Film Identification

[tachoknight]

Hi all-

I am scanning a lot of my dad's old negatives that he took starting sometime in the 1950s through the 1960s. He used a Hasselblad early on, switching to 35mm at some point. All the B&W film seems to have been Tri-X Pan, but he also shot color and I can't figure out what type of Kodak film it is. I'm trying to get the settings right in SilverFast and I've been picking "Max" as it seems to be the nicest color, but I have really been interested in finding out what he used.

I've attached an example negative; it says "Kodak Safety Film" but no other indicators of what it is. I noticed the two dots on the left side but don't know if that's meant to be some sort of identifier, a result of processing, or what.

Sorry if this isn't the right forum; if there's one more suitable for this I'll move or recreate it.

 

[VinceInMT]

It could be Kodacolor or Kodacolor-X which were for the C-22 process. I have some that look like that.

 

[AnselMortensen]

There weren't many choices for Kodak color negative film in those days.
If you can determine an approximate year from subject matter, that would help.
Most likely Kodacolor-X or Kodacolor II.
Vericolor came around later, as did Kodacolor Gold, VR-G, etc. By that time, they were using letter codes for those.

 

[MattKing]

Are there no frame numbers anywhere?
May we have a closer look at the edge lettering?

 

[cmacd123]

All I can get from that is that it was made in Rochester NY.
the two holes may very well be an artifact of the printing machine that the Photofinisher used, I have many strips of 35mm with a regular notch that was to guide the printer.

some kodak film has a code like a dot or triangle (in groups of two or three) that can be translated into year of manufacture.

without frther information and considering how orange the Mask is, I would have to guess Kodacolor or Kodacolor-X

 

[Philippe-Georges]

This might help:

 

[koraks]

This might help:

Or maybe not. Since it lists sheet film notches (this is roll film) and only lists Kodak B&W, color positive film and two separation films (this is regular recording color negative).
It's a useful resource for other purposes though. There's also some here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notch_code Looks like it overlaps with your list.

Looking at the fashion on that photo, my (wild) guess would be that it's taken in the mid to late 60s, which would put it in Kodacolor X territory.
Here's a haphazard inversion I just did to be able to see the image a little better:

I'm basing my guess on the dress, glasses, swimming trunks bottom right, haircut etc.
If I'm in error (likely), I'd bet I err on the late side and not the early side, which would put it more into the early 60s instead. So that would possibly make it plain Kodacolor if it was prior to 1963, not X.

All considered I put my money on Kodacolor X.

 

[Philippe-Georges]

Sorry, it looked like sheet film but i might have not looked closely enough

 

[koraks]

Well, someone turned it into sheet film, I can grant you that

 

[Donald Qualls]

The two holes on the left edge might be registration marks for a contrast mask for making a custom print. Was this scene on the wall in your home many years ago, perhaps?

 

[Agulliver]

The edge markings do not remind me of Kodacolor II, which is the film I started out with. I'd say it's earlier than that, so as some people suggest possibly Kodacolor-X

 

[tachoknight]

Is it okay to post Flickr links here? This is the photo in question. I'll take some pics of the negatives when I'm at my mom's again (that's where all the pics are). I'm certain that all the pics I've been scanning date before 1967 when he met my mom; she's in none of the ones I've been scanning.

 

[BAC1967]

Is it okay to post Flickr links here? This is the photo in question. I'll take some pics of the negatives when I'm at my mom's again (that's where all the pics are). I'm certain that all the pics I've been scanning date before 1967 when he met my mom; she's in none of the ones I've been scanning.

I love that photo! Yes, it’s ok to link to Flickr, you can also imbed the image by pasting the BBCode into your post. Don’t need to use the link function. Best to use a medium size around 500 to 640 pixels.

 

[MattKing]

That is a great photo.
And boy does it look like Kodacolor-X!

 

[Maineiac]

looking further through your Flickr photos (some great ones there) the cars in the photo is definitely from the '60's

 

[tachoknight]

Thank you Maineiac. I've tried to also judge the timeframe based on how old my dad looks, where he was stationed in the Navy, and also where he worked. Unfortunately my mom doesn't really know a whole lot about his life before she met him, and given the number of pics of him with other women I guess I can sort-of understand.

 

[tachoknight]

Here's what I believe is the film identifier, it's the only "unexplainable" number on the whole roll.


Color Negative by Ron Olson, on Flickr

 

[tachoknight]

I have news! I contacted Kodak and they were able to identify the film as Kodacolor-X, so I guess my dad used the C-22 process; when I was a kid I remember the big box of chemicals he'd get for C-41 so I assume C-22 was just as involved (I remember lots of bottles of various sizes filled with different colored liquids).

Thank you very much to everyone who chimed in; even if SilverFast doesn't offer a Kodacolor-X option, having this bit more information makes me feel just that bit more closer to my dad.

 

[koraks]

having this bit more information makes me feel just that bit more closer to my dad.

Far more important than the Silverfast thing, that.

 

[AnselMortensen]

Those negs were shot with a Hasselblad.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Those negs were shot with a Hasselblad.

√​

 

[tachoknight]

√​

Yup, he loved his Hasselblad; what he told me was he sold his kit to buy a Volkswagen and at some point after I was born got back into medium format with a Mamiya RB67, which when I got older I got to use.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

What does the "LM" at the bottom right stand for?

 

[AnselMortensen]

What does the "LM" at the bottom right stand for?

<Kodak Safety Fi LM

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

<Kodak Safety Fi LM

How clever?