Expired 35mm film
The complete guide to shooting expired film
If you’re shooting film already, you know that you need to develop a tolerance for uncertainty.
Film can be fogged, or wrecked in development. Your shutter might drag or the mirror not swing up correctly. Without an LCD screen built into the camera, you have no way to check whether you got the shot—you’ve put your faith in your camera, your skill, and your film.
It’s like doing a trust fall every time you release the shutter.
Kodak Plus-X, ASA 125, expired 1975, storage unknown. Rated at ASA 50 and exposed 4/2015, developed normally. Edge issues result from developing; contrast and grain are still extremely good despite this film’s 40-plus years. Daniel J. Schneider, used with permissionUsing expired film compounds the uncertainty, like jumping from an airplane with a parachute you just bought at an army surplus store. You don’t know who packed it or what it may have suffered in all the years since then. Okay, maybe it’s not that bad—there is a lot less to go wrong with a roll of film than a parachute, and a lot less riding on it—hopefully.
What do you mean by ‘expired?’
Short of being run over by a truck, a flash card is going to work more or less the same no matter when it was made. Not so with film, which uses chemical reactions instead of semiconductors to capture images.
To make film, a gelatin paste full of silver salts is smeared onto strips of thin plastic and wound into rolls—pretty much. What’s important here is understanding that the silver halides are modified by a chemical reaction when exposed to light or other forms of radiation.
Film has expiration dates for several reasons. Over time, the sensitivity of the silver halides can begin to degrade. Cosmic and background radiation (as well as fallout from nuclear testing) may also cause the unmodified silver salts to be modified in random—and usually somewhat even—distribution, which reduces the number of available unexposed crystals and introduces noise. This is called fogging.
In color films, there are multiple layers of silver halides interspersed with dyes and color masks.
Dyes break down more quickly than the silver halides, and the multiple layers may degrade at different rates.
Most films have an expiration date about two years after their month of manufacture. It’s more of a “best if used by” date. Some films even label it with something like, “for best results, develop by.” The manufacturers are protecting themselves from complaints about the ever-increasing unpredictability of film as it ages, but there’s no reason you can’t still use film well past that date.
Where do you get expired film?
You can get it all over the place. There might even be some in your parents’ or grandparents’ attic.
Independent drug stores, gas stations, and convenience stores might still have unsold film that’s been on the shelf for decades. Thrift stores sometimes have old stock that was donated by warehouses or retail chains.
Estate and garage sales might have the film from the top of someone’s closet. Antique stores can be a good source of extremely old film, but the prices may be unreasonable.
Any place that deals in film cameras likely has a supply of expired film that came in with lots of equipment. Craigslist and other online classified sites may occasionally turn up small quantities. The Film Photography Project sells some expired film stocks, too, which have been tested and will include the recommended speed rating in the description.
You can even look on eBay if you’re brave enough, although it’s usually among the most expensive options.
Kodak Ultra Color 400, expired 7/2003, storage unknown. Rated at ASA 200 and exposed 5/2015, developed normally. Note slight color shift and greatly increased grain. Contrast and saturation remain fairly good. Daniel J. Schneider, used with permissionDoes it matter how expired film was stored?
It really, really does.
Film stored cold—especially frozen—tends to degrade much more slowly.
This is especially useful with color films for keeping the dyes from deteriorating. Frozen film is often just as good, or almost as good, as fresh film. Heat is film’s worst enemy and can cause increased grain, color shifts, and in some cases, brittleness.
“You can take a new roll of Fujicolor out in July, leave it in the car for one day, and it’s just awful,” says Steve Frank of Old School Photo Lab.
Fogging from background radiation isn’t a big problem, usually, until a film is more than a few decades old. If you find something 50 or 75 years old that was stored in a lead container or bomb shelter, it may well be considerably less fogged than if it had spent those decades in an attic or closet. Anything that was on the shelf before the spate of nuclear testing in the 1950s and early 1960s may be considerably more fogged than film just a little bit younger.
Because everyone’s film is stored differently, even the same film stock with the same or similar expiration can behave in a wide variety of ways.
One photographer’s results with a certain emulsion can be stunning while the another’s are unrecognizable.
What kind of effects will you get from expired film?
The primary effects of age on photographic film are decreased sensitivity and contrast, increased grain, and color shifts.
Color shifts may be subtle or extreme, depending on both the age and the storage conditions. Different emulsions may shift different ways, some moving toward the blue and others toward the magenta or the yellow, because different dyes age differently.
“All those layers just don’t want to grow old colorfully, and people frequently just don’t know how it was stored,” says Frank. “Pushing might help some, but I don’t think it’s a savior.
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In many cases, with or without color shifts, saturation will be reduced. This can range from slightly muted colors to extreme desaturation bordering on selective color.
With all films you can get a variety of unevenness—mottling or spotting, streaking, inconsistent grain, and so on.
