Newbie has a [?] about expired color negative film

ZyXELo · 03-10-2022, 04:45 AM

Hello!

Due to a recent acquisition, I now find myself the proud owner of two rolls of expired Kodak Farbwelt 200, which appears to be a general purpose, consumer-grade film. Best before 06/2009 and stored at room temperature...supposedly. Since cost of development would only be a couple of bucks each, I thought I may as well use them up out of curiosity. Who knows, the results could be interesting?

The last time I shot analog was with a crappy rangefinder in the early 2000s, so you could say I'm more or less completely clueless about film, but I had read that one should add 1 stop per decade when it comes to B&W film. So maybe I should...

1.) Tape over the upper portion of the DX encoding.
2.) Set the camera to ISO 100 manually (override not supported). Seems easier than EV for every shot because the advanced controls on this body are... not so decent.
3.) Get it developed as normal.

Would this be a reasonable course of action for an in-its-day inexpensive color negative film? I don't need or expect perfect results; it's just for a little bit of harmless fun. But halfway correct exposure would be welcome.

Thanks for the input!

kypfer · 03-10-2022, 05:36 AM

The exposure results are likely to be OK with normal settings … your problems will arise from background fog from the room temperature storage, especially if it was a centrally heated lounge, an ambient temperature spare room may be less of a problem.
10 years isn't unduly long for colour print film if the storage conditions weren't too extreme … give it a whirl

ZyXELo · 03-10-2022, 07:30 AM

Sounds good, thanks for the advice!

**disconnekt** · 03-10-2022, 11:34 AM

Shot at box speed, good chances it'll come out fine, even if stored at room temp.
The only time to be woried is if it was stored in a room in "extreme" conditions (very hot heat/~95°f+) for long periods of time.

y0chang · 03-10-2022, 11:46 AM

Generally low-iso (100-200) consumer film lasts for a long time even in non-refrigerated conditions. Remember they were meant to be sold on drugstore or camera store shelves. There might be some small color shifts, but just shoot and have fun with it.

**VSTAR** · 03-10-2022, 12:18 PM

Just shoot as is, have it developed normally. Worse comes to worse you will need to scan the processed film and then make software adjustments. People sometimes find rolls of film that are decades and decades old and when developed they look pretty good- depending on the camera used at the time the photo was taken.

**UncleVanya** · 03-10-2022, 12:32 PM

Just over a decade old? No worries. Shoot at will.

ZyXELo · 03-10-2022, 08:49 PM

Thanks guys, that answers my question quite comprehensively! I'll drop a line on how the rolls turned out when the time comes.

mtl_pentaxian · 03-11-2022, 04:50 PM

I would rate it at 100 or 125 and develop normally even if it wasn’t expired.

Lhorn · 03-14-2022, 01:34 PM

Where do you get film developed for a couple of bucks each?

ZyXELo · 03-15-2022, 01:09 AM

One of the nationwide drug store chains does it for €2.95 per roll of 35mm color film, including a CD with scans. At least according to their price list.

Jonathan Mac · 03-15-2022, 04:27 AM

Farbwelt is Kodak Gold, I think for the German market, so it was ISO 400 and if it's been stored at room temperature then deduct a stop per decade, so that would take it down to 160. Consumer grade colour film often benefits from over-exposure to reduce grain so feel free to bring that down further to 125 or 100. Develop as normal.

If you need a DX code for your film camera then you can always make one using nothing more than paper, tin foil and glue, plus a little help from Google. DX labels are easy to make and you just glue them over the existing one to trick your camera into doing your bidding with regards to exposure.

**PWhite214** · 03-23-2022, 02:26 PM

I usually just shoot old film at the rated speed. I will admit to buying large quantities of expired film, so I can look at the first roll to see if I need to compensate for age and storage conditions.
Usually, the rated speed is good. I sometimes send the first roll color film out for processing, making sure I will get the processed film back for scanning and digital processing.
Just enjoy experimenting.

Wheatfield · 03-25-2022, 08:03 AM

Originally posted by ZyXELo

Hello!

