200 ISO Shot at 400

Hello. Pardon me for the naivety of my question, but I just got my

first manual SLR camera this year and I am still learning. I am

hoping you might be able to help me.

 

By mistake I shot Kodak 200 at 400 ISO on my camera. Should I

definitely ask for push processing or can I take a gamble that they

still will come out okay?

Was it Negative or Positive film? and what type and brand? If it was negative just go for it and don't worry too much if it was Slide film then push 1 stop. Pushing Negative film is not normanly done by any mass retailer like Wal-Mart ... and if it is totaly important .. then use a Pro lab.

Shana, <br><br>

 

Don't apologize -- It's not a naive question: Many "professional" photographers make this mistake... And are clueless as to the handling by the lab! :)

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As Larry wrote above, if it is color transparency (E6 slide) film, then you'll want to have it push processed to Exposure Index (EI) 400, often called "Push one stop to ISO 400," which any lab that actually does E6 processing (not just dropping the film into a Kodak or Fuji mailer) will do for you.

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If it is color print film, the answer to mis-exposure is a bit more complicated. The reason is that the C41 processing -> RA4 printing process has a lot of lattitude, since mis-exposure of the film is compensated for -- To a degree -- in the printing step by changing the exposure of the paper.

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However, where it gets a touch complicated is in which direction the mis-exposure went. Simplest is if you expose ISO 400 speed film at, say, EI 160 -- You set the "ISO thingy" on your camera at 160 and loaded 400 color print film. Here, you're quite OK, since color neg film likes to get "banged;" and you'll end up with a touch more color saturation and contrast. The reason why is intuitive: You'll produce a darker, "thicker" negative since the extra light darkens the emulsion when developed. In fact, many pro photographers overexpose color print film by 1/3rd stop to get pictures with more "punch."

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Another example is in Kodak disposable cameras: They now use SIo 800 film, for two reasons: First, so that they can use a lens with a smaller aperture, giving a larger depth of field (DOF); and second, to help assure that no frame is underexposed.

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Now, on to your case: You loaded ISO 200 color negative film and set the "ISO thingy" at 400... You underexposed by one stop. Here, if the film is processed normally, it will look "thin," i.e. most of the dark areas in the negative aren't too dark. One stop underexposure, which is where you're at, is right on the margin for what can be compensated for in the printing (or scanning) step. Anything beyond that, and the results will look bad.

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MY RECOMMENDATIONS: <br>

 

<li> If the images on the roll are valuable, take or mail the film to a professional lab that has a dip & dunk C41 processor, and they will (because they can!) push process the film.

 

<li> If this is just a test roll to see what the camera will do, then take it to Wal-Mart or wherever is closest & cheapest; or, just toss the roll in the trash and shoot a new one.

 

<li> BEWARE the scam many "labs" try to foist: They'll tell you they can push process the film -- And charge you extra! -- but in fact they process normally (because that's the only way they can!) and cross their fingers they can compensate enough in the scanning or printing step. You can look at the negs and see if they look "thin" in comparison to normally exposed negs to see if the lab tried to bluff their way through the job. </li>

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One quick way to see if a lab can do actual push processing is look at the processor: If it's a roller transport or leader card machine, like you'll find in a minilab, most likely it CANNOT vary the time in the color developer. If they hand process, or use a dip & dunk machine, then it's easy to push process.

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Cheers! <br>

Dan <br><br>

FOOTNOTE: On the Noritsu leader card processor where I moonlight, I **can** squeeze a half stop push by bumping up the color dev temperature from 38.2 to the limit of about 41.5 degrees C.

"Kodak 200" makes me guess that this is Kodak's amateur 200 speed C41 color neg film, which will be contrasty to start with and pushing doesn't exactly decrease contrast. So, if the pics aren't valuable I suggest developing as normal, studying the negs and taking this as a learning experience. If they are valuable, well, push and be more careful and use a better film next time.

thanks everyone. yes, this is just regular kodak gold 200 film bought at any regular drugstore. i don't yet have the expertise to justify the cost involved in special professional film for the amount of practice photos i now take. normally i wouldn't mind so much and chuck this up to beginner bliss and see what happens. however, this particular roll does have a couple of photos that are important to me. so i live in nyc and have two very good professional labs that i use for "valuable" rolls (regardless of how good i am at the moment!) and i will see what happens if i push. thanks again.