With paper-backed roll film, occasionally backing paper marks can soak into the emulsion where they come in contact, affecting how the film exposes and causing localized color shifts or increased grain. Basically, you can read the markings in the finished images.
Any other special considerations for shooting with expired film?
The older you go in terms of expiration date, the more factors you need to consider. In addition to expecting fogging, you’ll want to be aware of the required developing processes.
It’s no longer possible to develop Kodachrome (K-12 or K-14 processes), and may not be possible to develop color films designed for other defunct methods, such as the C-22 negative and the E-2, E-3, or E-4 transparency processes, since the chemicals no longer exist.
It may be possible to recover images from some of these by developing them as black-and white or consulting experts like Film Rescue International or Rapid Photo.
Pay attention to the film speed—slower films tend to fog less. High speed films (ASA 800 and up) may age very rapidly and even be unusably fogged after only a few decades.
Kodacolor VR 100, expired 1985, unknown storage. Exposed with box camera. Note backing paper impression, grain, color shift, fogging, and uneven color. Daniel J. Schneider, used with permissionSome formats may be harder to develop at home, requiring vintage developing tanks, reels, and the like. The format may also affect the longevity.
“Old color rolls, wound tightly with paper backing, seem to suffer less,” advises Frank, adding that he suspects reduced oxidation is the reason.
Both film and backing paper can become brittle after 50 or more years. To avoid breaking them, you may want to use a camera with a smooth and simple film path (not too many sharp turns), and be gentle when advancing the film.
As with any film, let it come slowly up to room temperature if it’s been in the freezer or refrigerator before loading. Any age-related brittleness will only be compounded by the additional brittleness all films experience when they’re still cold.
How to compensate for lost sensitivity with expired film
Film speed is just a measure of the sensitivity of the emulsion on the film: The faster the film, the fewer photons required to modify the silver salts and produce an image. To compensate for lost sensitivity, it is possible to simply rate the film slower. In setting your exposure, you can pretend the box says ASA 25 instead of ASA 100, for example.
The rule of thumb for color negative film is to rate it one stop slower for every decade since it expired, assuming you don’t know the storage conditions. Every expired roll is its own unique beast, so results may vary.
I usually round down from the 1-stop-per-decade standard, meaning that I would expose ASA 400 for that expired 35 years ago as ASA 50, which is three stops slower.
If I knew it had been frozen all that time, I’d probably rate it down one stop to ASA 200. If it was stored in a fridge or other cool, dry place, I’d split the difference and rate it at ASA 100.
Black-and-white film holds up much better since it has only a single layer of silver halides, and no color dyes. I would rate it down one stop for every two decades, meaning all of the above is basically halved. Under 20 years old, I’d likely expose it only one-third of a stop over or at box speed (the manufacturer’s recommended speed) if I knew it had been stored cold or frozen.
Fujifilm Pro 160NPS, expired 1/1997, storage unknown. Rated at ASA 100 and exposed 7/2015, developed normally. Daniel J. Schneider, used with permissionSlide film has less latitude than negative film, generally speaking, so nailing exposure is even more important for fresh or expired film. While I have had good luck with expired slide film, most avoid it.
“The blacks go to nothing. You can push it, you can pull it—it’s just bad,” says Frank.
“I would steer anyone away from it if its origins and storage are unknown.”
Trial and error can help, though. If you can get multiple rolls of the same expired film, (same source, similar age, likely to have been stored together in the same conditions) you can experiment with one roll and refine.
Bracketing your shots on the first roll may give you a better chance of getting pleasing results on subsequent rolls. For expired film, bracket around the speed you plan to rate the film, or use normal, one stop over, and two stops over (instead of one over and one under).
When in doubt, overexpose. Negative films can handle quite a lot, and slide film generally tolerates overexposure better than underexposure.
Can I compensate with developing?
You sure can! Instead of overexposing the film, you can push it in development, and especially with extremely old film, you may want to use a combination of overexposure and push processing. Extremely old film is likely slow to begin with—ASA 50, 25, or even lower—so rating it down more than a couple stops might be difficult depending on your meter or camera.
Note that pushing can exacerbate grain and the effects of heavy fogging. Using developers with strong restrainers, such as HC-110 or Microphen, can help reduce the effects of fogging. Microphen may also be able to compensate for a half-stop or more of lost sensitivity.
The active ingredient in Kodak’s discontinued Anti-Fog No. 1 was benzotriozole, and if you can get your hands on some from a lab chemical supplier, you can mix a 0.2 percent solution and add 10–15 milliliters per liter to your developer to boost its restraining characteristics.
Some photographers swear by Diafine for very old films. Diafine is a two-part, self-arresting developer that will protect highlights while continuing to act on shadow detail. The effect is similar to that of stand developing in very dilute developer, but faster. Both techniques may increase grain and decrease contrast.
Presoaking your film a minute or three may also help developer penetrate the emulsion more quickly and evenly.
