How to best expose expired Fujichrome Provia400X?

Nitroplait · May 30, 2022

A forgotten roll of 120 Fujichrome Provia400X emerged from the corner of a box.
Expired in November 2013, kept at room temp 20-22°C.

I am debating with myself if I should spend the €12 it would cost me to process it if I expose it - or save the amount for film I know will perform.

I don't think I have ever shot expired slide film, and am not sure what to expect.

Anyone have experiences with slidefilm of this age - any chance of a good result?
If yes, overexpose a little?

mohmad khatab · May 30, 2022

Provia400X will most likely fail.
I have sad experiences with him.
I advise you to let go of that idea.
It's not worth it.
- If you have chemistry in your house and want to develop the roller with your own hands (if the development cost will be low), then you can take the adventure.
- In all cases, the film must be shot at a box speed, without any additions or decreases.

Nitroplait · May 30, 2022

mohmad khatab said:
Provia400X will most likely fail.
I have sad experiences with him.
I advise you to let go of that idea.
It's not worth it.
- If you have chemistry in your house and want to develop the roller with your own hands (if the development cost will be low), then you can take the adventure.
- In all cases, the film must be shot at a box speed, without any additions or decreases.

Thanks Mohamad,

I was afraid of that. I will display it next to my unexposed roll of Kodachrome.

I don't think I will complicate my life with E-6 processing at home, as I would not likely practice it frequently.

Nitroplait · May 30, 2022

It even has a price sticker; 845 JPY that is €6 - a fond memory of days past.

Duceman · May 30, 2022

Sounds like a candidate for X-pro. Bracket at 200 and 100, develop in C-41; see what happens.

Nitroplait · May 30, 2022

Duceman said:
Sounds like a candidate for X-pro. Bracket at 200 and 100, develop in C-41; see what happens.

Thanks for the suggestion. I only do B&W myself, thus the C-41 will cost me the same as E-6.

I could just try for a B&W process, but according to this photo.net thread (see answer by "alan_marcus|2"):

E-6 film processed as B&W?

<p>Who knows what would happen if I process slide film in black and white chemicals at home. Is there a way to make a reasonable image? Specifically 120 format slide, hoping for a useable positive image in color or black and white, or anywhere in between. </p>

www.photo.net

I would have to waste good fixer to make a solution to bleach out unwanted dyes, and I would still end up with a substandard result.

I guess I am not that curious.

Duceman · May 30, 2022

Nitroplait said:
Thanks for the suggestion. I only do B&W myself, thus the C-41 will cost me the same as E-6.

The larger point is that the x-pro can be more forgiving. Where a roll of expired chrome may give crappy results if processed in E-6, that same roll may be able to give acceptable results if x-pro'd in C-41. Yes, costs remain the same, but the difference is the possibility of getting some acceptable shots.

Duceman · May 30, 2022

YMMV, but here's a thread where I documented shooting some expired Kodak E200:

Expired Kodak E200 Ektachrome

A decade or so ago, I picked up about a dozen rolls of 35mm, 36-exposure Kodak E200 Ektachrome. I don't recall exactly where I got it, but I'm rather sure it was several years expired by the time I got it, so I'm guessing this must've been made around the year 2000. But that's just a guess. I...

www.photrio.com

mooseontheloose · May 31, 2022

I have Provia 400x from the same time period and I'm still shooting it and it's still doing well. However, mine has been mostly refrigerated (occasionally frozen) since then. It might be okay, personally I would chance the 12 euros but I guess it depends on how you feel about it (and how it was stored).

Nitroplait · May 31, 2022

mooseontheloose said:
I have Provia 400x from the same time period and I'm still shooting it and it's still doing well. However, mine has been mostly refrigerated (occasionally frozen) since then. It might be okay, personally I would chance the 12 euros but I guess it depends on how you feel about it (and how it was stored).

Thanks!
It was just kept in room temp. That is a pretty constant 20-22°C where I live. It was simply misplaced and forgotten.
It is possible I'll just chance it.

MattKing · May 31, 2022

If the colours are off, but the images are fine otherwise, will you consider the developing expense wasted?
10 year past its prime slide film stored at moderate temperatures will most likely suffer mostly from colour casts.

abruzzi · May 31, 2022

mooseontheloose said:
I have Provia 400x from the same time period and I'm still shooting it and it's still doing well. However, mine has been mostly refrigerated (occasionally frozen) since then. It might be okay, personally I would chance the 12 euros but I guess it depends on how you feel about it (and how it was stored).

and, if the colors are off, they won't be as off as if you developed it in C41 chems. So I'd say go for it. Right now I'm shooting 60 sheets of 4x5 Velvia 100. I'm developing at home because the chemicals in it may make other people have Quato growing out of their belly, but otherwise it looks great--expired in 2014, unknows storage.

Larry Cloetta · May 31, 2022

I just had a roll of 120 size developed, which I bought as soon as discontinuation was announced and have kept frozen ever since. It was a little bluish and pale, it wouldn’t project as well as fresh, but was well within limits for a hybrid technique. Just one roll though, so a small sample size for me to be making firm opinions on. Stored at room temperature I might guess it would be noticeably off. Which is a shame as it was a lovely film in its day.

dmtnkl · Oct 4, 2022

I just developed a roll of Provia 400x, expired in 10/2014. I bought it sometime ago from the auction site and since then it was in the refrigerator. Since it was one of the oldest i have, i decided to use it as a test roll for a Pentax 645 i got recently.

I exposed it at EI 400 and developed it in chemistry mixed form a newly opened Tetenal E6 3-bath kit. The batch was the third and final one and the chemistry was mixed almost one week ago.

Below are some quick "phone scans" of two frames shot in aperture priority with the speed that the camera selected and no compensation from my side.

It came out fine. The actual slides look better on the light table.

Nitroplait · Oct 4, 2022

dmtnkl said:
I just developed a roll of Provia 400x, expired in 10/2014. I bought it sometime ago from the auction site and since then it was in the refrigerator. Since it was one of the oldest i have, i decided to use it as a test roll for a Pentax 645 i got recently.

I exposed it at EI 400 and developed it in chemistry mixed form a newly opened Tetenal E6 3-bath kit. The batch was the third and final one and the chemistry was mixed almost one week ago.

Below are some quick "phone scans" of two frames shot in aperture priority with the speed that the camera selected and no compensation from my side.

It came out fine. The actual slides look better on the light table.

View attachment 318024 View attachment 318025

Thanks Dmknkl.
Looks like you had luck.
Based on your results. Would you have exposed it differently? More or less?

dmtnkl · Oct 4, 2022

I have shot more Provia 400x that expired between 2013-2015. This was just the most recent example.

I always expose it at EI 400 and it comes out fine.

Nitroplait · Oct 4, 2022

Thanks! I’ll give it a try

Sirius Glass · Oct 4, 2022

Box speed. If it was properly stored box speed will work, if not the problems will be the same.

How to best expose expired Fujichrome Provia400X?

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