What to do with this film?

campy51 · Apr 3, 2021

I have some expired 120 film and 220 film from the late 90's. I have Kodak PRN pro 100, Kodak pro 400 mc and some Velvia 220. How should I shoot it and how should I develop it? Is it even worth bothering with it?

YoIaMoNwater · Apr 3, 2021

I’m assuming these weren’t cold/frozen stored. The decade rule only applies to color negative films. For slides just shoot them at box speed and hope for an image.

unwantedfocus · Apr 3, 2021

I recently shot expired 02/2000 Agfa 160 Portrait (120), the film was "good" for its age but the sides had some kind of bright waves going through. C41 adding 1 stop per decade is the rule of thumb but does not always apply in my opinion. I shot the Agfa 160 Portrait box speed and it came out semi fine, just old film and very grainy. Slide film is hit or miss shoot at box speed and hope for the best. After I botched some really good images with expired film I tend to stay away from it. You never know how it was stored so expired film is the lottery.

Huss · Apr 3, 2021

Not sure where that 1 stop for every 10 years rule came from. Think about it, how do you determine that? What was the control? It's just BS that has been repeated on the internet.
What kills film is how it was stored. Heat is the thing. If it is kept cool/cold/frozen then chances are it is entirely useable but may have colour shifts.
I have shot 20 yr old Fuji and Kodak chrome stock, at box speed, and what I have seen is they come out more with a blue-ish tinge than can be expected from fresh film. If you are using an editing program, you can correct for that.

I shoot all my film - new or old - at box speed. And the only reason I change it is intentionally to shift the exposure.
Just shoot a roll at box speed, and see how it works out.

Kodak E100 from 2000 - 20 yrs old - shot at box speed:

Fuji Velvia 50 from mid 90s (I think), shot 3 years ago:

Some more old Kodak E100:

Here's the thing. These films came from a professional studio that had them in their fridge, until they gave them to me after they went full digital.
That's why they are still good, decades later.
Unless you know how your film was stored, you have no idea what to expect. Heat results in fogging - see Chris' results. Adding exposure isn't going to do anything to damaged film.

Also... same results for me with colour negative film. As long as properly stored, shoot at box speed. If not, you're going to get 'interesting' results no matter what you do.

Huss · Apr 3, 2021

One more from ancient E100GX shot at box speed.

And 1992 Fuji RVP50, taken last summer

YoIaMoNwater · Apr 3, 2021

Adding an exposure per decade “rule” should be taken with a grain of salt considering the type and EI of the film.

This article gives a pretty good guide: https://emulsive.org/articles/rants...-expired-black-and-white-or-colour-slide-film

Sirius Glass · Apr 3, 2021

Adding an exposure per decade should be ignored. I never found a need for that but heck I have only been shooting film since 1958.

Huss · Apr 3, 2021

Sirius Glass said:
Adding an exposure per decade should be ignored. I never found a need for that but heck I have only been shooting film since 1958.

Yup, complete BS made up by who knows whom.

Tel · Apr 3, 2021

Huss said:
Yup, complete BS made up by who knows whom.

I agree completely. I have several 100-foot rolls of 46mm color film (ie, 127) including Portra, Agfa XPS and Konica 160 and have shot all of them at box speed without exposure compensation. Granted, they were either cold-stored or frozen, but they date back as far as 2001.

MattKing · Apr 3, 2021

The "rule of thumb" is related to age fog. It is only potentially applicable to negative film. If you try a roll and see signs of age fog, increasing the exposure can help add density and information "above" the fog. The rule of thumb is a rough indication about how much.

Sirius Glass · Apr 3, 2021

MattKing said:
The "rule of thumb" is related to age fog. It is only potentially applicable to negative film. If you try a roll and see signs of age fog, increasing the exposure can help add density and information "above" the fog. The rule of thumb is a rough indication about how much.

Shoot a roll of film at box speed and see if fog is a problem.
If fog is a problem, adjust the exposure technique.

campy51 · Apr 4, 2021

Would C41 mixture still be good after more than 3 months from being mixed to develop this film?

Tel · Apr 4, 2021

I just developed a roll of Agfa XPS 160 with a 2001 expiration date in C-41 that I mixed on October 4. It depends, I think, on a lot of variables--light, temperature, exposure to oxygen, etc. If you're unsure, cut off a few inches from a roll of the film you intend to develop, expose it to bright sunlight and develop it normally. It should come out very dark brown/black if the developer is good.

Donald Qualls · Apr 5, 2021

campy51 said:
Would C41 mixture still be good after more than 3 months from being mixed to develop this film?

This depends very much on what C-41 chemicals, and how they were stored. Most kits, I would not trust after three months -- at the least, I'd shoot a test roll to check the chemistry. If it's lab-grade (like the Flexicolor I use), you're supposed to be one-shotting the color developer anyway, and the bleach and fixer will be fine.

Sirius Glass · Apr 5, 2021

campy51 said:
Would C41 mixture still be good after more than 3 months from being mixed to develop this film?

I save up my film to do all the C41 processing in a day or two. The longer the chemicals sit around, the more trouble you are asking for.

What to do with this film?

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