Expired Fuji slide

Hey all!

A friend called an offered me some expired film. I've never shot expired slide before. This stuff wasn't in the fridge and it's pretty old. Think it's still worth shooting? If so, would you underrate it by like 2 stops or something?

Best,

Andrew

I found this link helpful when judging how to shoot expired film:

The complete guide to shooting expired film

If you have enough similar rolls, stored in similar conditions, you can use one to

judge the usability of the others. Otherwise, best is not to use it.

Negative films have enough latitude that you can overexpose

(relative to box speed) and get above some fog.

Slide films don't have that, so expose at box speed, and it either

works or doesn't.

Yes - at the very least try some out.

Most of my really old film was B&W, but some was color slide and color negative, and while the results out of processing looked bad, I was able to bring some back in digital reprocessing in Photoshop.

Here was some of the last roll of Kodachrome I shot, had been exposed, but undeveloped for years,

Top is how it came back from Dwayne's

bottom a partial fix

OK, I only now looked at the date. 2018 isn't all that old.

I had notice that you said "pretty old", but didn't look.

Most likely it will be fine, though I recommend not using it for your

most valuable shots. Not for your best friend's wedding,

or your long awaited international vacation. Fine for domestic

vacation, if you also take along a digital camera.

As above, one will will give you a good idea about the rest,

with blacks being the place to look. At reasonable room temperature,

say mostly in the 70's and 80's F, it should be fine. Also,

lower ISO films do much better.

My worst case of slide film was the roll that was in the camera

when I got my first DSLR. I had so much fun with the new camera

that it was 7 years later when I decided to finish the roll. That one

has a pinkish case over the whole frame, especially obvious

in the black parts. We have a non-air conditioned Seattle

house, which gets somewhat warm in the summer. The basement

stays cool, which is where much of my film is now.

Note that a hour in a car on a hot sunny day is much worse

than a year at 70F. So being in-date doesn't tell you that it

is good, and a year or two past date doesn't tell you it is bad.

On the other hand, Verichrome Pan at 40 years I usually

expect to work just fine. Maybe only 20 years for Tri-X.

As for actual math, processing of E6 film often costs about

as much as the film. (You said offered, which I presume

means free.) Use one roll, there is a good chance it comes

out fine, and you can trust the other 14 rolls. The cost of

processing one roll likely gives you 14 good rolls.

Pretty good deal!

I presume you have a good use for medium format slides.

Otherwise, I pretty often take along on vacation trips both

a DSLR and some older camera, likely with out of date film.

It's only 2 years outdated, which isn't too much of a big deal.

Do not downrate it!

Certainly not by two stops. Colour film tends to get a colour cast when outdated, rather than lose speed. This can at least partly be corrected after scanning.

Just shoot a roll at box speed and see what it's like.

Yes, don't downrate slide film even when it is older.

It either works or it doesn't.

Personally, I try not to downrate, or not by so much, my black and white film, either.

Some years ago, I saw a 120 slide projector at an estate sale.

I didn't (and still don't) have a use for one, though.

@glen_h and [uSER=2403817]@rodeo_joe|1[/uSER] @peter_fowler

Thank you all so much for the replies. I'll shoot a test and let you know :)

Best,

Andrew