Identify these Notches?

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Rafe B. - 29 Dec 2003 02:06 GMT

Hello, folks. Total LF newbie here.

I've had posession of an old wooden
field camera for a while, and with it
"inherited" a bunch of film and pre-loaded
film holders. These were marked as
Kodak VPS which I gather is now discontinued.

I've posted a small scan of the notch pattern here:

http://www.terrapinphoto.com/notches.jpg

Does that look like VPS to you?

I take it this is a C41 (print) film rated at
ISO 160?

Is there a URL out there with comprehensive
notch identification figures?

Data sheets somewhere for VPS and other
old classic sheet films?

And hey, how am I supposed to package up
small numbers of sheets to bring to the photo
lab for processing?

TIA and all that.

rafe b.
http://www.terrapinphoto.com

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jjs - 29 Dec 2003 02:18 GMT

> Hello, folks. Total LF newbie here.

Hi, newbie! :)

> [...]
> Data sheets somewhere for VPS and other
> old classic sheet films?

Hope this helps: http://www.srv.net/~vail/notch.htm

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Rafe B. - 29 Dec 2003 02:30 GMT

>> Hello, folks. Total LF newbie here.
>
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
>Hope this helps: http://www.srv.net/~vail/notch.htm

Unfortunately, it doesn't, but thatnks for
the link. Got it bookmarked.

Here's the sucker I'm trying to ID:

http://www.terrapinphoto.com/notches.jpg

The film holder said "VPS" but for all I know
it was loaded ten years ago. The top edge
of the film is stamped "125 KODAK" on the
emulsion side. The emulsion is a khaki
color.

At the very least I'm trying to make sure it
really is a C41 (print) film. I exposed it at
ISO 160.

What the heck, maybe the lab can ID it
for me?

rafe b.
http://www.terrapinphoto.com

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Leonard Evens - 29 Dec 2003 02:51 GMT

> Hello, folks. Total LF newbie here.
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> film holders. These were marked as
> Kodak VPS which I gather is now discontinued.

I used VPS regularly in 120 size years ago. VPS is a color negative
film requiring C41 processing, so that should be no problem. I think
it was ASA 100 or at best 125. I doubt a rating of 160. You can't go
too far wrong by overexposing color negative film. But 10 years or
more sitting in holders is not a good way to store color negative film.
It would be surprising if the film behaved anything like fresh film,
either in ASA rating or in color balance. Even my developed film,
stored fairly well, shows some evidence of shift in color, particularly
in the yellow/blue dimension.

> I've posted a small scan of the notch pattern here:

Can't help you there because my film was 120.

> http://www.terrapinphoto.com/notches.jpg
>
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> rafe b.
> http://www.terrapinphoto.com

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Rafe B. - 29 Dec 2003 03:03 GMT

>> Hello, folks. Total LF newbie here.
>>
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
>stored fairly well, shows some evidence of shift in color, particularly
>in the yellow/blue dimension.

Well, then it sounds like I may have underexposed
by a stop or so. We'll see what happens.

Color balance isn't a huge concern; if there's a
useable image at all the film will be scanned and
edited in Photoshop.

Thanks for the tip, though... I'll try a lower ISO
next time around.

'Course it would be nice to know if this really is VPS
that I'm about to send off to the lab...

rafe b.
http://www.terrapinphoto.com

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jjs - 29 Dec 2003 03:09 GMT

> Well, then it sounds like I may have underexposed
> by a stop or so. We'll see what happens.
>
> Color balance isn't a huge concern; if there's a
> useable image at all the film will be scanned and
> edited in Photoshop.

Here we go again. It ain't the same thing to photoshop the color. You have
to capture it in the first place. WTF are you using LF for if you are
going to dither it to hell and back?

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Rafe B. - 29 Dec 2003 03:29 GMT

>> Well, then it sounds like I may have underexposed
>> by a stop or so. We'll see what happens.
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>to capture it in the first place. WTF are you using LF for if you are
>going to dither it to hell and back?

Uh, let's not go there, OK?

