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Test shots with Eastman Color Negative 7254 ECN-1 from 1972


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As some of you know already, I have been experimenting with several rolls of Eastman Color Negative 7254 ECN-1 stock from 1973 and 1972. First I used it in a still camera and developed it as B&W as no chemicals for ECN-1 are available anymore, later I created an adapted process that actually gave me quite nice color results, one such photo was actually recently picked by a photo gallery in my home town Graz and is shown here for the next few months, you can also see it on filmcurl.com if you like. But all these photos still required quite long exposure times.

 

Few months back I was finally able to shoot it in my Krasnogorsk at 24fps as a motion picture stock with only around 1/60s of exposure.

 

Check out the few first test shots I developed some months back and had sent off for scanning:

https://vimeo.com/301944378

 

More to follow soon when I get time for it!

Edited by Bernhard Kipperer
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Thank you very much!

 

I was first trying it with B&W chemistry, just to see if any of the films still give any usuable results at all.

It was not clear how they were stored over the last 5 decades and when I opened one can, I noticed a distinctive smell of vinegar.

Another one had parts of film layers stick to each other, so I did not expect much from it.

 

But when the B&W shots came out really nicely, I started to think about color and to look for any way to get my hands on ECN-1 chemistry.

But all I could find were some datasheets with some times and temperatures.

I could not get more information on some parts mentioned there, like the developer for example, and couldn't find out how to mix that myself.

So I just did the next best thing and used a normal C-41 kit but had to think about temperatures and times, as those films were not pre-hardened and at 38°C / 100F the emulsion would just wash off.

 

So I checked with C-22 films that were used around that time and also found additional datasheets of the actual 7254 films and went for 20-22° C / 68F- 71F. Coming from the 3:15 mins of C-41 I extrapolated to 12 mins and that worked really well. Still I had to expose my photos for quite a long time, sometimes even more than a second, which ruled out using the films for motion.

 

But then recently I was lucky to get a lot of light during vacations and just gave it a shot.

I metered for ISO 1.5, shot at 24 fps with around 1/60s and fully opened at f1.9.

That was just enough to get some of the results you saw above. I think it is still underexposed somewhat and of course hitting the focus correctly at a constant f1.9 was also not easy, but I am extremly happy having achieved both color and motion without the right chemistry and film that was made in 1972.

 

By the way, I also already trying to get its predecessor 5251, but so far had no luck. If anyone knows someone or has such film still, please let me know.

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Thanks a lot! :)

I was mostly trying to get as much light in as I could for most of the shots, glad you liked them!

 

By the way, I just remembered, the last two takes were shot at 8fps, that's why the tractor at the end moves rather quickly.

I wonder if anyone noticed that so far?

The sun was going down quite fast and I needed that extra exposure time that 8fps vs 24fps gave me. The rest is 24fps as mentioned.

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I did notice an almost comical stopping of the tractor and the driver suddenly gesticulating (or looking for his banana/water bottle) rapidly out of the back of it. A bit like the sped-up robot on Lost in Space original series, but that's pushing the comparison.

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This just arrived yesterday: :wub:

Can't wait to shoot one or two of them soon. I can only know for sure after developing, but those films may be 5 years younger then the ones I have already.

 

I checked one roll in my darkroom yesterday and it is neither sticky, nor does it smell like vinegar like the others sometimes did, no rust anywhere on the can, everything looks very much like "mint condition", just wow!

post-71621-0-97257000-1543509494_thumb.jpg

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I metered for ISO 1.5, shot at 24 fps with around 1/60s and fully opened at f1.9.

 

ISO 1.5! The footage looks really good. And there is not that much grain, which is a pleasant surprise. I think that 16mm has a very bright future in film and TV.

 

Edit: What scanner did you use? I have noticed that cinema scanners are excellent. Photographic scanners are usually nowhere near as good.

Edited by Karim D. Ghantous
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ISO 1.5! The footage looks really good. And there is not that much grain, which is a pleasant surprise. I think that 16mm has a very bright future in film and TV.

 

Edit: What scanner did you use? I have noticed that cinema scanners are excellent. Photographic scanners are usually nowhere near as good.

Thank you!

I did not scan it myself but sent it to Ochoypico in Spain, not sure what exact scanner they use.

But if you want to compare it to results of the same film shot as photos and scanned on my usual film scanner for stills, you can find a few on my website http://www.filmcurl.com

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Thank you!

I did not scan it myself but sent it to Ochoypico in Spain, not sure what exact scanner they use.

But if you want to compare it to results of the same film shot as photos and scanned on my usual film scanner for stills, you can find a few on my website http://www.filmcurl.com

I couldn't find them, but I really like that Cine Assist! Looks awesome.

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I couldn't find them, but I really like that Cine Assist! Looks awesome.

When you click on photo gallery on the left, the first photo that pops up (the can) for example is one, also the 5th and 6th from the top.

 

Yeah, Cine Assist is awesome, helped me alot when shooting film already, also made certain things possible I couldn't do any other way or made other stuff much easier to achieve.

 

You know, I have components in stock and also one module ready, so if you are really interested let me know, it could become yours! ;)

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