How to test 5-year expired Velvia 100 for color accuracy?

Hi,

Locally there's a bunch of Velvia 100 35mm film for sale that I'd like to buy. First I'm buying a couple of rolls to test the colors and if there's any shift in them or any other malfunctions.

What would be the best way to go about tets-shooting a couple of rolls before I buy more? Any subjects in particular I should look at or are there any tests which will allow me to see if there's any weird stuff going on? I don't expect it, but I'd like to make sure before I buy 50+ rolls. The thing I'm mainly worried about is a magenta color cast. Thanks.

Regards, Tymen

I have shot lots of expired slide film of various flavors and found that if they have been stored well the results have been good. To answer your particular question, I would shoot the things you like to shoot then maybe a few frames that are heavy in each reds, blues, and greens and see if you are happy with the results. Keep in mind that each film tends to do better at one or another. The biggest thing will be if you like what you see.

Joel

I would shoot at least a few of your test subjects on a fresh roll as well. Slight degradation may not be obvious if you have nothing to compare it against. You may find that the expired film is good enough for some purposes but that fresh is better for critical applications.

Something white, like a white wall in sun where you'd expect the Kelvin to be around 5500. Or if you have studio flash, that gives a good neutral light. The white subject should show any cast, perhaps also try a grey card.

To do this right you really need a calibrated target like a Macbeath Color Checker chart, along with a decent color temperature meter. But
failing all that, try to have both a white card and a decent gray card, and make the exposure under soft even white cloudy lighting, not blue
direct daylight or cold overcast light.