Expired Tmax 100... any reccomendation on what to shoot it at?

[trev2401]

Hi guys...

i know this may be kinda OT, but i thought i'd head on here to try my favourite forum first.


I recently bought a BULK load of Kodak Tmax ready loads. (4x5, 20 boxes of 20) ... expired 3 yrs back.

any suggestions on what asa i should expose them at due to their expiry?


Appreciate the help guys...
thanks

regards,
Trev

 

[Finder]

You would need to test them. I would start with normal exposure and play with the developing time. If the film has fogged, there is not much you can do. If it was kept well, it may be OK.

 

[wlewisiii]

Odds are you'll be able to shoot it at ISO100 just fine. The slower the speed, the longer the film lasts and black and white is always better than color for surviving. I've successfully used 35 year old Tri-X, but that's probably close to the limit.

Test it, but unless it was stored in abusive conditions, I'd bet it'll be alright.

William

 

[remrf]

I had not heard that about lower film speed film . I wonder if that holds true for color positive film as well. I just bought 20 rolls of Ektachrome 120 roll film that will be going out of date in a few months.

However I would disagree with the first response. Shooting a few sheets at rated speed and varying development time would only show you what the film (still unknown as to actual speed) does at different points on the development curve. And those points would not be a "normal" negative.

Where as shooting several sheets starting at rated asa and then incrementally decreasing the asa when shooting and developing normally will pinpoint where one could produce a "normal" negative with the film at this point in time.

 

[Nick R.]

I buy a lot of expired film at camera shows. I usually use one roll to test then shoot the others accordingly. From my experience, three years is no big deal.

 

[wtl]

All depends on if the film had been abused or not. if stored properly and in a cool place, they should be fine at original ISO. But if the film has been sitting in the room temp. and you are shooting something criticle, then it might cause problem for you.

Testing one or two sheets first is a good advice.

 

[Stephanie Brim]

I shoot mine at 100.

 

[trev2401]

Thanks for the information guys... i just got an email back from the seller, and yup, the film's been kept in deep freeze since his purchase.

I'll test a few sheets today or so i guess...

I kinda got confused as i read on apug that the older the film, it would be wise to shoot it at 80 instead of 100.. hmmmm

 

[wlewisiii]

Frozen? It's essentially brand new then. Shoot it like you would any Tmax you just bought at the store. Now, you might _like_ the results of it at EI80, but you don't _have_ to shoot it that way.

William

 

[kaiyen]

Well, even if frozen, all film picks up base fog due to cosmic radiation (seriously). Not surprisingly, the faster the filim the more fog it picks. Delta 3200 might last 2 years in a fridge before you lose a whole stop (which makes it not a very useful film...). I've heard that one should add a stop for every decade for TXT (but about 1/2 stop only after about 7 years - it's not totally linear).

If there is extra BF you need to increase exposure to get past it. That's why some people say to shoot expired TMX at 80.

A 100 speed film should be absolutely fine after 3 years.

allan