OLD Super-XX: how to handle?

[Nathan Smith]

I recently bought an old Ernemann HEAG camera that came with a nearly unused pack of Super-XX. Thanks to Whitey Morange and others, I now know how to use the film pack. Next question: due to the unknown age of this film, what's the best way to shoot & develop it?

Archived posts refer to very out-dated Super-XX losing it's effective speed from 200 down to 100 ASA. So I'm thinking of shooting it at 100 and dunking it in something like Acufine. There are a couple of sheets that were apparently exposed in the distant past so the Acufine might help with the unknown condition of them.

There's a pretty good chance the stuff is beyond help, but I'm looking forward to trying it - any ideas?

Thanks,
Nathan

 

[Paul Verizzo]

How outdated is outdated?

I recently bought an old Ernemann HEAG camera that came with a nearly unused pack of Super-XX. Thanks to Whitey Morange and others, I now know how to use the film pack. Next question: due to the unknown age of this film, what's the best way to shoot & develop it?

Archived posts refer to very out-dated Super-XX losing it's effective speed from 200 down to 100 ASA. So I'm thinking of shooting it at 100 and dunking it in something like Acufine. There are a couple of sheets that were apparently exposed in the distant past so the Acufine might help with the unknown condition of them.

There's a pretty good chance the stuff is beyond help, but I'm looking forward to trying it - any ideas?

Thanks,
Nathan

Ten years, at the most a bit more fog.

Twenty years, lots more fog.

I've not heard of B&W film losing speed, but then, I don't know everything.

The film was intended to be developed in D96, from which negs then got printed on high contrast "print" film.

I would suggest sticking close to the fundamentals, no Acufine or wild EI's. I would try several EI's in, what else, D-76 or D-23 or divided D-23. There's a great thread or two on 5222 and 5231 on www.rangefinder.com (I think that's it.)

 

[Nathan Smith]

Thanks Paul, it's potentially VERY old. I don't have any way of knowing, but this camera is from the 20's - Ernemann became part of Zeiss-Ikon in 1926, and it doesn't look like it ever got used much. I suspect the film is not quite THAT old, but it could possibly be from 1920-something on, maybe the 30's or 40's.

With that in mind, it could be too fogged to work - or too stiff or brittle for the film pack to work.

Nathan

 

[Tom Hoskinson]

I know a photographer who has a stash of old Super-XX. He develops it in ABC Pyro and gets great results.

 

[Photo Engineer]

I just recently used some Super XX from 1988 and sent several sheet to others here on APUG. They have used it just fine.

I would use ISO 100 for it and 7 - 9 minutes in D-76. The fog will be a bit high but the images will be good.

PE

 

[sun of sand]

I bought -it came with other stuff- an old Spartus 35 with an old roll of XX half exposed. I opened the back and figured I had ruined the exposures well enough to not try
I'm going to shoot the other half and see what I get.
No later than the early 70's

I shoot some Plus-X in 4x5 from 1970 and get decent enough quality. I use it to practice on around here.

I have used Xtol and D76 with anti-fog
10ml -orthazite- or so per liter of solution
This will lower the films speed even more but it reduces the fog considerably. I shoot the Plus X at around 20.
I'll shoot the XX at around 30-50

can also help reduce overexposure with anti-fog in that if happen to overexpose you can add the AF till the film speed lowers ..requiring the extra exposure

 

[Nathan Smith]

Thanks for the Orthazite tip, I hadn't heard of it - guess I never had any reason to notice until now. I'm sure this film must have incurred some base fogging.
Nathan