shooting some 1976 Ektachrome 7250T... predictions?

Dan Monceaux · August 2, 2007

Hi all... I was given a 400ft can of Ektachrome 7250T (400asa) the other day... the ol' news film stock with mag striping. I'd like to shoot some of it for an experimental film I'm producing this week, and have no convenient means to test dev before the shoot. can you help me predict what colour shift may have occurred with the aging of this stock? I'm happy to accept whatever happens with it, but if i can estimate acertain cast, then i can shoot/filter with that in mind.

Also, how much density will the stock have lost, and would you rate it differently to get a better result than shooting straight at the 400asa mark?

love to hear your thoughts... I'll be running it through a Bolex H16 with 1960's Som Berthiot lenses.

David Auner aac · August 2, 2007

Hi Dan,

I can only speak of still film here, as I am just beginning with 16mm, but I have shot some 4x5 inch sheet Ektachrome from the late 80s through the 90s (I think the oldest was from '86). My grandpa had the stuff in his studio, he gave most of to me a couple of years ago and I got the rest when he died last fall. The stock wasn't kept cool all the time, but ever since I had it, I kept it in the fridge. I have some slides here, unfortunately I can't scan them right now.

I was quite surprised with the results. Especially the newer stuff showed no noticeable color shift at all (maybe the lab corrected for that, although I did not tell them to).

It seemed that the older the stock, the more red and magenta it had. I was told that this is the normal response of Ektachrome reversal film to aging.

So assuming that the 70s Ektachrome ages the same way the newer stuff does I'd expect a minor to major magenta/red color shift in your shot. Maybe you could grade it out, but it might be a nice look if it fits the piece.

Cheers, Dave

James Compton · August 2, 2007

It would be safe to assume the filmstock now has a workable ASA of 200.

I shot some footage on 10 year old 5246 250D 35mm motion picture film. I rated it at 125 ASA,

I was suprised that there was little fogging.. The colors looked good. The film had been stored at room temperature for 7 years !!!!

Mark Dunn · August 2, 2007

You could always rate it standard and have a clip test. Shoot a typical scene on the last 30', right to the end, and have the lab develop 10' standard. You can then push or pull the remaining sections, 10' at a time, till you get a suitable result. VNF pulls and pushes readily by means of changing the macnine speed, but it may cost you a lot to have the machine set up.

But otherwise you really are guessing.

On top of that, VNF is obsolete, so while some labs still run the process, they may not do so regularly.

Dominic Case · August 2, 2007

Have you sourced a lab that will process this stock?

When planning to shoot very old, obsolete, or even current but obscure stocks from overseas, ALWAYS check that you can get your film processed before you shoot.

7250 is the VNF process - not widely available these days. And if you find a lab that will run it, they may not do so regularly (you can wait for up to a year!). If that is the case, then there is probably a steep minimum charge to cover their set-up costs and you obviously won't have a chance for testing as was suggested before.

If you have found a lab to do this, they may have an idea about the aging effect. Remember, any one individual on this list has seen their own work and maybe a bit more: find the right person in a lab, and they have seen everyone's work!

Dan Monceaux · August 3, 2007

Thanks for all your thoughts, guys. I have a lab here in Australia that's previously processes some VNF film with E6 chemistry, and I've been happy with the results... they only do small quantities, but since i'm shooting in 100' lengths with a Bolex H16, that's not a problem. I reckon I'll rate it a little slower, and I'll pop back and post some results. I'm making an experimental film after all, so I'm sure I can use the stock as something of a special effect. If you want to run VNF through E6 chem, here's the link for nanolab: http://www.nanolab.com.au/

John Pytlak RIP · August 6, 2007

I would expect such old film to have significant buildup of graininess, and to have quite a bit of age and radiation fogging, leading to very low black densities and likely severe contrast mismatch.

I personally would not invest in trying to use such old film.