How expired is too expired?

[Chris101]

Today I found a 20-years-expired Kodak 64 slide film among some old photo things. That is too expired.
...

If it's Kodachrome, yup. You can't get that developed anymore. If it's Ektachrome, give it a shot. Bracket wildly.

A few years ago (2007-ish), I shot a roll of HIE that had been buried in my freezer since 1982. It worked just fine. I miss that film.

 

[craygc]

HP5+ example... Bought in early 2004 - almost 8 years now - and stored in a freezer (has been defrosted 4x for between a week to a month during moves). I still have a few hundred rolls of the same stuff in the freezer along with a good quantity of Delta 400.

 

[Tom A]

A friend in UK, Jem Kimes of Real Cameras gave me a handful of Kodak film, black and white, expiry date "July 1931". I did some calculations (i.e guess work) and figured out a speed of between 0.5 -I iso after close to 80 years of being stored who knows how!
On the beach at "high noon" f1.4 and something like 1/15 or 1/30s - Rodinal 1:50 for 10 minutes. Leica M2 and Summilux 35f1.4. Amazingly enough out of about 35 frames - almost 1/2 came out in some fashion. Grainy -Yes, some loss of emulsion and severe curl to the film - so severe that it "buckled" into the filmgate in a couple of shots.

 

[jsolanzo]

Wow Tom! That looks awesome!

 

[raid]

This image looks very cool. Tom. Now that is an awefully expired roll of film! I may have quite a lot of frozen expired film. I could go for that "special look". Half of the film is slide film, though.

 

[wafflecakee]

If it's Kodachrome, yup. You can't get that developed anymore. If it's Ektachrome, give it a shot. Bracket wildly.

A few years ago (2007-ish), I shot a roll of HIE that had been buried in my freezer since 1982. It worked just fine. I miss that film.

I've heard you can process kodachrome black and white. Not sure of the specifics...

 

[jwc57]

This is medium format, Ilford FP4 expired 2005. The image was taken early last year. Developer was
Ilfosol S, factory recommended time.

These are Arista 400 Pro, expired 2000 and shot this past summer. Developed with Diafine.

I especially like the way the Arista turned out. I didn't have high expectations since it wasn't frozen or stored to protect it. Someone gave it to me, 100ft roll, and I forgot about it until I found it in the back of a cabinet.

I like the "look" so much I hate to use it except for "special" occasions. I think it all depends on what you want for a particular shot. With that in mind, I have no worries about using expired B&W film.

 

[agour]

I just got a camera that came with a roll of ilford fp3 still in its box.

The film however, expired in 1965.... What should I do with it?

 

[Ezzie]

Found a couple of rolls of Kodak Gold 200. Haven't opened the box they were inn for 15 years. No expiry date on the canisters. But am unsure if they've been exposed. The leaders hanging out doesn't necessarily mean they aren't, as I usually try to avoid retracting the leader all the way. Any failsafe method of determining if they have been exposed without risking a duff development?

More on topic. Also have a 25 year old roll of FP4. Mostly held in refrigarated storage, what can I expect. Expose at half box speed?

 

[citizen99]

Taken in early 2010; the film was Kodacolor, expired 1993, just stored in the back of a cupboard. I hadn't noted what the speed was, and I can't remember 🙁 , and it's not (unlike with more recent films) printed in the edge information on the negatives, it just says KODAK GB 41. I would have exposed for whatever the speed indicated on the box suggested, allowing for the probably longer than nominal exposure time of the 70+ years old shutter.
The grain doesn't seem too bad; being 6x6 (Ensar 75mm triplet, uncoated) helps of course in comparison to if it were 35mm.

 

[kuzano]

Use mostly expired

Use mostly expired

My film fridge... All expired. No current film in here. All the upper shelves are 4X5 quickloads and easyloads (Kodak and Fuji) Mix of emulsions.

I buy most of my film on eBay. Expired vs. fresh is not an issue for me. If a seller has film listed on eBay, and if he has over 500 feedbacks and he is at a minimum percentage of 99.5 positive, I'll step up.

I purchases all the envelopes of Fuji/Kodak (175 sheets) for $125. I've used about 25 sheets with no problems. Film dated from 1995 to 2006.