You may also want to do a clip test on a thin strip cut from the end of the film.
All of the above applies to black-and-white film or to developing color as black-and-white. For C-41 or E-6 films, you can ask a lab to push process, though most labs will only push by one or two stops. At home, consult your kit’s guide for push processing.
Lastly, cross-processing (developing color slide film as color negative and vice versa) may be an option. Color shifts are guaranteed (even with fresh film), but cross-processing can add contrast, particularly to expired slide film.
Why shoot expired film?
There are two main reasons for using expired film: economy and enigma.
Expired film, especially things that aren’t particularly old or unusual, can be dirt cheap. Lots of consumer and even professional color negative film that’s been well-stored and expired just a few years ago can be had for between 50 percent and 10 percent of the price of comparable fresh films, and still produce excellent results.
Older films, particularly consumer films from the 1980s and 1990s, can be found for $1 (US) per roll or even less. That’s where enigma comes into play.
For many photographers, using film of unknown provenance offers an unpredictability full of fun surprises. You may even get a variety of different effects on a single roll.
Isopan FF, ASA 16, c. 1955. I expect heavy fogging, and will likely attempt to expose it at ASA 2 before developing in HC-110 at 1:63 for around 13 minutes. Daniel J. Schneider, used with permissionWhat’s the best expired film?
Whatever you can find!
There’s really no right answer here. Ask other photographers, or Google for hours, and you’ll find adherents to every emulsion, fresh or expired. Likely the most specific answer you’d get would be along the lines of “400 speed,” or “Kodak.”
Some classic emulsions, though, may fare better or offer more unique results than others. In general, the higher the silver content, the better— long-established brands like Kodak, Ilford, and Agfa are likely to degrade the most gracefully.
Many much-loved emulsions have been discontinued, such as Kodak Portra NC or VC, Panatomic-X, or Ektachrome E100VS, Fujifilm Professional 160 VPS or Reala 100, and Agfa Optima. Finding them expired is the only way to experience the unique qualities of these emulsions today.
Some films have been substantially the same for decades, and using old versions can give the same quality as fresh for a fraction of the price. This would include standbys like Kodak Tri-X and Ilford HP5. For example, both Old School Photo Lab and Film Rescue International report that Kodak Verichrome Pan often produces very good results with little to no compensation, even when it’s 50 years old.
Tungsten films haven’t been made fresh in years (discounting motion picture films, which are now available, fresh, in 35mm cassettes, from CineStill and others). If you want to see what Portra 160T or Fujichrome T64 look like, you’ll have to find them expired.
Consumer films, such as Fuji Superia and Kodak Gold, may fare worse than professional films as they age.
Grain, especially, can be very pronounced, and you may find you need to compensate by even more than the 1-stop-per-decade standard.
And in a nutshell?
The most important thing to remember with expired film is that you never know what you’re going to get.
“It’s a real crap shoot,” says Frank.
Be prepared for things to turn out mediocre (or worse) sometimes and you’ll never be disappointed—but a lot of the time they’ll turn out fine. Once in awhile you’ll even get something really interesting or artistic. Now go dig through those closets and get out there!
This article was originally published in 2016. For more, check out Daniel J. Schneider’s official website. You can also keep up with Expired Film Day on Twitter.
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Shooting on expired film - Timur Khadeev
My name is Timur Khadeev, I am a photographer, I shoot on film and digital.
Follow me on instagram here, my telegram channel here
Need to show a delay? Write to
General information about the film: what to choose, where to buy
Quite often I get written about expired films. Probably, some shortage of materials is affecting at present, and also, more and more often people find rolls of old expired Soviet photographic film at flea markets and insert such films into “soap dishes” of 90's, or in the "Zeniths". The result, of course, does not live up to expectations at all. In this post, I will tell you whether it is worth shooting for delay at all, and if so, how to shoot in order to get acceptable results. We will talk about both foreign color film ( Kodak, Fuji, Konica , etc.), and Soviet bw delay, these are various amateur films of narrow and medium formats: Svema FN-32, FN-64, FN-65, FN-125, FN-250 , as well as their counterparts from Tasma: Photo-32, Photo-64, Photo-130, Photo-250 .
If you are looking for information on the development of Soviet film that was filmed a long time ago (more than 20 years ago), then it is better to write to me right away, here only about shooting on “new”, unfilmed old materials.
The post does not mention various technical films such as Mikrat-200, 300, 900, Mikrat-N, Svema MZ-3, etc., as well as Soviet films: KN-1, 2, 3, 4, A2Sh, etc. .d. (but there are examples of frames on the Svema KN-4S). There will be a separate post about them. However, the general principles work for these films as well. Also, in the post I almost do not talk about the rarer negative films Svema DS, LN, CND, TsNL, they also need a separate post. nine0003
Contents
- Should I use expired film?
- What kind of film is this?
- Where can I get expired film?
