A Yashica D & a 50 year old roll of film

A Yashica D came to me, and I had never seen one in the flesh, let alone used one. Being a stubborn man, I started fiddling with it and cracked open the back. I should have known, but it was loaded.

A Yashica D came to me, eBay, and I had never seen one in the flesh, let alone used one. Being a curious & stubborn man, I started fiddling with it and cracked open the back. I should have known, it was loaded. I quickly re-latched the back shut again, taking notice the camera was set to ISO 100 and at frame one. While expecting that the first few exposures would be ruined due opening the back, I decided to run through the roll.

Once I had finished the roll, I pulled it out to find it’s of the Kodak Plus X ISO 125 flavor. Good thing I noticed the ISO setting on the camera. The camera having come from Chicago, and having other rolls of unexposed film with various expiration dates from 1969-1974, I decided to ask AI how to process it.

AI suggested

Using Ilford Ilfotec DDX for processing Kodak Plus-X 125 from 1969-1974, exposed at ISO 100. To compensate for the film’s age and potential loss of sensitivity, you’ll make adjustments in development. Here’s a guide tailored to your scenario

Compensation Strategy

Base ISO and Aging Adjustment

The film’s age suggests a loss of 1–2 stops of sensitivity.
Shooting at ISO 100 instead of the box speed (ISO 125) provides slight compensation, but development adjustments will further help recover shadow detail and manage contrast.

Development Time

Start with the recommended time for ISO 200 as a baseline for overdeveloping (pushing slightly). Then add an additional ~10–20% to compensate for age-related fogging and shadow detail loss.
For Plus-X 125 exposed at ISO 100, adjust the development time to ~12–13 minutes at 20°C (68°F).
Start with the base time for ISO 200 (approximately 10 minutes) and increase it by 15–20% for age compensation.

Expected Results

Base Fog: Slight fogging is normal with film this old, but DDX helps maintain contrast.
Shadow Detail: Extended development time and the compensating adjustments should recover decent shadow details.
Grain: DDX produces smooth grain, which suits the fine-grain characteristics of Plus-X.

I processed the film using a JOBO CPE-2 processor