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Choose the filter for the look you want, then expose for that specific filter. ILFORD’s guidance ranges from a 1½-stop increase for a Wratten 25 red filter to 4 stops for a Wratten 89B very-deep-red filter. Because a camera’s through-the-lens meter may misread deep-red light, bracket your exposures rather than relying on one reading.
What a red filter does with SFX 200
Ilford SFX 200 is ISO 200 black-and-white film with extended red sensitivity, made in 35mm and 120 formats. ILFORD describes it as suitable for infrared-style effects, but it is not true infrared film. With a strong red filter, skies can render nearly black while green vegetation appears very light or almost white. The exact result depends on the filter’s transmission, not just its label. ILFORD’s product page describes the film and its characteristic effect.
ILFORD says the film can be used with yellow, orange, or red filters, and that a redder filter produces a more dramatic effect. A lighter filter gives a subtler tonal shift and costs less exposure; a very deep red filter intensifies the effect but requires substantially more exposure.
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The filter factor tells you how much exposure to add when metering without the filter. Multiply the unfiltered exposure time by the factor, or apply the equivalent stop increase. ILFORD’s November 2018 technical sheet lists these factors for Wratten filters:
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| Filter | ILFORD-listed factor | Exposure increase |
|---|---|---|
| Wratten 25 red | 2.8 | 1½ stops |
| Wratten 29 deep red | 3 | 1⅔ stops |
| Wratten 89B very deep red | 16 | 4 stops |
These are manufacturer figures for the named Wratten categories, not a guarantee for every filter sold as “red” or “deep red.” Check the instructions for the exact filter fitted: transmission can vary, and a compatible filter must also match your lens’s thread size or holder.
Meter carefully and bracket
If your camera meters through the mounted filter, its reading may account for some or all of the light loss. Do not automatically add the full filter factor again to that reading; whether compensation is needed depends on the camera’s metering method. ILFORD warns that some common cameras can underexpose by up to 1½ stops with deep-red or orange filters.
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For a practical safety margin, ILFORD recommends bracketing by ±2 stops from either the filtered TTL reading or a meter reading with the filter factor applied. Make a small exposure series around your chosen reading rather than treating one frame as certain. The guidance comes from ILFORD’s SFX 200 Technical Information sheet, dated November 2018.
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The sheet gives approximately 1/30 second at f/5.6 with a deep-red filter in bright sunshine as an example, not a universal exposure. Scene brightness, the exact filter, lens, and metering system can change the required setting.
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Focus before fitting a very dark filter
A deep-red filter can make viewing and focusing difficult, and ILFORD notes that some lenses focus red light at a slightly different point from other visible light. Its guidance is to focus before mounting a deep-red filter. For short-to-moderate focal lengths, stopping down to the smallest working aperture can accommodate the difference; some apochromatic lenses may need no correction. This is lens-dependent guidance, not a universal focus adjustment.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Plan for longer exposures and load in subdued light
A very dark filter can lengthen shutter times enough to make camera shake a concern. Use a tripod when the exposure is long, and account for the filter’s effect before choosing a handheld shutter speed.
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Unlike true infrared film, ILFORD says SFX 200 does not need to be loaded in total darkness; load it in subdued light. The cited technical sheet provides filter-factor guidance but no separate reciprocity-failure correction table, so it does not establish a specific long-exposure correction for this film.
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