Glenn Allenspach on fri 26 sep 03
I hope nobody gets the idea that storing their film in a cooler, in and of
itself, leads to better results in your slides. It will not. Mel, and others who
choose to do so, are buying "Professional" film, an industry self-designation
given to certain emulsions. You must undertstand the two major factors why
certain Fuji films (and Kodak, for that matter) are stored below 55 degrees F,
and then decide if it's worth the extra trouble (and $$$).
First, film is a mass-produced commodity. And like all mass-produced items,
it is subject to quality standards. Each batch of film is subjected to quality
testing immediately upon production. the QC people are looking for certain
consistency in exposure, i.e., is this batch of100 ISO film really 100 ISO, and
also for consistent color reproduction, according to the aim points set by the
film's design engineers. It is no conincidence that most pro films in the
Kodak and Fuji lines parallel amateur films of similar speed and type. So,
what is the standard? I'm unsure about Fuji, but for Kodak, it is plus or minus
1/3 f-stop of marked ISO, and plus or minus 20 percent of color fidelity to the
standard for a film to be sold as amateur film, and roughly half those
numbers for a film to be designated "Professional."
When a batch of film comes especially close to these "aim points," that batch
is immediately stored under 55 degrees and labled "Professional." Otherwise,
it's sold as the regular over the counter "amateur" stuff. The advantage of
Pro film is, that if you expose several rolls of film, of the same subject,
from the same batch (film batches are numbered, by the way), under the same
lighting, the density and color will come out more consistent than they would have
with "Amateur" films.
HOWEVER, if you change film batches, subjects, lighting, or film storage
practices, you lose the consistency that you paid extra for in the first place. In
a nuthsell, this is why catalog photgraphers generally use pro films, and
travel photographers don't.
Second, film ages as time passes and the film has not been exposed and/or
processed, which is why films have expiration dates printed on each box. When the
batch passes its expiration date, the engineers claim that it will no longer
pass the quality tests that it passed initially. Of course, they'll all also
tell you that environmental factors (heat and humidity) enter the equations.
Carfefully stored film can perform well beynod the expiration date;
conversely, you can ruin a bag full of film by leaving it in your hot car on a sunny
day for 20 minutes. Also, keep in mind that there is no film on the planet that
yields "True" color. Each film's color balance is formulated by a design team,
according to their idea of what is correct. Your personal preference plays a
huge role in your taste for color fidelity.
So, am I saying don't shoot pro films? Of course not. Use them wisely, treat
them carefully. Kodak and Fuji will tell you that you have about a month of
room temperature storage on pro films before their drift becomes noticable, that
is, before they become esseentially amateur films again. And, unless you are
shooting the same pot over and over again, you will gain an awful lot of
consitency from whatever film you choose by taking due care with exposure, lighting
and quality processing, without buying refrigerated film. You will also gain
nothing in refrigerating amateur films.
Finally, there are a few emulsions that are only available in Pro films. The
low ISO
tungsten balanced films come to mind here. The real advantage in these, to
most of us, is the abilty to use flood lights, and get fine-grain results. The
aspects that make 'em pro films are of less consequence. prove it to yourself.
Get roll of medium to high speed tungsten balnced prfoslide film, shoot it
with your flood lights, then do the same with Kodak or fuji 64 ISO tungstgen
balanced fim and your floods. and get the right flood lights, too. 3200 degrees
kelvin. Toss the blue bulbs aside for this test, as they really don't match up
correctly with any film. Also, use fresh flood bulbs.
They age as they burn, and shift light color faster and worse than does film.
Toss your flood bulbs every 4-6 hours; 25-30 hours for quartz halogen lamps.
By the way, Seattle Film is not old motion picture film. It is simply motion
picture film. The reason they'll send it to you free is because it is not the
standard C-41 chemical process. You can't take it to just any old lab for
developing, so their hope is you'll shoot the stuff, find this out, and send your
roll back to them for processing. Then, they send you another roll, and they
bank on the old "Waste not, want not" mentality.
From East Bethel, where I'm now rennovating a wood worker's shop into a clay
studio.
Glenn Allenspach
GlennAllenspach@aol.com
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