“Slide” Away II – Slide Farther

As noted in my previous post, I am taking a dive into reversal film, a.k.a “positive” and “slide” film, as well as E-6 home development.

After waiting on the postman, all of my necessary accoutrements have now arrived.

Firstly, we have 8 rolls of Fuji Provia 100F film. Analysis of the batch code reveals the expiration date to be February of 2009. The film was frozen at initial purchase and remained frozen for years after, so I don’t have any reason to believe that being expired matters other than the deep discounts.

Interestingly enough, examination of the manufacturer code reveals that Agfa rebrands their Precisa 100 film, meaning that essentially Fuji Provia = Lomography XPro = Agfa Precisa.

The Canon is loaded and I got a bonus frame. Nice!

Secondly, we have the chemistry. Thinks to discount pricing at the Film Photography Project Store, we have a 1-quart (8 roll or perhaps more) E-6 slide development kit.

All that remains now is to have a couple of rolls in need of development.  As far as chemical shelf life goes I have read that once mixed they will keep anywhere from a few weeks to a few years.  Indeed, if one were to post such a question to 10 people, 10 different answers would be received. Assuming you squeeze the air out of the bottles, I think a few months is realistic.  We will see.

Stay tuned as I prepare to post the first slides at all in nearly two decades, and the first ever developed at home. There’s lots of followers out there that develop both C-41 and E-6 at home, so as before, I am interested in your experiences.  Is shelf life a problem for any of you?

Shoot photos, not each other!