4x5 Fuji Velvia help!

[John Wiegerink]

I have 18 boxes, 10 sheets each of Fuji Velvia dated 1987 and stored in a cool place. 7 boxes are Velvia 50 daylight and 11 are Velvia 64 Tungsten. Any suggestions on exposure and development? I might have the film processed just to know if it's good and then do the rest myself as need be. Thanks, JohnW

[keithwms]

Why not expose and develop normally, as the gods intended I think you'll not be disappointed. You're probably not doing straight ilfos from these anyway, right?

[hrst]

Old reversal films (at least Velvia) tend to show reddish-magenta blacks, especially this old. You can lessen this effect by overexposing and underdeveloping (1 stop pull; shooting at 25 and shortening FD time by 2 minutes).

I've shot some Velvia expired in 1999 or so and it showed quite magenta DMAX. Nice effect though, especially interesting in fluorescent lightning (compensates the green cast).

1987 may be almost unusable at normal exposure and development, it depends how cool it has been stored and what are your needs.

In addition to pulling, you could add some antifoggant (benzotriazole?) to first developer or reformulate the color developer. Maybe someone has more specific tips? I would also be interested.

[hrst]

Three examples;

Old Velvia expired in 1999 (or so)

Shot and processed normally.

First shot in daylight
Second shot in low fluorescent light, handheld at f/1.4. Magenta cast compensates the green fluorescent cast. Look at the window...
Third shot before sunset in warm light. Magenta cast by film + yellowish light -> red.

[John Wiegerink]

I would love to do straight Ilfos from these as I have 100 sheets of 16x20, 150 sheets of 11x14 and 50 sheets of 8x10 of Ilford Ciba A-II paper, but I can afford the chemistry at the moment. I'm thinking of just exposing them at the rated speed and taking them to our pro-lab and have them processed. That way I have a good stating point to go by. I'll expose the 64T to daylight both filtered and unfiltered and the 50D will be shot straight. I'm hoping that it being slow speed that ageing hasn't been to hard on it. JohnW

[John Wiegerink]

hrst,
I didn't see your thumbnails before my last post, but now I see what you mean about the magenta cast.

[Athiril]

Test 1 sheet, expose the 50D @ EI 12, and take it to your lab if you dont have home chems and dont say anything, just process at normal. Check result. Possibly may look great without blowing highlights since its over 2 decades old at that speed, it should at least give an indication of effective box speed. You can then decide how you need to expose and if you need to expose over effective box speed and pull to minimise fog and colour casts.

[Fredrik Sandstrom]

I have 18 boxes, 10 sheets each of Fuji Velvia dated 1987

Err, are you sure? Velvia was introduced in 1990, unless I'm very much mistaken.

11 are Velvia 64 Tungsten.

You must mean Fujichrome T64. There has never been a tungsten balanced Velvia...

[Anon Ymous]

Test 1 sheet, expose the 50D @ EI 12, and take it to your lab if you dont have home chems and dont say anything, just process at normal. Check result. Possibly may look great without blowing highlights since its over 2 decades old at that speed, it should at least give an indication of effective box speed. You can then decide how you need to expose and if you need to expose over effective box speed and pull to minimise fog and colour casts.

Overexposing to compensate for the increased base fog is a technique that is used for negative films. This one is a positive film.

[Athiril]

Overexposing to compensate for the increased base fog is a technique that is used for negative films. This one is a positive film.

Its not overexposing if the film has lost sensitivity due to age. Overexposing + pulling works perfectly fine on E6.