Kodak Elite paper

[Craig]

I've come across some 8x10 packages of Kodak Elite paper at a local photo store. I've no idea how old they are, but since their film fridge is full of VPS that expired in 1998 I'm assuming a similar age.

I've used old Elite before and it had huge base fog, and I don't want to buy this stuff if it will have fog. Any ideas what the shelf life of Elite is, and should I buy the stuff?

 

[photobackpacker]

Hi Craig:

I believe Kodak discontinued this paper in 1999. I would guess the chances of diminished whites are high.

 

[Bob Carnie]

Hi Craig

This paper is amazing in lith developer , a camera shop in Calgary has some of the fotospeed A B
I would imagine the slight fogging would not be a problem for lith printing , in fact it should work very well.
I am looking for this paper in 16x20 and 20x24 for this very purpose.
give it a try

 

[rhphoto]

My recollections of this paper were, a) It had a very heavy paper base, which I liked; b) it was easy to overtone it in selenium, and even weaken the blacks by doing so; c) it had a quality of "richness" of tone that I never found in any other paper. A little warm in the blacks, and to my eye, a long toe in the whites which gave them a kind of porcelain quality. If the paper's not seriously fogged, I'd grab it up.

 

[Ole]

Old Kodak Elite is the only paper I've tried which dies completely: after XX years mine has lost every trace of sensitivity. Massive exposure and half an hour in the developer gave a few isolated spots of metallic silver - unexposed paper gave exactly the same.