Due to a recent acquisition, I now find myself the proud owner of two rolls of expired Kodak Farbwelt 200, which appears to be a general purpose, consumer-grade film. Best before 06/2009 and stored at room temperature...supposedly. Since cost of development would only be a couple of bucks each, I thought I may as well use them up out of curiosity. Who knows, the results could be interesting?

The last time I shot analog was with a crappy rangefinder in the early 2000s, so you could say I'm more or less completely clueless about film, but I had read that one should add 1 stop per decade when it comes to B&W film. So maybe I should...

1.) Tape over the upper portion of the DX encoding.
2.) Set the camera to ISO 100 manually (override not supported). Seems easier than EV for every shot because the advanced controls on this body are... not so decent.
3.) Get it developed as normal.

Would this be a reasonable course of action for an in-its-day inexpensive color negative film? I don't need or expect perfect results; it's just for a little bit of harmless fun. But halfway correct exposure would be welcome.

Thanks for the input!

Just toss it and buy fresh film. What are you going to shoot with it? You can't shoot anything that you want to have a reasonable guarantee of getting good results with it, which means you are going to be going out and shooting garbage subjects.
That strikes me as a waste of time and money.

ZyXELo · 03-25-2022, 08:58 PM

Nothing special! I don't intend to get back into film, but I might as well use up the free rolls in the camera I got as part of the bundle. The plan is to shoot subjects which would have been around/current at the time the camera was available new, so the mid-1990s. If it doesn't work out, it's not a catastrophe. But I'll have to say the nice, big and bright OVF of even a low-end SLR is quite a delight!

@ Jonathan Mac: There was an ISO400 variant, but mine's the 200 one.

03-10-2022, 04:45 AM	#1
ZyXELo Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2020 Photos: Albums Posts: 58	Newbie has a [?] about expired color negative film Hello! Due to a recent acquisition, I now find myself the proud owner of two rolls of expired Kodak Farbwelt 200, which appears to be a general purpose, consumer-grade film. Best before 06/2009 and stored at room temperature...supposedly. Since cost of development would only be a couple of bucks each, I thought I may as well use them up out of curiosity. Who knows, the results could be interesting? The last time I shot analog was with a crappy rangefinder in the early 2000s, so you could say I'm more or less completely clueless about film, but I had read that one should add 1 stop per decade when it comes to B&W film. So maybe I should... 1.) Tape over the upper portion of the DX encoding. 2.) Set the camera to ISO 100 manually (override not supported). Seems easier than EV for every shot because the advanced controls on this body are... not so decent. 3.) Get it developed as normal. Would this be a reasonable course of action for an in-its-day inexpensive color negative film? I don't need or expect perfect results; it's just for a little bit of harmless fun. But halfway correct exposure would be welcome. Thanks for the input!

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03-10-2022, 05:36 AM	#2
kypfer Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Jersey C.I. Posts: 2,552	The exposure results are likely to be OK with normal settings … your problems will arise from background fog from the room temperature storage, especially if it was a centrally heated lounge, an ambient temperature spare room may be less of a problem. 10 years isn't unduly long for colour print film if the storage conditions weren't too extreme … give it a whirl

03-10-2022, 07:30 AM	#3
ZyXELo Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2020 Photos: Albums Posts: 58 Original Poster	Sounds good, thanks for the advice!

03-10-2022, 11:34 AM	#4
disconnekt Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Riverside, CA Photos: Albums Posts: 1,564	Shot at box speed, good chances it'll come out fine, even if stored at room temp. The only time to be woried is if it was stored in a room in "extreme" conditions (very hot heat/~95°f+) for long periods of time.

03-10-2022, 11:46 AM	#5
y0chang Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: United States Posts: 793	Generally low-iso (100-200) consumer film lasts for a long time even in non-refrigerated conditions. Remember they were meant to be sold on drugstore or camera store shelves. There might be some small color shifts, but just shoot and have fun with it.

