1979 HIE - Is it still good? And a Tri-X question

[htmlguru4242]

I have one roll of Kodak HIE from 1979 with that lot of film that I got the other day. Is there any possibility of it still being good?

Also there's an (unopened!) 25-sheet box of 4x5 Tri-X - will this likely be good, and, is it the same speed / dev. times as the new stuff?

Neither was stored in a fridge for the past 7 or so years.

 

[genecrumpler]

1979 HIE

IR is not know for its keeping properties. I've had frozen IF film that was fogged after just two years. Toss it!

 

[glbeas]

Treat it like you would Holga shots, know its not the highest quality and have fun with it. If anything comes out it's a bonus.

I've shot some very old 4x5 IR and got some very interesting results, though with a smaller format thats going to be like shooting through a gravel pile.

 

[Donald Qualls]

I have one roll of Kodak HIE from 1979 with that lot of film that I got the other day. Is there any possibility of it still being good?

Also there's an (unopened!) 25-sheet box of 4x5 Tri-X - will this likely be good, and, is it the same speed / dev. times as the new stuff?

Neither was stored in a fridge for the past 7 or so years.

I agree with the above comments -- HIE is almost certainly toast after room temperature storage for at least 7 out of 27 years. All it costs is time and some chemicals to try it, but don't expect anything.

The Tri-X might still be usable, though it likely has high fog and will require about one stop of additional exposure above the original rating. The good thing is, you can shoot a couple sheets and try it, and if it's okay, then you'll know what to expect from the rest of the box.

 

[jim appleyard]

There's only one way to find out!