- How much does expired film cost?
- Expired film features
- How do I shoot with expired film?
- What is the ISO of expired film?
- How to develop expired Soviet black and white film
- Final thoughts
Is it worth shooting on expired film? nine0010
It must be said right away that shooting on materials that have expired is never as easy as shooting on fresh film.
However, in the current conditions, when there is a shortage of film everywhere, one can understand the desire to save money. Prices rise every six months, or even more often, the choice of films is less and less. Also, many people want to try shooting on expired film, because they like aesthetics of - colors that have gone, grain, flare, dust, etc. And, although the expired film here is more often responsible only for the grain and the colors that have gone, the desire to achieve something unusual is quite understandable. The requirements are simple: “low-fi”, atmospheric, artistic. If you need a certain look, renting on delay is one of the options, probably the most authentic. Expired film can give what you need, but only under certain conditions. And therein lies the main difficulty. If you do not take into account some things, instead of the expected effects, you can get too poor quality, if not blank film. To prevent this from happening, you need to study the issue, which we will deal with in this post.
What film is this?
Regarding the whole history of photography, we started shooting digitally recently. Up to this point, people have been shooting on a wide variety of photographic film. At different times it was produced a huge amount.
Color negative films produced by Kodak, Fuji, Konica and others began to disappear everywhere in 2002-2010, they were replaced by digital. Digital soapboxes began to get cheaper, they became more and more convenient and of better quality. Digital cameras, in general, have ceased to be something unusual, even SLRs. The first cameras in smartphones began to appear. And color film, as a means of obtaining photographs, has gone far into the background. Soon, all the normal professional laboratories that could adequately develop the film also left. The color delay remained for some time in photo shops, in ordinary photo labs with minilabs, next to fresh film.
Further, it was sold by these organizations after it was written off at various trading platforms, such as Avito. Then, and fresh film became past due, and new supplies of fresh film were reduced - there was little demand. nine0003 Agfa Vista 100, expired 2004, filmed 2010
By now, these organizations are almost certainly no longer buying fresh film from major suppliers, even given today's relatively high demand. They would like to, but the suppliers themselves do not have the film either, for various reasons. Therefore, the total amount of expired color film is likely to decrease rapidly (or is already decreasing). This, of course, is about a narrow negative color 35mm film. Now, the sale of color film is, in fact, carried out by enthusiasts represented by private laboratories who have organized purchases from large foreign suppliers directly (Fotoimpex, Macodirect). Usually, they exist as online stores. The film is not late with them, so they most often do not have a delay, but sometimes they find a batch of delay and sell it, of course, indicating that it is a delay.
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Soviet-made black and white and color slide films left even earlier - in the early 1990s, when color negative film came to the market . Of course, people shot with them for a while, but the convenience, quality, and availability of C-41 color negatives took their toll during this time.
Accordingly, the produced Soviet film of those years ceased to be in demand, a large amount of it remained with the filming people. Often, these are blocks of 10 coils. Hence its ubiquitous relative availability. People find it in cabinets, in garages, on mezzanines, even in institutes, and they sell it, because now there is a fashion for film, and they buy even this old one. nine0003 Svema KN-4S, expired in 1988, filmed in 2020, E.I. 6
Where can I get expired film?
Soviet expired films can be found almost everywhere: Avito, online flea markets (Sack), real flea markets.
Almost always these are separate boxes, or a set of different boxes. Rarely, but still come across blocks of 5-10 pieces.
Foreign color negative film can also be found at flea markets, although it is becoming less common there.
Often, the film can be found in the cameras themselves, for example, if you buy a camera at a flea market (say, a soap dish), there is a chance that the film is loaded there. It will probably be a color negative film. This can be identified by the presence of an inscription in the viewing window, which is often present on the back of the camera. If you can see the inscriptions, you need to open the camera in the dark, determine whether it was filmed, how far the tail of the film went to the take-up spool. If it is very close, it means that a film that has not yet been shot has been inserted. Or, look at the frame counter (but this is not so reliable, different cameras count frames differently, from 1 to 36 and from 36 to 1). You can wind the film back into the spool (leaving the charging end) and use it while making adjustments.
If there is a lot of film on the take-up spool, then it is better to take such a film to the developer - there will be a kind of look into the past, pictures from 90, or even earlier.
How much does expired film cost?
Expired film is usually quite cheap. This, of course, is about old Soviet bw and slide films. Boxes with FN-32, FN-64, etc. can be found for 150-200 rubles. apiece, sometimes you can find blocks of 10 pcs. at a price of 500-1000 rubles. Of course, it is better to look for a film in blocks of several pieces, in which case it turns out not only cheaper, but the safety of such films is approximately the same. If you take individual clips, then the state of each individual clip can vary greatly. Which is not very convenient. nine0003
Expired color negative film is still expensive today because of the general interest people have in shooting any film with . Therefore, it is quite possible to find ads where one Kodak Gold video overdue in 2004 can be given 1000 rubles each. Sometimes various online stores sell late, you need to follow their social networks. The desire to shoot on old expired materials is quite understandable. Why buy expensive film in the store, which is still so hard to find in stock, when there are quite a few different Soviet films. I want to start shooting right away, without waiting for a film from an online store, for example. nine0003 But here the peculiarities of such materials lie in wait for us. The most obvious: the expiration date of the Soviet often expired very long ago .
