A new (old) camera. Very expired film. Suspense… and teal happiness.
I bought a new-yet-very-old camera, a Mamiya RB67 (1974) so that I could have a good 6×7 format camera, not realizing that it is literally the size of a normal-sized toaster. I needed to test it before providing a review of the purchase to the seller. I had film in my refrigerator that has been waiting for years, and needed to be used. Kodak Portra that expired in 2013 seemed risky for testing new-to-me equipment, but I protected it in three (!) refrigerators (only one of which caught fire a little during a power surge!), so it seemed like it could work if I overexposed it to compensate for any lack of sensitivity.
Oh, did it work!
I learned that my Mamiya takes gorgeous photos; that it needs a lot more light than I am accustomed to collecting for slow films (I shot this around ISO 80, mostly at f4), and that expired, overexposed Portra is BEAUTIFUL. These TEALS!!
I stayed close to home in case there were problems with the Mamiya and I’d need to return to reset something. My very first exposure panicked me – the mirror didn’t reset – but the mirror and shutter really do operate separately, and having the mirror stay up after an exposure had no impact on the film.
This success kicked off “The Refrigerator Project,” a plan to use up my entire film stockpile of refrigerated, expired films before the end of summer 2025. By the time of this writing, I’ve already consumed the expired 120 format film, but have other formats still making my film drawer look flush. Clouds and fog are slowing me down, as well as my zeal to try NEW films right away to replace discontinued favorites, but I’m confident I’ll have full turnover soon.