How should I expose expired President's Choice 400 colour film?

PhoBoKho · Mar 6, 2020

A family member unearthed some PC Colour Print Film, ISO 400. Expiry date of Aug 2005. Sitting in a cupboard all these years.

How should this be exposed? I heard I should over-expose by 1 stop for every 10 years beyond expiration date. So overexpose by 1.5 stops?

What could happen to the colours? I heard the colours go funky after expiry.
And does anyone know what brand or manufacturer was behind President's Choice 400 film back in the day? Just curious.

PS: I'm new here; hoping I posted in the right subforum.

wiltw · Mar 6, 2020

I have no recommendation on exposure. I would tend to expose it at the rated speed (e.g. ISO 400). HOWEVER, film that is stored for a very long time accumulates radiation due to cosmic rays...even if stored in a freezer all that time, and even if stored under ground all that time!!!
There is no escaping cosmic rays, they go THRU the earth. and they fog film with accumulated exposure to cosmic rays.
The film speed may not have changed, it simply has an overall fog even if totally unexposed to light for all that time. And color film may exhibit color shifts so that it no longer portrays colors with a reasonable degree of accuracy.

I'll leave it to those with considerable experience to using old outdated film to make recommendations.

Rumored to have been offered at a grocery store chain, A&P, and named for the company president.
Rumored to be Fuji made

BradS · Mar 6, 2020

I'd rate it at ASA 160 and let it be processed normally. Expect the colors to be...eh, less than optimal.

Embrace the uncertainty, have fun...and post a follow-up thread when you get the film processed so we can see some of the results.

Ray Morgenweck · Mar 6, 2020

Another option is to develop as Black and White in D76. Scan and flip to BW. Takes all those not so nice color shifts out of play, and film expiration dates have far less effect.

PhoBoKho · Mar 6, 2020

Thanks Brad and Ray.

I think I'll try colour first. Just to see what happens. But it's interesting I can process it as B&W, which is something I'd like to do (in general) somewhere down the line.

alanrockwood · Mar 7, 2020

Try 100 iso. If it is still keeping its old 400 iso speed then overexposing by two stops won't hurt much (if at all), and if it has lost speed then exposing at 100 will help.

PhoBoKho · Mar 7, 2020

wiltw said:
I have no recommendation on exposure. I would tend to expose it at the rated speed (e.g. ISO 400). HOWEVER, film that is stored for a very long time accumulates radiation due to cosmic rays...even if stored in a freezer all that time, and even if stored under ground all that time!!!
There is no escaping cosmic rays, they go THRU the earth. and they fog film with accumulated exposure to cosmic rays.
The film speed may not have changed, it simply has an overall fog even if totally unexposed to light for all that time. And color film may exhibit color shifts so that it no longer portrays colors with a reasonable degree of accuracy.

I'll leave it to those with considerable experience to using old outdated film to make recommendations.

Rumored to have been offered at a grocery store chain, A&P, and named for the company president.
Rumored to be Fuji made

Thanks, Wiltw. Interesting info about cosmic rays and fogging of film. I'm a fan of Fuji, their digital cameras firstly and their film simulations in the digital bodies. Maybe it'll be either Provia or Velvia, my 2 favourite colour sims.

PhoBoKho · Mar 7, 2020

alanrockwood said:
Try 100 iso. If it is still keeping its old 400 iso speed then overexposing by two stops won't hurt much (if at all), and if it has lost speed then exposing at 100 will help.

I have a few rolls, so maybe I'll try a few different ISOs. I think I'll start with 160 as we live in a moderate climate (I'm assuming temperature has something to do with the degradation as people suggest film be stored in a fridge or freezer if possible).

LolaColor · Mar 7, 2020

On your first roll shoot a test scene and bracket the exposures 0, 1, 2, 3...

removed account4 · Mar 7, 2020

Great advice here ! too bad you don't have a brick of this film so you can shoot a test roll and use that as your baseline ... Something to remember about PRINT film is that extra exposure is your friend ( even if it is fresh/new film ). so keeping that in mind just give it a stop or 2 extra light and enjoy the mystery
Have fun !
John

How should I expose expired President's Choice 400 colour film?

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