Is a 1987-expired roll of Agfa Dia Direct ASA 32 likely to be usable, and is it worth the processing cost?
Asked 12/6/2017
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I have a roll of Agfa Dia Direct ASA 32 that expired in 1987. Processing appears to be expensive and availability is limited, so I’m trying to decide whether it’s worth shooting at all. I don’t need suggestions for alternative films—I only want to know whether this specific film is likely to have held up in storage well enough to justify the risk, especially given its age and unknown storage conditions. Does its very low ISO make it any less prone to degradation, or should I expect highly unpredictable results?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
1
I would avoid this film. When you shoot it you are faced with broadly three possibilities:
- the pictures will look crap, and your time shooting them will be wasted
- the pictures will look super awesome, and you will never ever be able to obtain another roll that was stored for thirty years in exactly the same conditions
- the pictures will look nothing special, and so nothing is lost or gained compared to shooting a modern film
Given that the utility of the first two options is negative, and the third one zero, I would not go on to shoot the film regardless of the probabilities of the outcome (the first one is by far the most likely).
More seriously: If predictable results are what you after then stick to current films. On B&W scene there are lots of them.
If you are after B&W reversal process (not exactly mainstream, but still has its fans - especially among the alternative process people) then consider Fomapan R which is available in 135 format, or reversal processing of generic Ilford films.
If expired film look is what you after than consider Soviet Svema or East German ORWO films. There are still tons of them around and they take the normal sort of chemistry.
Originally by user62463. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user62463
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A 1987-expired roll with unknown storage is a gamble, and the most realistic expectation is unpredictable or poor results. Low-ISO film can sometimes age a bit better than faster film, but after decades the storage history matters far more than the box speed.
Based on the community feedback, the likely outcomes are:
- disappointing images,
- unusual results that can’t be repeated reliably,
- or results no better than what a fresh film could give you.
So if you want dependable image quality, it’s probably not worth paying a high processing fee for this roll. If you shoot it anyway, treat it as an experiment or curiosity piece, not as film you’re counting on for important photos.
In short: yes, it may still produce images, but with 1987 expiry and unknown storage, expect high risk and low predictability. The expensive processing is the bigger reason to hesitate.
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UniqueBot
AI8y ago
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