Of course, it does not make sense to take this. An adequate price for an expired negative film, 36 frames per video, is about 350-500 rubles. for one roll of film with ISO 400, and 350-400 r. for a video with ISO 100-200. Provided that the expiration date was not earlier than 2012-2014. If earlier, then you need to bargain, or look for other offers: the earlier the expiration date, the worse the safety. nine0003
Features of expired films 
I mean dozens of years late, a lot of film from the late 70s, 80s, early 90s has survived. This leads to the following problems:
nine0010 All these problems are also present in foreign expired films, although most often, to a much lesser extent.
I wrote a long post about solving technical problems when developing films
The storage problem, in general, cannot be solved, except perhaps to start storing the film immediately after purchase in the refrigerator, if you plan to shoot on it for a long time, for example if a block of 10 film rolls was purchased. Will it help? It is not known, but it is better to try to stop the degradation of the film at least for the time that the film is in your hands. Do not forget that before loading the film that you took out of the refrigerator, you need to wait 1.5-2 hours for the film to warm up to room temperature.
There can be problems with delay if you load the film right away, for example, an already fragile emulsion can crack from temperature changes. nine0003
Packaging
There were three options for film packaging in the USSR:
- Film in a roll is just a roll of film packed in black paper. Sometimes the skein is additionally wrapped on the outside with white paper, similar to tracing paper. You must have your own collapsible cassette with a coil inside. A film is attached to the reel, this roll is loaded into a collapsible cassette, then you can shoot as usual
- On the reel - the same as above, but the film is already with the reel. You need to load it into cassette
- Cassette contains film as we are used to seeing it, the same packaging as modern films
It is very easy to find out which version you have: it is written on the carton. If not written - most likely, you have the first option (just a film on a roll, not on a reel and not in a cassette).
All but the last option must be wound in reusable Soviet / imported cassettes. Various cassettes were produced, plastic and metal. Popular metal cassettes with an owl, collapsible. If you have an expired Soviet film with something other than “in cassette” written on it, then you have to learn how to wind it into cassettes, which is not entirely easy, but not very difficult either. The cassettes themselves can be found at flea markets. It is advisable to clean them from dust, and check in advance on some test film for scratches, sometimes old coils scratch the film. It is necessary to check, of course, in a camera that does not scratch the film. nine0003
How do I shoot with expired film?
It should be mentioned that in order to obtain adequate results, you should at least roughly understand how the shooting takes place in general, what is aperture, shutter speed, ISO. Without this base, you can also shoot, relying on automation, but the results may be less predictable.
Therefore, it is better to learn the theory and understand what is being installed and why. This is important in any case, whether you are shooting late or fresh film or digital. nine0003
Camera
If you get your hands on black and white Soviet film expired, I definitely recommend using mechanical SLR camera . You will definitely need manual settings. Without them, nowhere. And it should not be Zenith. Yes, there are a lot of zeniths around, they are affordable, but they have too many drawbacks. Mechanical Japanese or German DSLRs work best. Something like Praktica L (and various variations), Yashica TL Super (and similar), Pentax K-1000, Nikon FM2, Olympus OM-2 and others. You can try to shoot film in cameras such as Smena-8M, Lomo LK-A. On the first one, you can set all the settings manually, and on the second there is automatic, and also the ability to set the ISO lower than other cameras usually allow.
It is not necessary to charge the Soviet delay in automatic cameras like soap dishes. Soap dishes expect to see a DX code on the film reel, but there is no such code on cassettes, which are usually loaded with Soviet delay, therefore, they will set the default ISO, usually ISO 100, which is not at all suitable. Also, I do not recommend loading the Soviet delay in more modern film DSLRs with automatic film advance, such as Canon EOS series cameras. It is better to rewind the film manually, due to its frequent fragility. Auto rewind can be confused by periodic film jams in the spool, the camera may think that the film has run out and rewind it back into the spool. It is better to exclude such a course of things in advance. nine0003
Tripod
Since expired Soviet film often has a residual ISO that drops to fairly low values (6-25 units), handheld shooting becomes quite difficult. This is possible, for example, on a bright sunny day, with an aperture of f / 4 and a shutter speed of 1/60 second, it is quite possible to shoot without fear of movement.
