Up until now, I have never used Fujicolor Super HG 1600. In my college photography days and later, I tended to expose film at ISO 200 or lower. If I remember correctly, high-speed films were expensive. I found a roll of Fujicolor Super HG 1600 in the box of expired 35mm film gifted to me. My success bolstered my confidence with a 35mm cartridge of expired Fujichrome PROVIA 400F. On a rainy day, I loaded an expired roll of Fujicolor Super HG 1600 and drove around a neighbourhood loop, trying to calm my nerves.
Fujicolor Super HG 1600 was a colour 35mm negative film manufactured by Fujifilm. It was designed for use in low-light conditions and situations requiring high shutter speeds. The film had an ASA rating of 1600, which made it highly sensitive to light and ideal for capturing fast-moving subjects with minimal blur. I estimated that the expired Fujicolor Super HG 1600 roll was 20 years old, so I exposed the film at ASA 400, one-stop every ten years past the expiration date.
Despite its high sensitivity, Fujicolor Super HG 1600 had a fine grain structure, which allowed for sharp and detailed images. The film had a wide exposure latitude, which means it could handle overexposure and underexposure well, providing flexibility in difficult lighting conditions. The film was known for its natural colour reproduction, with accurate and vivid colours that are true to life. Fujicolor Super HG 1600 had high contrast, which helped enhance the details and textures in images.
Its ability to handle various exposure settings and its natural colour reproduction made it a popular choice among professionals and hobbyists. I loaded the Fujicolor Super HG 1600 cartridge into my Minolta X-700. The cartridge was listed as having only 12 frames, but I got 14. This is the first time I have exposed a roll of 35mm film with less than 24 frames.
The film was developed at Boutique Film Lab and scanned using my standard 35mm film scanning workflow. The results were better than I achieved with expired Fujichrome PROVIA 400F. There is a lot more grain, and the scans were underexposed. Would I have achieved better results had I overexposed at ASA 200? Is the film grain normal for ASA 1600 film? I’m not sure. Based on my experience so far, expired ASA 400 has provided the best results.
What do you think?
Name
Fujicolor Super HG 1600
Format
35mm
Features
Fine grain.Natural colour reproduction. High contrast
A long-expired cartridge of Fujichrome PROVIA 400F 35mm film delivers nostalgic, surprisingly usable photos.
One of the first rolls of film I exposed from the box of expired 35mm film I received last year is a 36-exposure cartridge of Fujichrome PROVIA 400F Professional [RHP III]. Fujichrome PROVIA 400F was a high-quality colour reversal film manufactured by Fujifilm. It was known for its excellent colour reproduction, fine grain, and sharpness, making it a popular choice among professional photographers. With a sensitivity of ISO 400, this film was ideal for shooting in low light conditions or for capturing fast-moving subjects. The film's advanced emulsion technology was known to produce vibrant colours and accurate skin tones, making it a popular choice for fashion and advertising photography. I did not know what to expect from a 10-year-old cartridge.
I didn't think much about what it means to expose expired 35mm film. My first, second and third attempts at using expired film stock could have been better. I loaded the cartridge in my Pentax P3n, and despite the cold weather, I hopped on my e-bike and headed off to Rocky Hill, a nearby borough in New Jersey.
The sun shone brightly overhead, but I could still feel the cold as I set off on Salisbury Road towards the western end of Blue Spring Road. It was still early morning as I pedalled through the quiet residential streets of my neighbourhood. Just before entering the borough of Rocky Hill, I stopped on Princeton Avenue to expose a few frames before continuing along the more scenic route, passing through Van Horne Park.
Rocky Hill was incorporated in 1890 and had a rich history dating back to the colonial era. It was an important transportation hub during the Revolutionary War and was once home to the Van Horne estate, now a public park. Van Horne Park offers a variety of amenities, such as walking paths, playgrounds, sports fields, and picnic areas.
Today, Rocky Hill is a quiet residential community with a small-town feel. It has a few local businesses, including a general store, a post office, and a few restaurants.
After leaving the park, I continued along Washington Road, a long stretch of a historic route that cuts through the heart of Rocky Hill. One of the most distinctive features of Washington Road is its historic homes and buildings. Many houses along the street were built in the 18th and 19th centuries and have been preserved as part of Rocky Hill's history. Some of the most notable buildings along Washington Road include the historic Rocky Hill Inn, which dates back to the early 1700s and now operates as a restaurant, and the Rocky Hill Schoolhouse, which was built in 1865 and is now home to the Rocky Hill Historical Society.
Originally built as a private residence, the Rocky Hill Inn building was converted into a tavern in the 1800s and has since operated as an American gastropub. The inn has been beautifully restored and retains many original features, including wide-plank flooring and exposed brick walls. It is a popular spot for locals, offering a cosy rural, small-town atmosphere, delicious food (my favourite is Fish n’ Chips with a crisp pilsner), and a wide selection of beer and wine.
I turned off Washington Road, arriving at Crescent Avenue, a quiet road I often photograph due to its tree-lined sidewalks and charming historic homes. Many houses on the street were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and have been carefully preserved. The homes' architecture varies, ranging from Victorian and colonial-style homes to more modern designs.
Crescent Avenue turns into River Road at the southeastern border with Montgomery Township. River Road head south toward the historic town of Kingston. It connects to the other end of Blue Spring Road in a loop that takes me back toward my home.
I think the opportunity to take photographs with expired 35mm film was a unique touch of nostalgia and vintage charm.
I exposed the Fujichrome PROVIA 400F at box speed. After I sent the film off for development, I read that the wisdom on the web is that expired film should be exposed at a lower ISO, one-stop every ten years after it expires. The film should also be pulled during development. I understand it just a bit, but I am stumped about what camera ISO or exposure compensation settings I should have used and what instructions to give the development lab.
Do I set the ISO dial at ISO 200 and tell the lab to pull one stop?
Do I set the ISO dial to 400 and the exposure compensation dial to +1 and tell the lab to pull one stop?
Do I set the ISO dial to 400 and the exposure compensation dial to +1 and tell the lab to develop normally?
Do I expose at ISO 400, EV0
It was too late to correct my potential mistake. I sent the cartridge off to Boutique Film Lab and waited. When the slides arrived, I nervously scanned them with VueScan using my Epson Perfection V600. As I watched the previews, my confidence grew. My efforts were not wasted.
I added camera and lens meta-data and imported the images to Adobe Lightroom to finalise things. I was excited when I saw that the scans produced usable photos. I was even more excited when the photos improved further when I adjusted the exposure,contrast, highlights and shadows.
I am so excited. This worked out better than I expected. While the colours are muted, almost all of the images are usable. This post includes the ones I consider the best of the 36 exposures. A few frames are underexposed, but I think that is primarily because of operator error (i.e. me). I have five more cartridges of expired Fujichrome PROVIA 400F, and I am excited to use them all.
I am home today with a stuffy nose and sore throat, but when I looked outside and saw the snow on the ground, I knew I had to take advantage.
I was under the weather all week and woke up sniffling with a parched throat. I had no aches, but all the same, I administered a COVID-19 rapid test. I contacted the director and the rest of my security architecture team to let them know I was taking a sick day. When I looked outside and saw the snow on the ground, I knew I had to take advantage. This is the first real snow of 2023 for the Princeton area.
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