Tri-X 400 expired 1993 - Which ISO?

[RobertoMiglioli]

Hello, Guys. I recently was presented with 40 Tri-X 400 35mm expired in 1993. I don´t have much info regarding how they were stored, but I´m almost sure they were not kept frozen. I guess they were stored on a shelf in a garage where room temperature ranged from 5° at winter to 35° at summer. They are in their original packing wrapped in plastic in bricks of twenty.

My question is: which ISO should I use? I tried some at 400 ISO and images were so faint that barely could be seen.

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[ic-racer]

Hello, Guys. I recently was presented with 40 Tri-X 400 35mm expired in 1993. I don´t have much info regarding how they were stored, but I´m almost sure they were not kept frozen. I guess they were stored on a shelf in a garage where room temperature ranged from 5° at winter to 35° at summer. They are in their original packing wrapped in plastic in bricks of twenty.

My question is: which ISO should I use? I tried some at 400 ISO and images were so faint that barely could be seen.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Send it all to me and I'll test it ha ha.
Actually, I suspect it will be pretty fogged and may not be worth the effort. However, to get an exposure index for it, do the simple Zone 1 "exposure index" test.

 

[markbarendt]

Try a roll with a 10 shot set of the same scene with the same lighting. Starting at EI 100 running to 800 in 1/3 stops.

See if you can get workable prints from each frame.

 

[Bill Burk]

I'd go as low as 64.... you could take ic-racer up on the offer, he could tell you the speed. So could I for that matter (but I could only offer confidence within 2/3 stop).

 

[BoxBrownie]

I've been using about 20 reels of 35mm trix expired in 1981 and rated it at EI50. It works but is quite fogged but I've no idea how it was kept in the past .

 

[StoneNYC]

ASA 400 - 1 stop per 10 years in good storage conditions...(55° basement to fridge) from normal radiation/aging So...

ASA400(1993) - EI200(2003) - EI100(2013)

Now you suspect poor conditions so add another stop and that takes you to EI50

So 100 to 50 is your range, others said this but I thought I would add some info/reasoning to that.

I have some tri-x 400 Aero film (aerial film) and did a speed test with 10 frames as mentioned and actually EI25 seemed best, but if I recall it was from the 70's or 80's

Good luck!


~Stone

The Noteworthy Ones - Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1 / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[StoneNYC]

Umm apparently the symbol for "degrees" doesn't translate on the forum, that's what the 55%#$@ whatever it says was suppose to say, 55 degree basement.


~Stone

The Noteworthy Ones - Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1 / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[wiltw]

If you simply develop a roll of unexposed film, you will find background fogging!...lowered contrast, in spite of what might have occurred in changes to inherent film sensitivity.

 

[summicron1]

Hello, Guys. I recently was presented with 40 Tri-X 400 35mm expired in 1993. I don´t have much info regarding how they were stored, but I´m almost sure they were not kept frozen. I guess they were stored on a shelf in a garage where room temperature ranged from 5° at winter to 35° at summer. They are in their original packing wrapped in plastic in bricks of twenty.

My question is: which ISO should I use? I tried some at 400 ISO and images were so faint that barely could be seen.

Thanks in advance for the help.

a couple of years ago i had some tri-x that had expired in 1978 -- i exposed it at asa 400 and developed normally in d-76, 1:1, and it came out a bit base-fogged but otherwise fine, the fog was like a neutral density filter, most of the images scanned just fine.

so shoot a roll and see what you get.

 

[RobertoMiglioli]

Thank you all, guys. I will try 50 and 25 ISO.

It´s almost sure I´ll get foggy background so I will try to use it in my favor. Which kind of subjects you think the fogged background would help? Portraits? Night shots?

On the other hand If I shoot in a really sunny day with high constrasts from light to shadow areas would the foggy background be less noticed?

 

[Necator]

I had a go at some Ilford HP5 (not the plus version), about the same age as your Tri-X. I shot it at 200 ISO, but used the normal 400 ISO development times (d76), and the result turned out fine.

 

[RobertoMiglioli]

Good question, Henrik.

What about developing? Should I consider as a normal 25 or 50 ISO film? Or should I develop as 400 ISO?

 

[markbarendt]

After doing exposing a roll at all the possible EI's you might want to try, at normal EI 400 time and temp, and decide which EI gives you the shadow point you want, then shoot a roll at that EI and cut it into 3 or 4 sections for developing.

The test sections can then be developed one at a time adjusting development to find the best for you.