However, as soon as the subject is in shadow, the sensitivity will be lacking. Therefore, a tripod is a must. You need to take care of this in advance, you need to plan the shooting. The tripod must be good and stable. nine0003
Cable
Also, in order to prevent movement from pressing the shutter button of the camera, it is desirable to have a cable release. There are no differences from shooting scenes, for example, at night or in the evening. The logic is the same, the shutter speed increases, respectively, you need to stabilize the camera as much as possible.
DX code
I already wrote about the subtleties with DX codes in a post about film, in the film section. The bottom line is this: DX-code is black and silver squares on the side of the cassette. It encodes the sensitivity, number of frames, and other information. This system was invented in the late 80s to let automatic cameras know what kind of film the photographer is loading in them.
This system was not used for film that was produced in the USSR. nine0003
What problems could there be? As I wrote above, if you insert a reel of Soviet film without a DX code into an automatic camera, then the camera will have no way to determine that was inserted into it, and it will set the default ISO value, which is most often ISO 100. Obviously, this is not what is needed. Therefore, I recommend cameras in which you can either force select the ISO, or fully mechanical cameras, with manual settings that do not depend on the DX code in any way. If only an automatic camera is available, you can stick foil strips yourself, or paint over the code with a marker in the desired sequence. Code tables can be found here. But this will only work if the camera understands low ISOs (usually it doesn't). nine0003
Simply put: shoot the Soviet delay in mechanical SLRs with manual settings. Color delay can be removed in automatic cameras by making adjustments either in the camera menu if possible, or by changing the coil's DX code.
Shooting time
It is advisable to shoot the entire film in one day , and under approximately the same lighting conditions. This can be especially important for black and white films, since image degradation after exposure to them occurs even faster. If these points are taken into account, then ideally the entire film will be evenly exposed, which will eliminate strong changes in contrast from frame to frame. Showing a delay, it is necessary to achieve maximum elaboration of both shadows and highlights, which can be difficult if there are plots that are very different in contrast on the film. This, in general, applies to regular fresh film, but it is even more important for overdue film. nine0003 Svema KN-4S, expired in 1988, shot in 2019 as ISO 6
What is the ISO of the expired film?
Here I consider it important to clarify that the film has one ISO - the one that was nominally declared by the manufacturer.
When I say "shoot at ISO 100" it actually means shoot at E.I. 100 . I write this way because it is clearer and easier for novice film photographers. E.I. — Exposure index. E.I. and ISO are different things . E.I. this is your choice of sensitivity value on the exposure meter that you use when shooting (external or built into the camera - it does not matter), and ISO is the actual sensitivity that was measured at the factory by the manufacturer of the photographic material, when the film was fresh . Of course, for expired film, ISO only matters to determine what allowance for age of delay to make, with what E.I. take off. The more time has passed since the date of expiration of the warranty period of storage (usually for a film it is 2-3 years), the greater the correction must be made. The smaller E.I. must be set on the exposure meter. However, nothing prevents you from shooting a fresh film with E.I. other than ISO. It all depends on the desired effects.
But in this post - about the delay. nine0003
Important question: how to expose expired film? Given the information above, it becomes clear that today, , it is no longer possible to trust the inscriptions on the delay boxes .
There is some general rule that for every 10 years that have passed since the film became expired, 1 stop (1 "stop") of exposure should be added to compensate for the loss of sensitivity. What is the exposure stage ("stop") can be read here. In short: each step increases or decreases the amount of light exactly twice. For example, compensating for the lost sensitivity of expired ISO 100 film by one stop means shooting it at E.I. 50 (instead of 100) since 50 is half of 100.
Thus, we have the data indicated on the box, and a certain Exposure Index (expressed on the exposure meter as ISO values), setting which on the exposure meter for a particular film, we can get an acceptable image. And, although the rule generally works, there are no guarantees: you need to do tests .
Often, there is only one overdue roller available, therefore, it is difficult with tests, especially with color tests. A little easier with bw. But bw is stored worse, the chances of getting an explicit marriage are higher. Therefore, I recommend looking for several films from one batch, you can put one video for tests, and shoot the rest based on the results. nine0003
With only one clip, it's easier to just shoot everything with one Exposure Index selected and hope for the best.
It is also very important where and how the film was stored. If in a dry, cool place, then it degraded less (but still degraded to some extent), if somewhere else, then it is difficult to predict the behavior of the film.
Also, keep in mind that:
- color film is stored much better than bw
- can degrade to E.I. 25-50 and even lower)
- almost all expired films will show more grain than fresh films, here you should not expect "smooth" pictures, although there are exceptions
- it is better to overexposure the film, i.
e. ., give her less light. The film, unlike the digital, does not suffer from overexposure so much, and an extra step or two of overexposure from the calculated sensitivity will definitely not hurt the delay. However, do not overexpose the film too much
At the current time, applicable to Soviet bw films, the starting values can be taken as follows:
- Svema films of the FN-32, FN-64 series must be removed from E.I. 6-12
- series FN-125 and FN-250 - by installing E.I. like 12-25-32-50 . The same story with Tasma films
The difference in ISO and GOST standards when installing E.I. can be ignored here. These values are indicative, based on the development method, which will be explained below. nine0003
Foreign color negative films:
- All films ISO 100 can be shot with E.I. 25-50-80 if the expiration date is not earlier than around 2010, if earlier then exactly as 25-50
- Films with ISO 200: Kodak ColorPlus 200, Fuji Superia 200, Konica VX 200 with date of delay until 2010 - I would shoot like E.