03-10-2022, 12:18 PM	#6
VSTAR Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Toronto Posts: 390	Just shoot as is, have it developed normally. Worse comes to worse you will need to scan the processed film and then make software adjustments. People sometimes find rolls of film that are decades and decades old and when developed they look pretty good- depending on the camera used at the time the photo was taken.

03-10-2022, 12:32 PM	#7
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 24,481	Just over a decade old? No worries. Shoot at will.

03-10-2022, 08:49 PM	#8
ZyXELo Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2020 Photos: Albums Posts: 58 Original Poster	Thanks guys, that answers my question quite comprehensively! I'll drop a line on how the rolls turned out when the time comes.

03-11-2022, 04:50 PM	#9
mtl_pentaxian Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Montreal Photos: Gallery Posts: 55	I would rate it at 100 or 125 and develop normally even if it wasn’t expired.

03-14-2022, 01:34 PM	#10
Lhorn Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2019 Posts: 554	Where do you get film developed for a couple of bucks each?

03-15-2022, 01:09 AM	#11
ZyXELo Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2020 Photos: Albums Posts: 58 Original Poster	One of the nationwide drug store chains does it for €2.95 per roll of 35mm color film, including a CD with scans. At least according to their price list.

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03-15-2022, 04:27 AM	#12
Jonathan Mac Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Madrid, Spain Posts: 9,606	Farbwelt is Kodak Gold, I think for the German market, so it was ISO 400 and if it's been stored at room temperature then deduct a stop per decade, so that would take it down to 160. Consumer grade colour film often benefits from over-exposure to reduce grain so feel free to bring that down further to 125 or 100. Develop as normal. If you need a DX code for your film camera then you can always make one using nothing more than paper, tin foil and glue, plus a little help from Google. DX labels are easy to make and you just glue them over the existing one to trick your camera into doing your bidding with regards to exposure.

03-23-2022, 02:26 PM	#13
PWhite214 Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 81	I usually just shoot old film at the rated speed. I will admit to buying large quantities of expired film, so I can look at the first roll to see if I need to compensate for age and storage conditions. Usually, the rated speed is good. I sometimes send the first roll color film out for processing, making sure I will get the processed film back for scanning and digital processing. Just enjoy experimenting.

03-25-2022, 08:03 AM	#14
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 14,657	Originally posted by ZyXELo Hello! Due to a recent acquisition, I now find myself the proud owner of two rolls of expired Kodak Farbwelt 200, which appears to be a general purpose, consumer-grade film. Best before 06/2009 and stored at room temperature...supposedly. Since cost of development would only be a couple of bucks each, I thought I may as well use them up out of curiosity. Who knows, the results could be interesting? The last time I shot analog was with a crappy rangefinder in the early 2000s, so you could say I'm more or less completely clueless about film, but I had read that one should add 1 stop per decade when it comes to B&W film. So maybe I should... 1.) Tape over the upper portion of the DX encoding. 2.) Set the camera to ISO 100 manually (override not supported). Seems easier than EV for every shot because the advanced controls on this body are... not so decent. 3.) Get it developed as normal. Would this be a reasonable course of action for an in-its-day inexpensive color negative film? I don't need or expect perfect results; it's just for a little bit of harmless fun. But halfway correct exposure would be welcome. Thanks for the input! Just toss it and buy fresh film. What are you going to shoot with it? You can't shoot anything that you want to have a reasonable guarantee of getting good results with it, which means you are going to be going out and shooting garbage subjects. That strikes me as a waste of time and money.

03-25-2022, 08:58 PM	#15
ZyXELo Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2020 Photos: Albums Posts: 58 Original Poster	Nothing special! I don't intend to get back into film, but I might as well use up the free rolls in the camera I got as part of the bundle. The plan is to shoot subjects which would have been around/current at the time the camera was available new, so the mid-1990s. If it doesn't work out, it's not a catastrophe. But I'll have to say the nice, big and bright OVF of even a low-end SLR is quite a delight! @ Jonathan Mac: There was an ISO400 variant, but mine's the 200 one.