620 film, exposed or not?

Silence · May 15, 2010

Hey everyone

I just got a Kodak Brownie Six-20 Model C, and inside there was a roll of 620 film.

It had a rubber band around it, as to stop the paper from unraveling.

How can I know if it has been exposed or not?

I did a (probably) very stupid thing, which was... I took out the rubber band and started unwrapping the paper, to see if there was actually any film inside or if it was only there for the spool. I immediately stopped as I reached the edge of the actual film, but I could see that it was pink!

What does that mean?

Should I bother developing it if it's already exposed?

It looks pretty damn old and the brand is Ferrania.

Thank you for any input!

Ian Grant · May 15, 2010

If there was no tape on that film edge then it has been exposed, and it wouldn't need a rubber bad if it hadn't been used. Sometimes the gummed paper that is supposed to seal the film after exposure comes loose and gets lost.

Ian

Silence · May 15, 2010

I guess my real doubt is about the pink part... Would it be normal for the edge of the film to be pink? I thought all film emulsions were opaque brown before development...

Ian Grant · May 15, 2010

Only opaque brown iif already exposed to light, ie the film leaded of 35mm, they can vary in colour due to sensitizing dyes, anti halation backing etc.

Ian

bdial · May 15, 2010

If the end of the film you saw did not have tape holding it to the paper, the roll has been exposed. As Ian says, the color can vary, so the fact that it was pink doesn't mean much.
Might as well develop it, and see what the last batch of pictures the camera made were.

wblynch · May 15, 2010

Develop it but expect 'exposure' from the pressure of the rubber band.

Hikingman · May 15, 2010

Out of date? Develop this one, and expose a different test roll...add 20% to the recommended development time if expired.

Sirius Glass · May 15, 2010

If it was exposed, the paper would have "Exposed" in some modern language prominently displayed. If it doe not say "Exposed" then it has not been exposed.

The rubber band is to keep the film from unwinding. To conclude that the presents of the rubber band means anything more is based on a SWAG aka "Scientific Wild-Add Guess".

Steve

wblynch · May 15, 2010

SWAG based on experience. The pressure will cause an effect much like a light leak. Try it and see.

Sirius Glass · May 15, 2010

wblynch said:
SWAG based on experience.

That would be nice if it were true, but usually it means that the guess came from the neither parts. After all it is a Wild Assed Guess.

wblynch said:
The pressure will cause an effect much like a light leak. Try it and see.

That is likely too, but if the film was not exposed then shoot away and see what develops! [Pun intended]

Steve

Silence · May 16, 2010

Well, I developed the film just for the sake of it and...

It was completely black, except for the streaks caused by the rubber band lol... There were also lots of rust spots all over, so it must have been inside that camera for many years.

As I had no clue about the type of film, I kind of made up the developing times, so perhaps the result was not the best.

What do you do when you don't have any information about the type of film you are going to develop? How do you know what the best temperature/time is when you don't even know the ISO of the film?

Rodex · May 16, 2010

Too bad it was black, would have been a surprise to see what was on it.

wblynch · May 16, 2010

Silence said:
Well, I developed the film just for the sake of it and...

It was completely black, except for the streaks caused by the rubber band lol...

Thank you.

cmacd123 · May 16, 2010

Any film found in an old box camera is probably a first cousin of Verichrome pan. I can recall using Dynapan ASA 160 roll film made by Ferrania. It worked fine except for one roll of 127 which had a kink across the film before exposure. (the image showed the kink)

michaelbsc · May 16, 2010

I always develop "found film" at Verichrome + 20%. So far I've never found anything particularly interesting, but many of the rolls do have mediocre images, albeit of people I don't know or know how to contact.

I know there are a few folks who have made a science of developing old film for someone trying to rescue old family shots, but most of my "found film" has been in 620 or 127 plastic cameras I bought from an auction site just to get the metal spools.

Sirius Glass · May 17, 2010

michaelbsc said:
I always develop "found film" at Verichrome + 20%. So far I've never found anything particularly interesting, but many of the rolls do have mediocre images, albeit of people I don't know or know how to contact.

I know there are a few folks who have made a science of developing old film for someone trying to rescue old family shots, but most of my "found film" has been in 620 or 127 plastic cameras I bought from an auction site just to get the metal spools.

I will keep this in mind for that rare occasion that I find an old roll of exposed film.

Thanks

Steve

2F/2F · May 17, 2010

Just based on the rubber band, it could be either. It is not unheard of for people to remove the paper tape at the beginning of a roll, and put a rubber band or a wire bread tie around the roll instead, making for quicker/easier loading while working. I have a boss who does this all the time with 120/220 at weddings. It is also not unheard of for the sticky band at the end of the film to accidentally get pulled off, or purposefully discarded in favor of preferred methods of sealing the roll (such as tape, rubber bands, and what have you).

The first clue will be which side of the camera it is on. Is it on the take up side (the side on which the advance knob turns the take up spool), or is it on the feed side? If the takeup side, it is probably shot, and vice versa.

The dead giveaway, since you unwrapped the film, will be whether you exposed a loose end of film or a taped end of film. If it was a taped end, the film is not shot, and vice versa. (Of course, you could have unwrapped the film in the dark to find this out.)

Silence · May 18, 2010

2F/2F, it was on the take up side and when unwrapping I exposed a loose end, so It was almost certainly exposed.

However, after development, it came out all black, so someone before me must have unwrapped the film and damaged it or it was simply too old...

2F/2F · May 18, 2010

I had the same happen with old Tri-X that I tried to develop: 100 % black.

Sirius Glass · May 18, 2010

2F/2F said:
I had the same happen with old Tri-X that I tried to develop: 100 % black.

Fashionwise, one cannot go wrong with basic black. This does not apply to photography.

Steve

2F/2F · May 18, 2010

I should have developed the whole pile of it and strung it together as fabric to make a sexy little one-of-a-kind black dress for some lovely lady.

Silence · May 19, 2010

Hahaha

I'm gonna cut my roll in pieces, stick them together and make one of those old fashioned variable vignetters...

620 film, exposed or not?

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