Yeah, i had no idea this film was expired, and i have ordered some "new" film.
Thanks for the A-1 meter info, that is very interesting.....I appreciate It.
So, for slides, just follow the A-1 meter, and err on the side of a slightly underexposure.?
Thanks
Actually, with E6 emulsions, I've found it best to set the meter at box speed. I used to slightly under expose Kodachrome, which improved saturation, from ISO 64 to ISO 80. But that was Kodachrome and what worked for it doesn't always work for E6. So, first time out, I'd recommend you stick to box speed with your fresh film.
Now, a word about your A-1's meter, if I may. I used to own an A-1 and I shot slides almost exclusively with it. Come to think of it, I still own an A-1, but it isn't the same camera. Okay, anyway, the A-1 has a meter with a mild bottom-centerweighted pattern. The "bottom" part is designed so that the meter pays less attention to the light values in the top half of the screen, reason being that, for your typical outdoors shot, bright sky will often be in the top half of the shot. But in real world experiences, which were often quite frustrating, I found the A-1 to be overly sensitive to ANY stray light that entered the frame. A bright light source in the corner of the frame, for example, would be enough to have the camera seriously underexpose the slide. I got to where I would be mostly paying attention to the light sources in the frame rather than composition.
My solution to the A-1's frustrating metering pattern? I bought an FTb, and then later an F-1. Both cameras use Canon's very useful and effective 12% partial area metering pattern. With that switch, almost all of my metering problems vanished.
Now, I'm not saying don't use an A-1 for slide photography, but I am saying be vigilant. Because slide emulsions just don't have the deep latitude that print film has. So when you're metering a scene, pay attention to the subject first and foremost, and let everything else fall where they may, exposure-wise, that is.