SFX 200 35mm

SFX 200 is ILFORD's near-infrared black-and-white film, and it brings a genuinely unique creative tool to the 35mm photographer. Unlike the extreme infrared films of the past — which required opaque filters, complete darkness for loading, and development rituals that bordered on alchemy — SFX 200 is designed to be usable with standard equipment and processing while still delivering the distinctive infrared look: dark skies, glowing white foliage, and an ethereal atmosphere that no digital filter can convincingly fake. The effect is strongest with a deep red filter (R72 or equivalent), which blocks most visible light and lets the near-IR sensitivity do its work, but even with a standard red filter you will see a noticeable Wood effect in sunlit greenery. Without filtration, SFX 200 behaves as a capable, slightly grainy 200-speed conventional black-and-white film — which means you can use it as your everyday stock and switch to infrared mode simply by adding a filter. The grain is moderate, the tonality is pleasing, and the creative possibilities are limited only by your willingness to experiment. We recommend SFX 200 for landscape photographers looking for a new way to see familiar scenes, for portrait photographers who want an otherworldly look to their environmental work, and for anyone who has ever seen an infrared photograph and thought "I want to make something that looks like that." Start with a deep red filter, meter through the filter, bracket your exposures, and prepare to see the world differently.