I. 50-80-100. After 2010 - E.I. 125 - Kodak Ultramax 400 , Fuji Superia X-TRA 400, Konica VX 400 and similar with ISO 400 , before 2010 - E.I. 100-125-160 , after 2010 - 160-200 .
- Films, with ISO 800 are already less predictable, but also less common, as a guide, they can be shot with E.I. 200-320-400 is unlikely to get any worse. There were also films with ISO 1600, what happened to them is not clear, but amendment in 1.5-2 steps will definitely not be superfluous ( E.I. 640-800 )
Data for foreign color negative films are given as a guide, considering that the development will be done in a conventional photo lab using the C-41 process, or in a conventional manual C-41 process, without any corrections ( without push and pull film ).
What are push and pull processes can be read here. It should be noted that is not worth pushing overdue . You can still try to overclock a color film to its nominal value, but with bw it’s better to just forget about it. nine0003
Data for Soviet bw films are given taking into account the development of the black-and-white process with important changes. About them further.
How to develop an expired Soviet black and white film
It’s worth saying right away if you just bought an expired Soviet film and shot it at face value, i.e. , saw on the box, for example, 64 and shot it as 64, then you made a big mistake: you didn’t give the film enough light. For the reasons I mentioned above. This happens very often, almost every time someone writes to me asking how to show the Soviet delay, they mention that they filmed as it says on the box. It is possible that you, reading this post, did the same. What can I say, most likely, almost nothing was captured on the film.
What are the options here: try to develop anyway and just shoot the same film again. Given that it received almost no light, it will have very weak images, and shooting it in the second circle, already with strong correction, you can get some images, but already with traces of the previous shooting, with weak ones, but still. How exactly to shoot, I wrote above. nine0003
If you have no experience in film development, you can contact me, I will develop and scan your films, write to me.
Given that a correction was made during the shooting, i.e., shooting on film was carried out taking into account the loss of sensitivity, you can apply the method of developing Soviet black-and-white films FN-32 and 64, which I present here. These are the most common Soviet films. You can use this data as a starting point, adjusting for other options (FN-125, 250, etc.)
Svema FN-32, FN-64 (and Tasma analogues)
Developer: Rodinal , either original or modern analogues: Adox Rodinal, Silberra RDN-LQ, Agfa R09, etc.
Dilution: 1 + 50 , one part of the developer + 50 parts of water
manifestation: from 4 to 7 minutes (start with 6)
Temperature: 17 ° C
Agitation: first minute continuously, then 10 seconds every minute
After the developer, further processing is standard: stop solution, fixer.
Examples from medium format film “Svema FN-64”, development time 4 minutes:
As you can see, there are artifacts. Also, there is a veil, which was corrected during processing. Also, sepia has been added to the editor. It is possible to print this optically, I tried it, but the visual quality is poor: there is no sharpness, traces of a leader sticking to the film in the form of spots, dots of various kinds. It’s interesting in its own way, but it’s better not to shoot anything super important on such a film. Since the film is medium format, the relative sizes of defects are not so large, however, artifacts will be much more noticeable on a narrow 35mm film.
That is why safety is so important. nine0003
This recipe is not universal , you need to adjust the time and dilution of the developer, taking into account the results obtained. That's why tests are so important. Yes, there are many other options for developing the Soviet delay, but this one just gave me a result that I can work with a few times, so I'm including it here.
If you change the development mode, change only one variable at a time. Either temperature, or dilution, or time. Otherwise, it will be difficult to determine what influences what
For developing, it is better to use modern photo tanks, it is easier to load films in them. In Soviet tanks, for this reason, film turns can stick together, which can greatly spoil the development.
Final Thoughts
Thus, shooting late is a rather time-consuming and effort-consuming business, one might say, this is a kind of payment for savings. At the same time, delay often gives a look that only she can give.
This is experimentation, often improvisation. This is an interesting alternative to the usual fresh materials. Yes, you need to take into account a lot, but this trains attentiveness, photo muscles. If you delve into the topic, you can explore the very mechanisms of development of analog materials. A good way to pass the winter evenings, for example. Delay can be an interesting way of seeing the world. Of course, if the camera operator is able to see. If not, no delay will help. So vision and observation are also important. nine0003
Thank you for reading.
