Last year, I bought a batch of medium format slide film from eBay. Very EXPIRED medium format film. Most of it expired in 1999. Why would I buy really old film? Because I have had really cool results by using expired slide film and cross-processing it (I explained about cross-processing in another blog post last year.)
There are a lot of things that can happen to film as it ages. Along with possible color shifts, film can lose a certain amount of light sensitivity when it’s expired. That can make getting proper exposures tricky. Another factor in how well film has aged is how the film was stored throughout the years. If it was kept in a cold, dry place (like a freezer or refrigerator) then the effect of time could be minimal. But with film like the batch I bought, I have no real way of knowing how it was stored. That’s a gamble when you buy expired film from eBay…
I decided that I needed to test a roll of this film so I could see what kind of shape it was in after nearly 15 years. I loaded it in my Bronica ETRSi and gave it a go!
(the above photos were taken with my Samsung NX1100)
I asked the lab to cross-process the film for me, and here are the results:
Dilapidated sign in Memphis
This photo is only included because it makes me laugh. Perfectly captured my niece’s mannerisms
Goldenrod
I got my niece to pose in some of her T-shirts that I like (this is her ‘model’ face, btw)
Probably petting one of her dogs, who were clamoring for attention
Her real personality. Goofy!
I don’t know how I got her to take her glasses off…love her Turtle Power shirt though!
Climbing the front porch
Holding on and hanging out on the porch
Bronica ETRSi • Zenzanon 75mm/2.8 EII • Fuji Provia 400, exp. January 1999, Cross-processed
Conclusion?
I’m pretty darned pleased with how the photos came out. I can look at the negatives and tell how a few were a bit underexposed . That just means I’ll have a better idea about the film’s exposure needs when I shoot the rest of my batch of this film.
(I have eight more rolls of the Fuji Provia 400 in the crisper drawer of my fridge!!! Exciting!!!)