A few weeks ago, I picked up a bunch of film and a camera, the Canon Z115 for five dollars. One of the rolls of film turned out to be
Kodak Royal Gold 1000, one of the faster C-41 films that Kodak pushed out the door -- which I wonder if it was later called Kodak Max 800. Seeing that the film expiration date was 1998, I rated the film at ISO 400 and shot it in my beautiful Nikon F3HP around town and in Dexter. It was only 24 exposures, which can be somewhat infuriating when you want to try out something special. Anyhow, I finished the roll up on Saturday in Dexter and dropped it off at Huron Camera. I stopped by this afternoon to pick up my CD and the negatives. Overall, I am pleased with the results in that my estimation of ISO 400 was pretty close, though in the scans one can see the shadows blocked up. It's grainy, which is to be expected for a high-speed expired film, but the grain looks interesting in some of the shots.
Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger's last day was the day before I shot this. It's located in a block of houses that UM has purchased and will be razed to make way for a graduate student dorm. While the closing has gained a lot of press and brought thousands here for a last burger, I am ambivalent. It's the kind of place that people should eat at sparingly if they value their arteries...
Last year, Lena replaced the Parthenon Restaurant which had been at the corner for at least as long as I have lived in Ann Arbor - 32 years. I like the old facade and the color scheme they chose. Lest anyone think things don't change, the building was a drug store back in the 1950s.
I just can't resist shooting bees on sunflowers. What can I say?
George Borel in Dexter. He's behind the counter at Huron Camera and is a very knowledgeable photographer and a good person to know. You can see the shadows blocking up in the expired film. The highlights look pretty decent, though.
The Beer Depot is another iconic place in downtown Ann Arbor. The neon sign fell over a couple of years ago, and the store owners were able to convince City Hall that the sign could be replaced. It does look pretty good, though I confess I have to see it at night.
Most of the shots on the roll were decent, and these are just samples from the roll. People ask me why anyone would want to shoot expired film. It's partly a challenge to see what I can coax from those old films, and a gamble, as one never knows how these films were stored. I'm not into trying to prematurely age films by subjecting them to high heat, etc. I'd rather wait until something comes my way and see what happens. A rule of thumb is to reduce the operating ISO by one stop for each decade, and the faster the film, the more sensitivity it loses over time. I'd say my guess of ISO 400 worked pretty well here.