Related Links:
Expired Rangefinder forum topic often experiment with expired film. This not only saves money, but gives interesting, sometimes simply fantastic results. Let's take a look at some tips for shooting expired film with photographer Christopher Bryan-Smith. nine0003
Photographer: Annie Spratt
What is expired film and why is it interesting?
Fortunately, the film does not mold like a piece of cheese and does not curdle like milk.
But it has a limited shelf life. A roll of film usually has a shelf life of two years after the date of manufacture. But this is more of a guideline than an exact date. Its quality will deteriorate gradually, so do not rush to throw it away.
The film consists of thin strips of plastic coated with a chemical emulsion. This emulsion contains silver halides which react with light to create the final photograph. For color film, silver particles are mixed with color dyes. nine0003
Over time, the chemicals on the film lose their strength and begin to deteriorate. The silver halides in the film emulsion decompose and lose their sensitivity. As a result, the colors will lose their brightness, the contrast will disappear, and the graininess will increase. Over time, expired film becomes hazy and unusable.
As with food, you can extend the life of the film by storing it in the refrigerator. Sunlight, heat radiation and humidity can affect the life of the film, so it is recommended to store it in a cool and dry place.
But the effects caused by film degradation are actually an exciting prospect for film photographers. nine0003
There is no way to know how badly the film might be damaged. This means that each roll is unique and you never know what you'll get. Some of them will give strong purple hues, while others will give more green. You can achieve interesting effects by cross-processing C-41 negative film into E-6 slide film.
- Not all films age at the same rate
Time does not affect all film types in the same way. The degradation period may vary depending on the type of film you are using. Higher ISO films will deteriorate faster than lower ISO films. The higher the light sensitivity of the film, the faster the degradation. Slide film wears out much faster than standard negative film. It is also less sensitive to the compensation methods we will mention below. nine0003
Many photographers will advise you to stay away from expired color slide film.
Black and white film has a longer shelf life than standard color film. Since it uses a simpler emulsion with less silver halides, the breakdown rate is much lower. You may see more grain, but black and white film will still be grainier. Good quality black and white film will last for years.
Photographer: Okhor Malitsky
- Where to find expired film
You can ask your photographer friends. If someone has switched to digital, there may be some tape left that is no longer needed. Another place to ask is the store where you usually buy film. They may have unsold merchandise that hasn't been scrapped yet.
Search online stores. Another tip is to buy in bulk. It will cost less in the long run and will also allow you to take more test shots. You can see the impact one year has on Kodak 200 dropouts, then try again with a different roll. Just remember, no two films are exactly the same. nine0003
- Use a refrigerator to store film
The refrigerator may seem like an odd place to store film, but it's really good.
A refrigerator is not always needed, but if you live in a country with a hot and humid climate, this is the best place. Expired film is no different. Perhaps the process of destruction has already begun, so you need to slow it down as much as possible. Place in an airtight container before putting it in the refrigerator. You don't want it to get wet or damaged. If water gets into the roll, it will wash the emulsion off the film. nine0003
Photographer: Markus Liste
- Use one roll to check before shooting
When using expired film, use one roll as a test roll. If you bought an expired pack, it's best to test it out before you actually shoot. If you want to capture a specific event, you can check it out before the big day. This is a good idea if you have many identical rolls of film in a pack. Using a test roll will give you a good idea of how much the film has deteriorated and what effects you can expect. Each set of developed photos will be unique, which is part of the fun! nine0003
- Shoot in bright light to capture more details
As the emulsion breaks down, the film becomes less sensitive to light.
This means that you will need more light than you think. The easiest way to solve this problem is to shoot outdoors in broad daylight. If the film you are using has recently expired and the environment is well lit, you can treat it as normal film. The graininess may be slightly larger, but the quality will remain high. Problems arise when there is a lack of light. If the conditions are dark or there are large areas of contrast, you will run into problems. More grain, of course, but loss of detail and liveliness. nine0003
Using a flash is another solution if you know that natural light is scarce. You can use flash when you don't need it. But you can expect a lot of grain in your final images with this technique.
Photographer: Markus Liste
- Use the Pull process to add more light
If film speed goes down, you can compensate by tricking the camera into thinking it's using lower ISO film. This type of sensitivity compensation is called the Pull process, that is, overexposing the film, after which it is "underdeveloped".
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Push processing is also possible, but with expired film you need more light rather than less. There is a general rule of thumb for this ISO setting. For each decade past due, decrease the ISO by one stop. If film has 400 ISO and is ten years old, lower it to 200.
Not many old film cameras have an ISO value below 100. It's definitely not an exact science. That's why it's best to test and experiment as much as possible. Also use the same camera. Using a different camera may affect the results. nine0003
- Try exposure bracketing to check for expired film
Exposure bracketing can help you set the right aperture for certain conditions. This is a great way to use an expired test roll of film.
You can take three pictures of the same scene for picture bracketing. The first shot can be taken with the standard exposure setting for the environment. The second one can be one stop lower (-1) and the third one one higher (+1).