For now, I'll be happy to get any sort of
useable image off these four sheets.
Wish me luck.

rafe b.
http://www.terrapinphoto.com

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jjs - 29 Dec 2003 03:38 GMT

> >Here we go again. It ain't the same thing to photoshop the color. You have
> >to capture it in the first place. WTF are you using LF for if you are
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> useable image off these four sheets.
> Wish me luck.

I understand and I do wish you luck, Rafe. (For the rest, Rafe is a
helpful, experienced MF photographer with whom I've dueled, in good
nature, for some time. Sorry to bring it here.)

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Phil Tobias - 29 Dec 2003 04:19 GMT

>I used VPS regularly in 120 size years ago. VPS is a color negative film

requiring C41 processing, so that should be no problem. I think it was ASA
100 or at best 125.

Yes, good old VPS. Though I recall it officially rated at 160, it was commonly
exposed around ASA 80-100.

Still, if it were me, I'd empty the old holders of whatever was in 'em, and go
shoot some fresh film.

...pt

-------------------------------
Business/Communications start at http://www.PhilipTobias.com.
Grow your business using my technical and marketing communications -
Effective writing, graphic design, multimedia, photos, and Web sites.

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Rafe B. - 29 Dec 2003 04:56 GMT

>Still, if it were me, I'd empty the old holders of whatever was in 'em, and go
>shoot some fresh film.

I hear you, Phil. Been thinking the same thing.

Let's see if there's anything useful on these four.

I should know in a few days, maybe this time
next week.

Anyone care to recommend a good print film
for landscape use? I don't see Reala in
sheet film, alas.

rafe b.
http://www.terrapinphoto.com

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Jean-David Beyer - 29 Dec 2003 13:32 GMT

> Hello, folks. Total LF newbie here.
>
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> Does that look like VPS to you?

Not VPS II 4107 TYPE S
Not VPS II 4108 TYPE L
(above two are the old 125 speed films)
Ektachrome Film 6118 Tungsten is like that, but your film has one extra
notch on the right.
Not Ektachrome 64 Film 6117
Yours is a mirror image of Ektachrome Duplicating Film 6121.

I would consider the possibility that it is Ektachrome film of some kind.

Signature

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/( )\ Shrewsbury, New Jersey http://counter.li.org
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CamArtsMag - 30 Dec 2003 21:07 GMT

Subject: Identify these Notches?
From: Rafe B. rafe.bustin@verizon.net
Date: 12/28/2003 7:06 PM Mountain Standard Time
Message-id: <m33vuvs22f6v9dhfq6t7m57j6674ah93j7@4ax.com>

Hello, folks. Total LF newbie here.

I've had posession of an old wooden
field camera for a while, and with it
"inherited" a bunch of film and pre-loaded
film holders. These were marked as
Kodak VPS which I gather is now discontinued.

I've posted a small scan of the notch pattern here:

http://www.terrapinphoto.com/notches.jpg

Does that look like VPS to you?

I take it this is a C41 (print) film rated at
ISO 160?

Is there a URL out there with comprehensive
notch identification figures?

Data sheets somewhere for VPS and other
old classic sheet films?

And hey, how am I supposed to package up
small numbers of sheets to bring to the photo
lab for processing?

TIA and all that.

VPS was discontinued a few years ago. I would recommend an EI of 100 as a
teest.

If you are getting started in large format may I recommend one or more of the
following

Getting Started in Large Format - a free article on our web site

www.viewcamera.com
one one or more of the following books

User's Guide to the View Camera by Jim Stone

Large Format Nature Photography by Jack Dykinga

Using the View Camera that I wrote

all should be available from Amazon.com

steve simmons

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Rafe B. - 31 Dec 2003 00:56 GMT

>VPS was discontinued a few years ago. I would recommend an EI of 100 as a
>teest.
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
>
>steve simmons

Got the book already. Pleased to meet you, Steve.

Heard from the lab today. The four sheets I sent in
were pretty well fogged. Not like I'm surprised, they
were probably at least ten years old. They were
indeed Ektachromes.

Time to buy some fresh film and try again.

rafe b.
http://www.terrapinphoto.com

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