Old unused film without a date...

[Bob Driessen]

Hi there.

 

My name is Bob and this is my first post on this forum. To start with i would like to thank everybody for the activity on this Board. I'm a regular visitor and i'm enjoying the great conversations. I'm a dutch artist so when my English has faults, I would like to apologise me, for my pour English.

 

So here my Question:

 

I got a bag with old unused TRI-X 7278 films from a friend of mine. Now have those films no date on the film-boxes. He thinks that some of them are even from 1990! Well i found on the boxes a code that repeats on some of the boxes: on Five of them the code "600" was printed on. and two times the code "800". Does this ring a bell?

 

Besides that the bag contained three Kodachrome 40 type A films. Two with the date 2003 and one with 1992! Can i still use them? Those films were kept cool. I heard.

Can i use the Kodachrome 40 type a on my CANON 814XL Electronic. or should i use them on my NIZO 801?

 

Does anyone knows a site with diagrames or information about the loss of quality of the film. For me and all those filmers who got a bag with old undeveloped films... ;)

 

 

Thanx for your information.

[Ira Ratner]

Hi, Bob.

 

A lot of it has to do with how the film was stored. If it's kept in a refrigerator--which I'm sure it wasn't for all of that time--it's "safer."

 

You might be okay with the Tri-X, but I would ask a processing lab in your country. Do you have an exposure meter on your camera and different apertures/settings on your lens? If yes, the lab may tell you to set/adjust the meter for a different ASA number when you shoot. If no, they may tell you to shoot normally, and they'll make the adjustment when they process it.

 

And even though your Kodachrome is "only" from 2003, it may be a problem finding someone who still PROCESSES it. There may be no one in your country offering the service at all.

 

If you have a lot of rolls, it's worth experimenting to save them. But if it's just a few rolls, I don't think it's worth the effort. Remember that it's going to cost you as much as the film costs to process it, so if the film is free but nothing good comes out, what's the point?

[Bob Driessen]

Hi, Bob.

 

A lot of it has to do with how the film was stored. If it's kept in a refrigerator--which I'm sure it wasn't for all of that time--it's "safer."

 

You might be okay with the Tri-X, but I would ask a processing lab in your country. Do you have an exposure meter on your camera and different apertures/settings on your lens? If yes, the lab may tell you to set/adjust the meter for a different ASA number when you shoot. If no, they may tell you to shoot normally, and they'll make the adjustment when they process it.

 

And even though your Kodachrome is "only" from 2003, it may be a problem finding someone who still PROCESSES it. There may be no one in your country offering the service at all.

 

If you have a lot of rolls, it's worth experimenting to save them. But if it's just a few rolls, I don't think it's worth the effort. Remember that it's going to cost you as much as the film costs to process it, so if the film is free but nothing good comes out, what's the point?

 

 

Hi Ira

Thanx for your replay! I really appreciate it!

 

For de processing i found a link of a company called Dwayne?s Photo online. Does anyone have experience with the company? it sounds ok what they offer

look here But about the part in your relpay you are suggesting that the ASA number maybe nay be changed? What do you mean by that? I know that the hardness of the film will change in time, but you suggest that it get less light sensitive?

 

Greetings Bob

[jon lawrence]

I've just got back a roll of kodachrome 40 that expired in 2003 and a roll of kodachrome slide film that expired in 2002 from dwaynes and both films were absolutely perfect. I brought both films from ebay, both were stored at room temperature and they obviously survived being shipped from the UK to the US and then back again so I think there's a good chance your film will turn out ok.

 

-Jon

[Adrian Sierkowski]

As it ages, and fogs, you have to expose differently in order to get your images above the fog density; essentially over-exposing and then correcting the now milked shadows back to black.

[Hal Smith]

Dwayne's is reputable...and the only place left to get Kodachrome processed. I've had 35mm Kodachrome developed there with good results.

[Patrick Neary]

As it ages, and fogs, you have to expose differently in order to get your images above the fog density; essentially over-exposing and then correcting the now milked shadows back to black.

 

That's normally good advice, but not with these two reversal films. Overexposure would exacerbate any fogging issues.

 

I'll second the Dwayne's recommendation for the Kodachrome too!

[Adrian Sierkowski]

Ahh quite true. Reverse the advice for the reversal then ;) and under-expose. That's what I get for waking up too early and trying to use my mind.

[Bob Driessen]

Thank you all! Great answares! :rolleyes: Whow now i got a lot of tapes to play with. :P

[Antti Näyhä]

Dwayne's is reputable...and the only place left to get Kodachrome processed.

In Europe, there's also the very convenient service offered by Wittner. You can send your Kodachrome K40 to them by cheap intra-European mail - they then forward the films to Dwayne's for processing. This saves you all the possible trouble with customs etc., even with large quantities of film. Also, Wittner is apparently able to send the film overseas without them getting X-rayed on the way.

[Bartek Cierlica]

Not so long ago, I used Agfa Geavert, probably XT125. It was about 12-14 y.o. We didn't do any sensytometrical tests. Just assumed, that it lost about 4-5 f/stops so we exposed it as a ISO 3.

We could only shoot from 11AM till 1PM, only in sunlight (winter, snowy exteriors). And indeed we managed. On telecine the colorist couldn't believe his eyes. There was no green layer, just a bit of red and blue. The density was different from left side of the stock to right. It was looking more less like a cross process with a bit of LSD look :-)!

Try to find a project that You can experiment and just do it. That's my opinion. And overexpose! As much as You can.

 

 

Hi there.

 

My name is Bob and this is my first post on this forum. To start with i would like to thank everybody for the activity on this Board. I'm a regular visitor and i'm enjoying the great conversations. I'm a dutch artist so when my English has faults, I would like to apologise me, for my pour English.

 

So here my Question:

 

I got a bag with old unused TRI-X 7278 films from a friend of mine. Now have those films no date on the film-boxes. He thinks that some of them are even from 1990! Well i found on the boxes a code that repeats on some of the boxes: on Five of them the code "600" was printed on. and two times the code "800". Does this ring a bell?

 

Besides that the bag contained three Kodachrome 40 type A films. Two with the date 2003 and one with 1992! Can i still use them? Those films were kept cool. I heard.

Can i use the Kodachrome 40 type a on my CANON 814XL Electronic. or should i use them on my NIZO 801?

 

Does anyone knows a site with diagrames or information about the loss of quality of the film. For me and all those filmers who got a bag with old undeveloped films... ;)

 

 

Thanx for your information.

[Bob Driessen]

In Europe, there's also the very convenient service offered by Wittner. You can send your Kodachrome K40 to them by cheap intra-European mail - they then forward the films to Dwayne's for processing. This saves you all the possible trouble with customs etc., even with large quantities of film. Also, Wittner is apparently able to send the film overseas without them getting X-rayed on the way.

 

 

Hi Antti,

In my research i was already looking if there was an European place to drop my films . thanx for the advice!

 

Thanks also to all of the advices from all the other posts! you are all very helpfull :rolleyes: