the film ?
>
>Thank you all for your comments...
>Regards...
>
>Ramon
>
As I recall, farmers reducer simply doesn't work on IR film, at least
the Kodak variety. There is used in the last coating on the film that
farmers can't get thru (sorry to be so unscientific, but I really don't
know what it is)

The way that I have found to reduce the grain and increase the
contrast, is to develop it for less time, about a third less, than
Kodak recommends. The negatives appear closer to being "normal" that
way, but of course you still have the nice effects that infrared can
give. And of course, bracket your exposures.
Gini