10 year old Kodak 16mm film?

Daniel Joseph Lee · February 22, 2010

I have 1600 ft of Kodak EXR 50D and EXR 100T... as well as various other stocks, but these would be my main ones for my project.

I know I can merely shoot a short test... but the film isn't here yet, and I'm currently repairing a prism for the camera.

Given normal processing, the new 'box speed' of say the 50D should be shot as if it were ISO 25? I've heard its a stop per decade. I can overexpose and pull several stops in my first developer if I have to (if there is too much base fog at whatever the current sensitivity is), which isn't a problem for what Im shooting, as we generally shoot 250 speed video cameras with 5 stop filters.

Has anyone shot with old stock before and what were your results?

My custom processing involves first developer of Rodinal 1+100, 1 hour stand, fix, bleach, E6 CD, bleach, fix, etc, which results in a colour negative, contrast controlled by first developer, colour is very nice and perfectly accurate (once you take into account and correct for the different base colour).

I've chosen to do it this way after several tests as it offers the control I want, looks nice once corrected, and is a cold/ambient temperature process.

Charles MacDonald · February 23, 2010

I have 1600 ft of Kodak EXR 50D and EXR 100T.
I know I can merely shoot a short test.

Has anyone shot with old stock before and what were your results?

IN General!

The slower the film speed the slower it ages. Faster films tend to pick up EXTRA fog from Cosmic rays.

The three most common effects are FOG, Lower speed and higher grain. and colour shifts in any colour stock.

So much depends on storage. ten year old 50D in a fridge may be hard to tell from new. Ten week old 500T kept in Arizona summer heat may be past the point of being correctable. I just ran a tesT last week on a foot each from two rolls of 7302 (ASA 3 B&W Print film) that I got on e-bay. and one roll had some fog, while the other was clean and clear. Turns out the date code on both looks like 1974. That is of course as Slow as any film made. I have 200ft of 5222 (ISO250) that I loaded to use in my still camera many years ago, and even though they have been frozen thay show so much fog I am thinking of giving up on the rest.

If you are using the reversal process for direct viewing, you will have little room for error. If you are scanning the film you may have some room to play.

Freya Black · February 23, 2010

I
Given normal processing, the new 'box speed' of say the 50D should be shot as if it were ISO 25? I've heard its a stop per decade. I can overexpose and pull several stops in my first developer if I have to (if there is too much base fog at whatever the current sensitivity is), which isn't a problem for what Im shooting, as we generally shoot 250 speed video cameras with 5 stop filters.

Has anyone shot with old stock before and what were your results?

People generally shoot one stop over and then process normally rather than doing a push or pull. This leads to a denser neg. Quite a few people even overexpose 2/3 on fresh film just to tighten up the grain although I'm guessing they might worry about that less with a really slow stock like 50d.

I'm guessing theEXR 50d will be fine. Nice stock! :)

Daniel Joseph Lee · February 23, 2010

Thanks, I hope its nice!, the whole lot cost me about $250 US + $100 US shipping, around 5000 ft of 16mm and 800 ft of 35mm. Was too good to pass up given normal costs here.

Hmm if I want tighter grain, a pull is usually in order, grain is finer less time spent in dev in my experience, or I'll add some borax and ascorbate to the first dev.

Any its not a colour positive, its a colour negative.

Its develop, fix, leaving a silver negative, bleach back to silver halides, which is still only the negative image left, then colour develop bleach, fix, colour formed exactly as the first developer.. first developer controls contrast, push or pull will change contrast but not level of colour development/saturation :)

Here is an example of this on some real old german supermarket film I found in a 2nd hand shop here in Aussie land. This is C41 film I expect contrast to be different developed for ECN-II, though Im still setting levels, I'll probably add some hydroquinone to pump it up and make more use of more of the density range of the negative :)

I really want to work this process out to close to perfection as possible, my processing 'tank' design can be scaled up for 35mm :)

Edited February 23, 2010 by Daniel Joseph Lee

Ian Cooper · February 23, 2010

Has anyone shot with old stock before and what were your results?

Youtube Link

EXR100T new in November 1993 (I got it wrong when I did the title at the beginning).

Stored in a 'basement' until it came to me.

Exposed 15 years later in Summer 2008 at EI64.

Clip test seemed to show about a stop of base fog on red & blue layers.

Camera was a K3, processing & Tk at Todd-AO with an Ursa. Due to falling evening light the lens was used wide open virtually the whole time. I've subsequently had much sharper Tk results from the same camera/lens by having stuff telecined on a Spirit.