Old Expired 1960 Ansco Isopan 4x5 sheet film and others

[ted_stoddard]

I have just purchased the following films and was wondering if it was

possible to use them or if it is better to put on a shelf for display

use? If i do use them what would be a good developer to use?

 

Kodak Ektachrome 8x10 10 sheets 1959. Kodak Royal Pan Film 8x10 25

sheets 1960. Three boxes Ansco Isopan 4x5 25 sheets to a box 1960.

One box Ansco Versapan 4x5 25 sheets 1960.

 

I was told they were kept cold all this time....thanks for any

help... all boxes are unopened and in the original packaging....

[frank.schifano]

Ted:

 

Use them for display purposes, or better yet, maybe some museum would find them interesting. These films are over 40 years old. They are likely not very good even if you can coax an image from them.

[jay_de_fehr]

My experience has been counter to Frank's advice. I recently exposed and developed six sheets of Ansco Super Pan Press that expired in 1947, and the results were very good, considering that I guessed at exposure and development. By the way, I meant to bid on that auction, but lost track of it. I say shoot the film, and when you're done, you can still display the box.<div></div>

[al_kaplan1]

Jay, that is amazing! Looks great!

 

As for the 8x10 Ektachrome, I wouldn't even begin know where to look for the directions for mixing my own process E-1 chemicals. I'm not sure if it would work with current E-6 process, and it might contaminate the chemicals also.

[silent1]

The Ektachrome is probably toast -- the dye couplers are likely to have deteriorated even if the halide is okay. The Royal Pan is (almost certainly) beyond help -- this stuff will fog solid in under ten years, even in a freezer, just from cosmic rays. The Isopan and Versapan are likely still okay if they've been cold stored and kept dry; Isopan was originally something like ASA 64 or 80 and Versapan ASA 100 or 125, IIRC, and they're likely to be around one stop slower today due to age.

 

I'd recommend developing in HC-110, which seems to do very well in supressing age fog and allowing either new images or latent images from as much as fifty years ago to show at their best. Fortunately, in 1960 nearly all films still developed for 17 minutes in D-76 stock, and HC-110 Dilution B times are generally about 25% less than D-76 stock for a given film -- so you could probably start with 12 minutes (at 68 F) in HC-110 dilution B, EI 32 or so on the Isopan and EI 50 or 64 on the Versapan; shoot single sheets for testing and you can probably get a lot of good shots after you get the exposure and development dialed in.

 

And yes, that's a very long time in the soup for HC-110 B -- those old films had very large grains compared to modern materials, and it took longer to develop than comparable speed modern films (even "traditional" emulsions like Tri-X and Plus-X).

[john_shriver]

The E-1 Ektachrome is definitely a display piece. The cyan dye has probably faded out of existence in it, even without being processed. (Maybe it should be target practice for some photographer who lost pictures they took on that junk back then and wants symbolic revenge on Kodak.)

 

The Royal Pan is presumably completely fogged. Not only has it had to cope with cosmic rays for 45 years, it may also have been fogged by fallout from above-ground nuclear testing (not banned until 1963).

 

I will concur that I've seen numerous reports on photo.net that Ansco film has incredible shelf life. Sure, put some in holders and see what you get.

[jay_de_fehr]

Thanks Al. The negatives were developed in a simple Pyro developer for 20 minutes, and while a little on the dense side, print very well with about double normal printing times. I really lke the gradation, and it's a lot sharper than I would have guessed. I wish I had more of it!

[ted_stoddard]

well thanks everyone for the comments definitely helpful.... when i saw the auction i didnt care to much about the color film i was more interested in the b/w film like the isopan and the versapan.... many people like ansel adams and so on have used this stuff and i will be using it too.... i will post my final results at the end of the year since im going to be on a photographic trip from august 12th to christmas..... all my film will kept cold stored on the whole trip at all times until exposing then back in the cooler/fridge.... that phot is awesome jay and it definitely makes me looking forward to this trip.... when i posted it i kept looking for the same type of questions but couldnt find one so i had to put a post for others to help out in the future in case someone else came across this films before.....well thanks again all....Happy Shooting.... Ted

[jay_de_fehr]

Enjoy your trip, and your film, Ted.

[joe_photo]

I had two boxes of Royal X Pan expiring in 1960 that I got with my great, great uncle's Speed Graphic. I sold one box on eBay and the other didn't sell. The gentleman I sold the box to got it to work but I guess wasn't impressed enough to go for the other one when it went up. You never know what conditions the film has put up with in 40 or more years. I bought some items as a lot. Among them was some Graflex film holders one of which has two sheets in it. I have know idea who might have pulled the darkslide further than the 1/2 inch that I did but those two sheets will go into the soup with the rest of the Tri-X that I develop next.