Just how light-tight is the inner envelope in a box of 4x5 film.

[Hany Aziz]

I picked up a box of Agfa RSX 4x5 film (bargain bin, couldn't resist), that appears to have been opened. Probably by a curious college student with no idea of what 4x5 is. Feeling the inside in my darkroom the two inner envelopes feel intact. Agfa has these sealed thick paper inner envelopes.

Just how light-tight are these envelopes? Enough to protect the film from what I assume was a brief exposure?

I will probably shoot 2 sheets this weekend and see but am wondering if anybody has any idea.

Thanks.

Sincerely,

Hany.

[Ted Harris]

Hany,

First thought, from my experience those envelopes seem pretty light tight as long as the only thing that happened to the filmwas that the outer box got partly opened. Consider that the box is three part and the envelope inside that. Any more exposure than that and there wil be anywhere from a bit to a lot of fogging.

Second thought, as I recall you have some of the same boxes and envelopes in 13x18 that you got from me right? If you have one of them open why not just take out the envelope, resal the box well and then put a sheet of film in the envelope and see what happens. Or check it with a flashlight.

[Donald Qualls]

FWIW, J&C Pro 100, at least the heavily discounted miscut first run, was sold in just the paper/foil/plastic envelope (by feel, I can't verify that there's a wrap inside, though I suspect it's got a paper wrap like what I'm used to in Forte films under various rebrands). Can't see them doing that if this package wasn't light tight. Obviously, the only real test is a test, but I'd expect the film to be fine if the inner packets were still sealed...