Experimenting with expired film

Recently I've been given a bag full of expired 35mm color negative film. It contains film from a myriad of brands with different ISO values. As I have no knowledge on how these films were stored I really have no way what to expect. 

Experiment

I decided to do a little experiment with some of the film stock. As the colors would be unpredictable I decided to shoot one of these film brands and develop it with black and white developer. I selected two rolls of Etos Kleurenfilm 100/24 that expired in 05/2003 and loaded a roll into my Pentax LX. I grabbed an SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.4 lens as the day was rather overcast. 

Film

Etos Kleurenfilm 100/24 color negative film is a film branded for the Etos line of shops and has a DX code of 013613. When running this number through the Big Film Database I found that it was actually rebranded Ferrania Imation Color HP100 film. This film is now discontinued and I can't recall shooting with it before. Certainly not as Ferrania, possibly as a rebranded film early in my photography years.

The shoot

With my trusty Pentax LX loaded off I went to the Fortress City of Naarden. Pentax 50mm f/1.4 lenses have always been a joy to use and I had not used my copy for a while so I decided that I would try to get some wide open shots from this lens. I shot at box speed and finished both rolls.

The results

After reading up online I decided to use Adonal developer diluted 1:50 for 10:30 minutes at 20 degrees Celsius. Straight out of the tank the negatives looked very dark, however that might have to do with the orange tint to the base where my usual black and white film has a clear base.

After scanning sepia-like images appeared. Nice dreamy shots thanks to that 50mm f/1.4 wide open but oh boy, these shots are grainy! I'd love to hear from you if you've done this as well, have tips/tricks etc. Let me know what you think in the comment section below.

Medium format slides

Slides

Since I started shooting medium format film I've always had a preference for transparency or slide film. This was mainly because in the 35mm world I used slide film 99% of the time and my work flow was centered around slides. Slides scan beautifully and it is a joy to see them projected. 

Unlike 35mm, when shooting medium format there are different sizes with regards to slide formats. I have camera's that shoot 6x4.5, 6x6 and 6x7 format slides. For scanning purposes no big issue but if you want to project these slides there is no 'one fits all' slide projector. 6x4.5 and 6x6 have the same size of slide mount so can both be used on a 6x6 slide projector. 6x7 alas is too big for that. 

Projecting

Nowadays it is uncommon to see a medium format slide projector. I was lucky to obtain one, a 6x6 projector. This means that my 6x4.5 and 6x6 camera's are loaded with 120 slide film most of the time. I tend to use my 6x7's for black and white and colour negatives mostly these days.

Ok, now I owned a projector. Next on my list was obtaining the necessary slide mounts. Although I was able to buy some 6x4.5 mounts new I usually have to depend on the second-hand market. I have been lucky to get my hands on a mixed supply of 6x4.5 and 6x6 glass mounts but these need to be cleaned before use. I do so by washing them in warm soapy water. I've also heard other stories on how to clean these mounts, how do YOU do it? Please drop me a line in the comments section below describing how you clean your medium format glass slide mounts.

Scanning

My work flow now is to scan the slide first, then mount it. These are huge transparencies to scan so this takes a while. I use an LS-8000ED Coolscan and scan at maximum capacity. Scanning a 6x6 slide gets me a whopping 80.5 megapixel 500 MB file.

The results

Last February I shot a roll of Provia 100F with my ARAX CM-MLU. This is basically an improved Kiev 88CM, when using these you definitely get those old-school vibes. I scanned these earlier today, below you'll find a small selection of winter landscapes.

• Location Naarden
• Camera: ARAX CM-MLU
• Lens: ARAX MC 80mm f/2.8
• Film: Fujichrome Professional Velvia 100F 
• Scanner: Nikon LS-8000ED

The guns of Naarden

Recently I've acquired a Pentax 645N that I yet had to test. Today I decided to do just that and take the 645N for a walk in the fortress city of Naarden, Naarden Vesting. I grabbed my SMC Pentax-FA 645 Zoom 45-85mm f/4.5 lens and some 120 medium format film, joined up with fellow photographer Joeri van Veen and off we went.

Photo: Joeri van Veen

Naarden has a long military history and has been a fortified city for centuries. Parts of the 17th century fortifications survive to this day and have been added to ever since. Part of both the Old and New Dutch Water Lines, Naarden remained garrisoned in one way or another until the end of World War Two. The last MoD buildings were turned over to the city for civilian use in 1986.

The guns of Naarden

Dotted around the cityscape of Naarden are several artillery pieces. I've shot some of them before but pretty much took them for granted. These would be my photo-theme for today. When you enter the city from the north you'll find the first gun on your left.

This is a 30-pounder gun cast in the province of Luik in 1855. The serial number on the barrel is hard to read but has three digits and ends with a 6. As with all the guns currently displayed in Naarden the barrel is on loan from the excellent Vestingmuseum. The gun carriage was new-built in 2018.

When you head east you'll find gun number two in front of the Arsenaal building. This was the last building that the MoD transferred to the city in 1986. There had been guns mounted in front of the Arsenal before as sort of a gate-guard but these had been removed quite some time ago.

Now a 30-pounder with serial number 75, cast in 1831 once again guards the Arsenaal. This artillery piece was ceremonially unveiled in 2020. 

When you continue south you'll pass the quarters of the Foundation Fortress City Naarden. They are the ones responsible for restoring the gun barrels and building the gun carriages. I was pleasantly surprised to find two unused barrels stored in front of their quarters.

The barrel on the left is 30-pounder number 3. On the right is 12-pounder 23, cast in Luik in 1818.

When you follow the city walls towards the west you'll get to the Utrecht Gate. Guarding this gate is a 20-pounder gun.

This is 20-pounder gun 56, cast in 1839. The gun carriage was built new in 1988 and restored in 2018.

If you continue on a westerly heading you'll get to the Vesting museum. This museum, which covers the history of the fortress of Naarden, is currently closed due to the COVID-19 restrictions. However, when passing the gate you'll get a glimpse of what the museum has to offer.

Heading north from here takes you to the former entrance of the Vesting Museum. Two guns guard the gate here.

On the left is serial number 171, cast in 1811. 

On the right is serial number 186, again cast in 1811. 

Inspecting number 186. Photo: Joeri van Veen.

I managed to shoot one and a half roll of 120 film on my Pentax 645N. Once I finish the second roll of film I'll be sending these away for development. For now these digital photo's will have to do :-).

Location: Naarden
Camera: Pentax 645Z
Lens: SMC Pentax-DFA 645 55mm f/2.8 AL [IF] SDM AW