Expired film? What's the appeal?

[Pfreddee]

I'm curious about using expired film. I mean really expired film, years past its use-by date. Aside from the challenge of getting an image, what goals are you setting for yourself?

Thank you to all who reply.

With best regards.

Pfreddee(Stephen)

 

[Muggins]

In my case it tends to be because I have the stock control skills of a whelk, and don't get round to using the stuff before it expires. Remind me again - when was Neopan 1600 discontinued? Still got a roll in the fridge...

 

[Mackinaw]

I don't usually shoot C-41 color film, but once in awhile, get the urge. Years back, I bought a few rolls of color film (Kodak, Agfa), put them in a lower shelf of our refrigerator, and forgot about them. Until this year. Both rolls were more than ten years expired. I don't like wasting film, so shot them earlier this summer. I processed the film myself. Surprisingly, both turned out fine. Great colors and good contrast. I'm sure cold storage for 10+ years helped.

Jim B.

 

[Freakscene]

In my case it tends to be because I have the stock control skills of a whelk, and don't get round to using the stuff before it expires. Remind me again - when was Neopan 1600 discontinued? Still got a roll in the fridge...

2009 . . . Still in mourning . . .

 

[Canyongazer]

Most foods with expiration dates are fine after that date....could it be they simply want you to dump it and buy new?
At least with film you're not risking salmonella or something equally nasty. 😱

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Based on my experience, I would only start to worry if it is at least decade ago.
Before Russian invasion one of the photogs from Kharkov was showing images taken recently on film made in soviet time. They were fine.

 

[jsrockit]

Well there is using film that expired while being in your refrigerator and there is purposely buying expired film hoping for it to do weird things due to its age like have more grain, color shifts, etc.

 

[KoNickon]

I have a fair amount of color C-41 that goes back to the 2000s -- been frozen all the time (I got it from my local camera store, where they'd kept it frozen). I have not had good luck with it so far -- some frames OK, others not -- and I really don't want to spend the money on developing it and find out the results are lousy. So I'm really torn about it -- I want to use it up but it's just a crap shoot. Black and white I feel a lot more confident about, since there are no colors to go all wonky.

 

[jsrockit]

I have a fair amount of color C-41 that goes back to the 2000s -- been frozen all the time (I got it from my local camera store, where they'd kept it frozen). I have not had good luck with it so far -- some frames OK, others not -- and I really don't want to spend the money on developing it and find out the results are lousy. So I'm really torn about it -- I want to use it up but it's just a crap shoot. Black and white I feel a lot more confident about, since there are no colors to go all wonky.

If you aren’t willing to risk it anymore, put it
on eBay, there are many who will.

 

[Mackinaw]

I also have several rolls of 120 Agfa 25 frozen solid in my freezer that date to the 1980's. I shot a roll a few years back, and it's still fine. It is time to use it though.

Jim B.

 

[CMur12]

I don't understand the appeal of expired film, myself, because I shoot for predictable results. If I don't get what I planned on, I want to be able to troubleshoot and find the reason.

I imagine the appeal of expired film is something like the appeal of a Holga camera, for people who like surprises.

Regarding storage and aging/deterioration of film, I read somewhere that high speed film (400+?), is more quickly fogged by gamma radiation, regardless of storage. So, cold storage for a long period of time would appear to work better for slow film. I'm sure we have members here who know more about this. (I would be relieved to be informed that I am wrong.)

- Murray

 

[David Hughes]

It's also nice if (say) you have a 1930's Rollei on display to have a contemporary roll of (say) Dufaycolor film beside it in the cabinet.

That might be taking the definition of expired film a little too far but...

Also things like "daylight loading" refills of 35mm film (meaning 1920's and 30s) baffled a lot of people until one day I found a couple of them and showed how the film came packed and was loaded in the Leitz or CZ reloadable cassette. FWIW it had a black paper mask that feed through the slot, carried the film out and was then discarded.

Regards, David

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

...I imagine the appeal of expired film is something like the appeal of a Holga camera, for people who like surprises...
- Murray

Ah, yes, the wabi-sabi thing! Searching for beauty in imperfection. Never knowing what you've got until you've got it. And, hoping that what you get will be be pleasing to the eye.

All the best,
Mike

 

[raydm6]

I'm curious about using expired film. I mean really expired film, years past its use-by date. Aside from the challenge of getting an image, what goals are you setting for yourself?

Thank you to all who reply.

With best regards.

Pfreddee(Stephen)

No attraction and no goals. It just happened. I just haven't used up my cache of film stored in the 'fridge. Have lots of Scala and Plus-X and and others... ...I will get to it one day... or not... Oldest film I could see is some Agfachrome CT100i expiry 09/1994. Not too bad. 🙂

 

[leicapixie]

If the film already yours, you know hopefully history. Time spent on travel, time to process. Is it worth the gamble? I personally seldom use OD film. Only for fun! Film does lose it's speed, can fog, become grainy. Even bulk rolls now within date are not worth buying! No longer a bargain..

 

[jsrockit]

Another aspect of people using expired film is getting their hands on film that no longer exists. If you just started using film in the last few years, they probably hear tales of awesome films from the past. Some people fetishized these things.

 

[pixelated]

I was given a few hundred rolls of Fuji color, it was well out of date when I got it, but it's been handy for testing. A lot of it showed color shifts, but some has been fine.
The person who gave it to me got it from some newspaper that had gone digital. Much of it was 12 exposure rolls which I've never seen for sale, these were especially nice for the testing use. I've given away a bunch of it, but I think I still have a bit of it in the back corner of my film fridge.

Other than that, I accumulated a stash of Plus-X when Kodak stopped making it, it's all years out of date now, but works fine. That said, I don't quite understand the prices I see for stuff decades old Tri-X and the like.

 

[David Hughes]

I mainly use out of date film because I bought a ton of it when it was cheap. Another reason is that I keep getting complaints about the film in the fridge; I won't mention names but - if you were at the wedding - she was wearing a white dress and standing at the front...

Regards, David

 

[Peter_S]

I have a very recent motivation - cheap used stock on a market with limited supply and insane prices (as I just realized when shopping for film the first time in about 4 years).

 

[David Hughes]

I have a very recent motivation - cheap used stock on a market with limited supply and insane prices (as I just realized when shopping for film the first time in about 4 years).

Insane buyers is the reason...

Regards, David