Are You Using Expired Films ?

[p.giannakis]

I've read in people's posts, that many of them are using expired films. What is the point in using a film that's expired? I've always considered them as kind of risky business.

 

[FrankHarries]

Shooting b&w I never had any problems with expired films unless they have been stored dry and rather cold. No Problems with 10 year old films.

 

[btgc]

Slides and color negs are risky. Do not buy if seller has removed cartons with exp. date but claims film has been stored in cool place 🙂

 

[Snapper_uk]

With the price of film these days, I don't throw anyhting away that's expired. I save the really old stuff for snapping or something more experimental - holgas, pinholes etc.

Is the expiry date based om keeping the film at room temperature, or in a fridge?

 

[rogerzilla]

I will be in a few years' time as I get to the bottom of the freezer. Generally film keeps indefinitely in a freezer, the exception being faster films which ishow unavoidable damage from background radiation (gamma rays). This produces a cumulative fog.

Apparently the last "fresh" rolls of Kodak Tech Pan sold were from a giant roll that was discovered in a freezer at Kodak; they hadn't actually made any new Tech Pan for years. Tech Pan would fog very, very slowly though since IIRC each film grain has to capture two photons to turn black and the grains in Tech Pan are so small that the odds of a single one getting hit twice by occasional gamma photons are miniscule.

 

[Lss]

I don't buy expired film but keep using stuff I have stored myself if it expires.

 

[Derwent]

I've gotten loads of expired film really cheap, Velvia for $2 a roll for example.
Cold stored I have had no issues with.
Some not cold stored stuff has had a slight cour shift.
Some 20 year old non cold stores black and white had lost about a stop of speed and a bit of contrast but worked well once re-rated...
I'm just starting a bulk roll of Delta 400 that I got cheap slightly out of date. Not worried.

 

[zauhar]

Like others on the forum, I bought a bunch of the out-of-date Legacy Pro, which I read is repackaged Neopan.

The film has been great so far as image quality, but now toward the end of my supply it is starting to curl really dramatically; very difficult to scan.

All said and done I would likely buy a load of it again, but apparently that deal (from Freestyle) will not happen again. ;-(

Randy

 

[helen.HH]

Oh Hey Pan.... Hello
I have only tried two rolls if delta 3200 Expired
Given to me by a friend

The only problem i had was loading
The film was very dry & brittle and tore quite easily
So i had to load it numerous times ...it breaking off
So i did not have a full roll

Developing no problem
Cheers- H

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

What is the point in using a film that's expired?

The same point as using a film that isn't expired. The only difference (although not the point) is that many people prefer to use it for "noncritical" shots (i.e. tests).

I've always considered them as kind of risky business.

They won't explode.

 

[I Love Film]

First of all, the expiration date on film is a broad estimate. Film is easily good for 2-3 years after expiration.

If you keep film airtight and frozen, it can last for decades with very little change in characteristics.

The big problem is when you buy expired film on eBay or from private sales. EVERYBODY claims their film has been "carefully stored in freezer" or something similar. Most of the time that means that film has been stored in hot, humid garage or in overheated closet. You never know what you are getting unless you bought it new and froze it yourself.

 

[cosmonaut]

I use to buy expired fill, b&w, from a local lab and never had any issues.

 

[Derwent]

Used to get stuff half price from a local shop as soon as it expired any rolls left from that batch would go on the half price discount shelf.
I've taken the eBay risk when it's been cheap enough like the $2 Velvia but roll one from each batch has been a test roll.
Most of it has been ok and it has meant that I could shoot a LOT more Velvia than I could otherwise afford to.
I've never bought colour stuff more than 5 years out of date though and only then if it is supposedly cold stored.

 

[nighstar]

i sometimes use expired color negative film. i like the unnatural colors and other properties that it sometimes gives a photo, but then again i like overexposed/washed out photos too and your average person doesn't....

 

[gb hill]

Almost all my film is expired. Kodak even sent me 10 rolls of expired Porta NC160 for free. I love expired film. If anyone has any they don't want, I just happen to run a shelter for expired film. My camera's really do enjoy it. I'm even thinking of getting Sarah Mclachlan to become a spokesperson for expired film. She does good work for the ASPCA.🙂😀

 

[gb hill]

Oh Hey Pan.... Hello
I have only tried two rolls if delta 3200 Expired
Given to me by a friend

The only problem i had was loading
The film was very dry & brittle and tore quite easily
So i had to load it numerous times ...it breaking off
So i did not have a full roll

Developing no problem
Cheers- H

Acording to what I have read here from Chris Crawford & a few others 3200 speed film crap out really fast after the expired date. Other films, not so bad. I've thrown away film that I thought was bad only to see the same films older than the ones I threw out look so nice. So now I keep everything. I have some Delta 3200 expired from 2009. I expect it will look fogged.

 

[JayM]

I shot a party as a favor and one of the guests said the place he used to work just stopped using film and that his friend took home some of it that had been frozen since it was purchased. Turned out to be 600ft of Portra 160NC.

The film expired in 08 I think. First rolls turned out ok, but I'm kind of worried about consistency from 100ft spool to 100ft spool. I'm going to use it without caution and hope for the best, however, because it was free. It seems fine exposed at box speed.

In the future I will gladly accept and use expired film if it's free or super cheap and has been frozen. Otherwise I don't want to worry about more than minor funkiness.

 

[al1966]

I don't mind using expired film, most of the time it has worked out ok and its good for camera testing. I won't use it for those important jobs, i.e. university work just in case. I have had a box of 120 tri-x go bad, it was fogged, but it is still ok for testing cameras. Colour film can sometimes have very pleasant colour shifts and that can make the work interesting.

 

[dct]

These days I'm buying bulk of partly expired APS material, now that the production of 240 size was stopped by Fuji and Kodak. Beeing this rolls only 200/400 ISO it should last for many year in the freezer. This enables me to play a few more year with my Vectis SLR system.

But I will also deal from time to time in a bargain sale for expired 135/120 rolls, if it comes from a thrustworty seller and is not high sensitivity.

 

[kiemchacsu]

I try to avoid using expired film since the output is not consistent, sometimes good and sometimes bad. Below pictures are crops from expired TMax 100 I recently developed, you can see the "crack" and black dots there that I'm pretty sure are the consequence of using expired film

Rgds,
Trung



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