Test of some 120 Kodak Ektar 25 film

Hi Everyone, time for another film test. Last summer, when I received my new/old Rolleiflex 3.5E Xenotar (to replace one I should have never sold 10 years ago - but you know that story!), I decided to also try out one of my rolls of Ektar 25 film. It has been in the freezer for 2 decades (expired 1994). On a blazing hot Mississippi summer day, I drove Church Hill, Mississippi, a community south of Alcorn State University. There is a historic grocery store there that I had not photographed. The film was developed and scanned at a lab in California. The negatives looked good but the scans had awful color. My assumption was the film had shifted. But a few weeks ago, I though I should take another look, and scanned the negatives myself on my Minolta Scan Multi scanner using Silverfast Ai software. It was a pleasant surprise: the film may have been off a bit, but the results are pretty decent. And the old Xenotar lens is awesome. Look at the store in photograph 1 and then the crop section of the Coca Cola sign. In summary, I am happy with my Rolleiflex and my Ektar 25. (Note, all frames were tripod-mounted and stopped down to f/8 or more.)

superb photographs! i absolutely love the subject and how you captured it... well worth the use of this valuable film. very hard to beat a rolleiflex imo and tripod mounted generally gives me the best results -- almost essential with slow films.

btw: if you are ever looking to sell any of that ektar 25, just send me a PM

Why is it that as soon as a film gets discontinued everyone wants it ? Same as Agfa Ultra 50 and 100 --i have some donated left in fridge all outdated but will use it now 'Summer Has Come' ( for about a fortnight here in UK)

Kodachromeguy said:

Hi Everyone, time for another film test. Last summer, when I received my new/old Rolleiflex 3.5E Xenotar (to replace one I should have never sold 10 years ago - but you know that story!), I decided to also try out one of my rolls of Ektar 25 film. It has been in the freezer for 2 decades (expired 1994). On a blazing hot Mississippi summer day, I drove Church Hill, Mississippi, a community south of Alcorn State University. There is a historic grocery store there that I had not photographed. The film was developed and scanned at a lab in California. The negatives looked good but the scans had awful color. My assumption was the film had shifted. But a few weeks ago, I though I should take another look, and scanned the negatives myself on my Minolta Scan Multi scanner using Silverfast Ai software. It was a pleasant surprise: the film may have been off a bit, but the results are pretty decent. And the old Xenotar lens is awesome. Look at the store in photograph 1 and then the crop section of the Coca Cola sign. In summary, I am happy with my Rolleiflex and my Ektar 25. (Note, all frames were tripod-mounted and stopped down to f/8 or more.)

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Nice. ....what was the temperature of your freezer?
What is your guess - how many month/years were your films outside the
freezer?
Have you noticed any difference as from fresh films in concern of grain, colors,
speed after nearly 20 years ?
Have you had some moisture problems in this time?
ARE YOU JUST REMEMBERING THE PRICE TO THE FILMS ?

with regards

You've captured some beautiful colours there. All great, but really love the second one.

Excellent results. (If my memory serves me correctly, PE once said that Ektar 25 film was not the most stable for long-term storage, despite its very slow speed?)

trendland said:

Nice. ....what was the temperature of your freezer?
What is your guess - how many month/years were your films outside the freezer?
Have you noticed any difference as from fresh films in concern of grain, colors,
speed after nearly 20 years ?
Have you had some moisture problems in this time?
ARE YOU JUST REMEMBERING THE PRICE TO THE FILMS ?

with regards

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1. Cold enough so that ice cream is too hard.
2. These films came from a photographer who died many years ago. They had probably been not refrigerated in her house for 3 or 5 years, then frozen in my freezer 17 years.
3. Fresh film: I have not used any fresh color negative film for about 10 years. Ektar 25 was contrasty and always a bit hard to use, and was unlike other emulsions.
4. No moisture problems. I always thaw it in its original foil package at least a day before use.
5. Price? As I recall, 120 Ektar 25 was about $5/roll.

