8x10 chrome outdated 20 YEARS: test looks fine!

[cxc]

I asked on this forum a while back about how to test my newly

acquired Kodak Ektachrome 200 that expired in 1984. The consensus

was just take one normal shot, see how it looks.

 

Well, I also heard that it would need extra exposure, so I

overexposed one stop. Results: color is spot on, but it is slightly

overexposed. What do you know, it doesn't need any adjustment at

all! The previous owner must have kept it frozen in a lead-lined

bag, or something.

 

Possibly the grain is more prominent than I would have expected.

 

Sorry, I don't have a good way to scan an 8x10 chrome. I don't give

any guarantees anyway; the only point of this post is to note that it

is possible for large format transparency film to be perfectly usable

WAY past its expiration date. Even 200 speed film.

 

So, as Kodak gets ready to shut down their brand new plant, and you

feel tempted to start hoarding your favorite emulsion, maybe you

don't need to worry quite so much about the stuff going bad in your

freezer.

 

CXC

 

P.S. I'm secretly disappointed that the results weren't at least a

little peculiar, so maybe I will try some cross-processing...

[ralph_barker]

I'm always encouraged by stories of things, well past their prime, working well. Too bad human expiration dates are so . . . final. ;-)

 

Anyway, glad to hear your film find didn't fizzle, Christopher.

[aguilabrava]

That's one of the many reasons I keep telling people that there is nothing greater, more enjoyable and fascinating than shooting FILM.

And I'm sure that the newer film emulsions are even more stable, before and after processing.

[kelly_flanigan1]

Your film must have been frozen; and thus slowed down the temperature component of aging. The cosmic ray effect varies with the iso/asa. Faster films poop out faster than slow films; when frozen. Here lith films that are 10 years old; stored at room temperature; and frozen stuff that is 30 years old still work well; with little aging. Then there is the frozen Konica 3200 iso color 120 roll film; that is clearly "gone" ; after being frozen for 5 years. Also rolls of Royal-X 120; asa 1250 that are about 20 years old; and frozen; slow alot of base fog; such that the real asa is only about a 400 iso film; with a alot more grainy appearance. Some oddball films here have been frozen for over 30 years. With some frozen Illford FP4 120 rolls; they developed a good curl/set in the emulsion; these were difficult to load on 120 reels; compared to new 120 films.

[igor_johanson]

Has anybody calculated the cost of energy used for maintaining the storage below freezing T for 30 years, and present, value-added of the old film?

[kelly_flanigan1]

Igor; my freezer has alot of space. The added mass of the film helps reduce the cycling of the compressor!

[philip_sweeney]

I picked up some 8 x 10 astia 100: expiration date 1-99, and I used it at 80 and 100 and at 100 it looks fine. Hopefully this film will hold up awhile.

[david_goldfarb]

That must be the Astia from Freestyle. I bought four boxes. I rate it at EI 80 and use an 81A filter to get neutral results, and that may not be an effect of age, since Astia is generally on the cool side.

[lars ake vinberg]

I too bought 8x10 Astia from Freestyle, expiration 1/99. It looks great so far, exposed at EI 80 per recommendation from forum members.