used slide stored beyond expiry date

<p>Hi, I got some slide films from a friend recently. They are 4 yrs past expiry date and were stored in a fridge.<br>

Three of the rolls have been shot but not processed ( Provia 400). Is it worth processing them. The others (Velvia 100, 100 F, 50 ) are unused. I am guessing that there may be a color shift . I read that color shift would happen only above 10 yrs storage . Is this true?</p>

<p>thanks</p>

<p>should you have asked this before you shot the film?</p>

<p>Run one through and see how it looks. If acceptable, run the rest, if not, cut your losses. Unless, of course, they're irreplaceable slides of family, etc. In that case, get them scanned. You can fix minor color shifts easily.</p>

<p>I wouldn't worry about it. I'm currently working my way through 40 rolls of Portra 400NC that are 6 years past expiry with no problems so far. I'm sure your films will be just fine.</p>

<p>My company specializes in processing out of date film and I'd like to share my experiences in this regard.</p>

<p>Slide film in general will not hold up as well as print film but your film is not all that much out of date. I would suspect with your film having been stored in the fridge that you will see almost no deterioration. What you will see going first is that you will see a d-max that is not as dense as with a new film before you will see any amount of significant color shift. The color shift will be most noticeable if there is any at all, in the shadows of the film which will likely shift towards blue.</p>

<p>As Luis suggest, it would be a good idea to try one, at least before shooting the rest. Should there be a significant deterioration, which I doubt, you might want to consider a cross process for the remainder of the film. A cross process will give you a punchier image but I suspect it would be too high contrast to make it a desirable option with refrigerated film such a short amount beyond its expiry date.</p>

<p>Color shifts can for the most part be easily fixed in scanning but there is will also be some small concern that the fading in the film will not be consistent across the frame.</p>

<p>The bottom line is that the film will probably be acceptable with normal processing but take the precaution as Luis suggest.</p>

 

<p>By the standards some of us follow, this is very probably "fresh" film. Especially if it has been kept cool.</p>

<p>As said, try one roll, but even if there have been color shifts, these are fairly easy in many cases to correct in digital post-processing.</p>

<p>I get all my slide film cross processed anyway and have had no problem with past date slide film. They have always been in the fridge.</p>

<p>Greg, if you are permitted to answer, what is you company? I may send you some business.</p>

Brian,

 

I would suggest that you send Greg an email.

<p>Recent shots on a roll of Provia 100 from 1998 (both Hasselblad 500c/m, 80 CF):</p><div></div>

<p>And</p><div></div>

<p>So.... if I have some Velvia 50 and 100 which has expired since January or February, but has always been refrigerated, shall I assume that it is OK to use? Also, I have a couple of rolls of these films, which I shot but haven't still developed. I also keep them in the fridge. Is it safe to assume they'll come out OK?</p>

<p>I have Velvia that expired 10 years ago that is in my fridge and I use it with no problems noted.</p>

<p>Thanks for the response. The three slide rolls ( provia 400 ) were shot already and have been stored 4 years past their expiry date after being exposed. The other rolls are unexposed (and this part has been answered).<br>

Is it safe to have the those three slide rolls processed? </p>

<p>John,<br>

I really doubt you'd have any problems with recently-expired film. I'd add that for the shots above, the colors were very accurate on the light box--the frustrating part was not the color balance of the film, but the problem with Vuescan, which insists on making everything too red.<br>

Scott</p>

<p>The rolls of 400 film will probably show a slight loss in maximum density, and there might be a very slight color shift. Since the rolls were shot already, I would definitely have them processed. As for the others, since they are low speed films that have been cold stored, the differences compared to fresh film will probably be imperceptible to 90% of people.</p>

<p>As most others suggested, try one roll, But Most importantly if you have put them back in the fridge after shooting , they should hold up quite well. Speed shall be accurate too.</p>