Some old Ektar 25 examples:
https://worldofdecay.blogspot.com/2010/03/railroad-depot-in-mound-louisiana.html
https://worldofdecay.blogspot.com/2010/05/more-shotgun-shacks-arcadia-place.html

Kodachromeguy said:

1. Cold enough so that ice cream is too hard.
2. These films came from a photographer who died many years ago. They had probably been not refrigerated in her house for 3 or 5 years, then frozen in my freezer 17 years.
3. Fresh film: I have not used any fresh color negative film for about 10 years. Ektar 25 was contrasty and always a bit hard to use, and was unlike other emulsions.
4. No moisture problems. I always thaw it in its original foil package at least a day before use.
5. Price? As I recall, 120 Ektar 25 was about $5/roll.

Some old Ektar 25 examples:
https://worldofdecay.blogspot.com/2010/03/railroad-depot-in-mound-louisiana.html
https://worldofdecay.blogspot.com/2010/05/more-shotgun-shacks-arcadia-place.html

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Ok - I would say 3 -5 years overstored outside a freezer are like a max. border due due to color crossings not to avoid them absolute.
It is depending on storage time and on conditions.
Most differences are from emulsion.
I remember Agfa E6 with worst stable situation ever seen within the expired date or only a few month after.
Colors from deep green instead of blue
orange instead of yellow a.s.o.
Kodak is offen with a little brownish tone as I remember from old Ektachromes.
Fuji has only the tendency of pale colors without realy crossings.
Films are often OK 6-12 month after expired date somtimes longer (exept Agfa
Comming to Ektar25 : As Kodak announced Ektar25 they had a conspirency with Leica to let us now what the max. performance in 135 can be. The results were enlargements to
1 meter without visible grain! !!!!!
As I remember this from 1994 ? somwhere at this time Ektar25 was introduced just from my mind - I am not wondering about your results with 120 Ektar25!

So this film should be outstanding in resolution - also when it is expired.

So you are a lucky one of cause.


wIth regards

railwayman3 said:

Excellent results. (If my memory serves me correctly, PE once said that Ektar 25 film was not the most stable for long-term storage, despite its very slow speed?)

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I also remember this but it depends to
long term storage from this film within
the expired date, with correct developement a.s.o.
With the help and the support of optimal circumstances the long term storage is
less than with higher saturated films
with higher speeds of cause so.

I am not sure if it is in concern of overstorage (here we saw with nice results) too.
Little doubts to it.

with regards

pentaxpete said:

Why is it that as soon as a film gets discontinued everyone wants it ? Same as Agfa Ultra 50 and 100 --i have some donated left in fridge all outdated but will use it now 'Summer Has Come' ( for about a fortnight here in UK)

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The dendency to discontinue an emulsion in the past was a new improved
better emulsion.(60th,70th,80th)
In the 90th the saturation with films began to climb at highest possible
level. (in concern to the world wide market - not in concern to colors)
The profits of manufacturers also climbed to its hight.
To increase profits the only way was to
increase prices.
Therefore managements desicions went in direction with marketing campaigns to
force new emmulsions improvements.
Since this time the speed of films increased more and more.
Of cause it was acommpanied with smaler and smaler grain and better color
characteristics (....sometimes).

But the main reason to force advanced technology in emulsion improvements
(with some exceptions like often seen)
was to establish higher speed films in the
mass market to c-41.
So a standard from box speed changed
within a couple of years from (may I say ASA)

Asa 50 to Asa100 (outdoor issues)......
....from Asa 100 to Asa 200 as a general
standard.After this to Asa 400 as a new
general standart.
With the last step manufacturers failed.
It was just beginning to have a set up to
establish Asa800 to a new speed standard to a time alternatively Advanced Photo System (APS) was
introduced.
The "big deasaster" ! New emulsions with higher speeds, less negative space
and better enlargement properties compared with 135 due to new improved
emulsions. (to a few first months only exclusive avaiable with APS later to other
formats (to hold the advance)
What a nonsence!
From my point of view it was made to
establish higher prices to films to the
mass market.
A calculation of superior.
People ordered ISO400 and first ISO 800 Films (lets now say ISO) for summer.
With higher prices AND in awareness of
advantages from new improvements .......???

The reason of a long series of discontinued emulsions with lower speeds short before digital cameras to the end 90th began to be sold.

That is (in short words ) the reason to be sade about some discontinued films just
until now, because some were of the
best ever seen........but not to the mass
of people.....

with regards

Thank you for all the kind comments. Here are two more from Church Hill. It was close to 100° F that afternoon, a typical August day - one needs to not drip sweat into the viewfinder. The church is from the 1850s, the first Episcopal Church in Mississippi.