Expired slide film

[De_Corday]

As usual, the internet seems to abound with many different opinions on this one... Spent New Years with a friend who gave me a whole bunch of expired 35mm that he had in an old bag in a closet. All of it had expired between mid '05 and mid '06. There was some Portra 160NC, a boatload of TriX, and some Velvia 100. It was all stored at room temp.

Now, I know the conventional wisdom, that slide film is the most fragile and B&W the most hardy. I also know that slower film tends to fare better. Grain and color-shift aside, is there any rule of thumb as to what speed I should shoot these at? My gut was to shoot the TriX normally at 400 since I've heard it's pretty hardy, but I have no idea what to do with the Portra or the Velvia...

 

[charjohncarter]

B&W drop a stop per ten years and my expired C-41 I do a stop every 10 years for slow and two for 400. My experience with slide film is small but color shift is the big problem but with color correction software you can bring them back. The worst problem I have had was with some expired about ten year for a Kodak 800 slide film: it lost sharpness and color; both.

 

[De_Corday]

Alex, I love that first shot. And the film looks good.

So if I expose the Portra at 100 and the Velvia at 50, that's probably my best bet?

And the Tri-X, 200?

 

[Photo_Smith]

This is Provia 100 expired 2006 shot and developed last summer:


Overstrand in October by Photo Utopia, on Flickr


overstrand3 by Photo Utopia, on Flickr

I would shoot them all as normal and then take it from there.

 

[brbo]

would recommend that you over expose a couple of stops to compensate for the expiry date & don't photograph anything one-off or important, bracket some shots & take notes if needed

I'd overexpose C-41/BW, but shoot E-6 at nominal speed.

I don't regularly shoot expired film, but this is my experience with some 5-10 years expired C-41/BW and E-6 film.

 

[Jiloo]

As far as my experience goes slide films ages far more better than colour negative films. I used 10+ years after date films with no problem. But this goes for slow films. Faster films ages much faster.

As for b&w film I used 21 after date film. No idea how it was stored. T-max 100 at normal speed.

Bałtyk. by itsJiloo, on Flickr
More photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/99496926@N02/sets/72157635281408221/

i wouldn't overexpose slides as they have smaller tolerance. I did it once and it was bad experience.

 

[krishilife]

I recently shoot expired film, mainly Kodak Royal Gold. Usually 15 years after expiration date in inknown storage conditions. According to my observation, the key to bring as much as you can from that old emulsion, is to shoot in bright light; snow, beach etc. In the dark shadows, black has tendency to have red color noise. So to avoid this, you should shoot in bright sun. Shure there will be slight color shift, but I like this retro, low contrast, ala 70's look. I increase contrast in PS, and I like it a lot the way it looks.
Aged slides on the other hand lose sharpnes, and gain grain, so I don't buy slides outdated more than 5 years, and only if they were stored in a fridge. C-41 film is not that critical to me because film is sharper to begin with. It's just color noise in dark areas you have to deal with.

Kris.

 

[De_Corday]

Just wanted to update you all... shot my first roll of the Velvia 100F, exposed at box speed. Haven't scanned it yet, but under a loupe it looks great. Very minimal color shift, if any at all.

 

[bcli]

Just wanted to update you all... shot my first roll of the Velvia 100F, exposed at box speed. Haven't scanned it yet, but under a loupe it looks great. Very minimal color shift, if any at all.

Look forward to seeing your results - please show us some pics after you've scanned!

 

[Photo_Smith]

Just wanted to update you all... shot my first roll of the Velvia 100F, exposed at box speed. Haven't scanned it yet, but under a loupe it looks great. Very minimal color shift, if any at all.

Great! very good news 🙂 Show us the images post them in the 'In Praise of E6' thread.

I shot two rolls of 2006 Provia (the last of the batch i was given) last week and sent them off Monday should be back Friday....
Got to buy more E6.....

 

[De_Corday]

My bootleg scanning techniques (and the Lumix they incorporate) still leave something to be desired, but here's my first "scan" of the roll:

 

[kiss-o-matic]

Looks good to me. I did a crap shoot w/ about 40 rolls of Kodachrome EPP at < $3 a roll. The latest of which expired in early 1998, the oldest in 1996. I shot a roll and had it developed. Slight magenta tinge, but otherwise okay, so I'm quite happy. Very easy to get rid of in the scan... I can probably get it off the slide w/ a 30 or 50 green filter (both of which are in the mail).

Side Note: My scanner likes to exacerbate magenta. When I hold the slides up to a backlight they don't look shifted much at all. Tolerable almost even... although quite borderline hipster. The scan takes it to new levels though.

 

[farlymac]

I've been shooting some Velvia RVP120 (50 ASA) that expired in 1999. When shot at box speed, there is a definite color shift. But when I open up a stop, that goes away. And I try to only shoot it in bright light, as it doesn't do well when the sun is subdued.


Treasures by br1078phot, on Flickr

PF

 

[culturesponge]

like your bootleg scanning technique - very 3d... film looks good too

best
alex

 

[bcli]

Fantastic outcomes!

 

[elmarman]

I have lots of expired Slide films in 'fridge -- keep getting GIVEN them ! Well, I used some 2006 dated Fuji Sensia 100 in the Philippines -- rated at 100 it was slightly too dark -- better at 80 ASA next time -- Pentax KX from 1975

Carcar Market by pentaxpete, on Flickr
1965 Leica M2 + 35mm f1.4 Summilux, Sensia 100

Hold on! by pentaxpete, on Flickr
Then I tried a 'Process Paid' 2006 dated Sensia 200 in a Canon AE1 and it came out MAGENTA but I corrected it in PhotoShop 7 ( rated it at 160 ASA)

Sensia 200 before 02 by pentaxpete, on Flickr

Sensia200 after 02 by pentaxpete, on Flickr

 

[Photo_Smith]

My last two rolls of 2006 Provia came in on Thursday (Thanks Peak Imaging for fast service)


Christmas Lights by Photo Utopia, on Flickr


London st by Photo Utopia, on Flickr
Both shot just before Christmas

These were shot in November:


Blickling pyramid mausoleum by Photo Utopia, on Flickr


leaves by Photo Utopia, on Flickr

All shot on a Rolleiflex