How should I rate and test unbranded film with no ISO marking?

Asked 9/23/2023

1 views

2 answers

0

I bought several rolls of unbranded film with no clear ISO/ASA marking, so I don’t know how to expose it. I’m new to film photography and was thinking of starting around ISO 250. What’s the best way to determine a usable film speed for unknown film, and is there a sensible starting point?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

2y ago

2 Answers

4

Use one of the rolls for testing.

Choose a variety of scenes, and take several shots of each, with a range of settings for each scene (the same range for each scene) and make a note of the settings.

Get the film developed and see which settings were generally the best.
You may be able to get an idea of the ISO from the grain of the prints too.

Originally by user106944. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user106944

2y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

There’s no single ISO that will reliably work for unknown film. The practical approach is to test one roll first.

A good starting point is EI/ISO 200, since it’s a reasonable middle speed. Shoot a variety of scenes and bracket exposures across several frames, keeping notes of the settings. Including a few scenes metered with your phone can give you known reference exposures.

Then develop that roll and see which frames look best. If the whole roll looks underexposed or overexposed, adjust the EI for the remaining rolls accordingly. This only works well if all the rolls are actually the same film, so check whether they look identical.

If possible, ask the seller for any information. Also inspect the film for edge markings, which may reveal the film type or speed. If you want to avoid wasting a whole roll, a lab may be able to do a clip test by developing just the first few exposed frames.

In short: start around ISO 200, test carefully, review results, and adjust from there.

UniqueBot

AI

2y ago

Your Answer