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Expired film stocks- idiots guide?


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G'day,

 

I have been keeping an eye out for expired 16mm stocks so I can practice shooting film, getting my head around things, experimenting etc. I have been focusing on B&W stocks as I am of the belief that less sensitivity is still workable, whereas with expired colour stocks I figure the dyes must degrade in a haphazard way, like having a red or blue streak running through the film.

 

Of course these are uneducated assumptions, is there a web site that details how stocks degrade? I imagine a few people rely on expired stocks to actively remain shooting, and knowing how some stocks will degrade will help purchasing decisions of auction sites.

 

Any ideas on where this info is?

 

Cheers, Gareth

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The info is in the heads of filmmakers who use outdated stock.

B/W can still be fine after decades if it has been stored in cool, dry conditions. Colour stock doesn't usually degrade in the way you imagine- the fog level goes up, the sensitivity drops and the colour shifts, but it can be corrected somewhat in post. You'd test it first, of course, before shooting anything critical.

Edited by Mark Dunn
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Thanks for the good tips guys, they will be helpful when it comes to buying old stock. What about reversal stocks, can the same allowances, ie: increase stops of exposure be applied?

No. There is no in camera compensation you can make with old film that is to be processed as reversal, at least with regards fogging.

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Thanks Gregg! It's 6x6, remarkably scanned on a flatbed! They're so crystal-clear because they're MF, but even with 35mm EPP was a beautiful emulsion. I wish Kodak gave Alaris the stills division before ektachrome and the old portras were killed off.

 

It also raises the question - why can't they also offload MP production to Alaris?

Edited by Kenny N Suleimanagich
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