The bottom drawer is three boxes of 4X5 sheet, and 30 to 40 rolls of 120. Altogether I have about $200 dollars invested and I fully expect to get decent images from the bulk of this film. I am finicky about "cold stored". B/W film is less affected by expiration. I occasionally buy on Craigslist, but prefer eBay because of the feedback and % ratings.

I absolutely will not break my rule of many feedbacks, spread rather evenly over the sellers time on eBay, and a minimum 99.5% positive. There is nothing on eBay from a sketchy seller, that I can't find from a 100% seller if I wait it out.

The only film I buy fresh is 35mm, and that's because I shoot very little 35. I'm digital there.

 

[merciless49]

This is from a decade-old roll of Kodak C41 B&W ISO400 negative. This thing was in an SLR my dad gave me, so I finished the roll...surprisingly ok. Guess he stored the camera in a climate-controlled cabinet which helps. I voted 10+ years but only because I'm adventurous.

 

[Vics]

I don't get the fascination with shooting expired film. Or putting junk lenses on fine cameras. I try always to get the best results I can, and for me that means fresh film, the best lens I can afford and a light-tight camera with an accurate shutter and focusing. Why throw stumbling blocks in front of myself?

 

[filmtwit]

Just wondering, is that a Jindo?

This is from a decade-old roll of Kodak C41 B&W ISO400 negative. This thing was in an SLR my dad gave me, so I finished the roll...surprisingly ok. Guess he stored the camera in a climate-controlled cabinet which helps. I voted 10+ years but only because I'm adventurous.

 

[SteveM_NJ]

I play with what I have -
(a refrigerator with lots of film in it)
while I purchase film "fresh", I'm usually busy and dont get to use it all, time passes, and therefore, I count myself among the users of "expired" film, I don't mind.
(it is all for play) digital for important, or buy more "fresh" for specific tasks, which I get too much of, and the process starts all over, more film into the refrigerator to "Age ")
-but I did not seek it out and purchase old film, I make my own. ( keeps me happy).

 

[jody36]

just developed a roll of tx 400 4 years expired kept in a drawer. was grainy but usable. Have more so I may choose my shots based on will it be ok with the grain.

 

[merciless49]

Just wondering, is that a Jindo?

I actually don't know what kind of dog it is, my understanding is it is probably a mutt. This was my uncle's dog so I have absolutely no clue as to what breed it is.

 

[Pirate]

Expired in 2001, Fuji Provia 100 RDP II:

 

[jb17kx]

There are two camps to the expired-film-use brigade! A lot of the fascination comes from people who deliberately crave the various effects and therefore seek out the outrageously expired films - whereas many people here, myself included, use it because its cheaper and often the only way to come across stocks that are now consigned to history.

I'm able to fill my fridge with films I could never afford otherwise by slightly relaxing my standards on dates. Just last month - 600 feet of Ektachrome 100 Plus for AU$150, March 2007 expired and cold-stored the whole time.

I've been burnt a few times - the 1986 bulk of Ilford FP4 didn't really turn out too well, and there was the handful of 2001-expired rolls of Elitechrome 100 that must have gotten quite warm for some part of their lives - but as a whole I've fared pretty well. Got some very nice results from 135 Plus-X expired in 1991, T-MAX 400 expired in 1998, Kodachrome 64 expired in May 1986, and even this and this from Ilford HP4 that expired in 1972 or thereabouts. I'm surprised at how well that's held up actually, although it is prone to emulsion lift. All the same, 100 sheets for free is nothing to scoff at 😛

Still got more Plus-X (this time from 2002), a handful of Ektar 25 in 120 from the early '90s, a spot of Panatomic-X from the mid-80s, one roll of Verichrome Pan from 1983, and my most cherished expired film - 35 sheets of 4x5 Tech Pan from 1994.

I did have a fair stock of early-2000s Fujicolor NPS as well, but I palmed that off to a lomographer because it does. not. like. being expired.

Now I just need a bigger fridge to put all of my stores of Eastman EXR film in. Gosh that 50D 5245 was a beautiful stock.

 

[n5jrn]

Today I found a 20-years-expired Kodak 64 slide film among some old photo things. That is too expired.

Moreover, if it's Kodachrome 64, it's impossible to get it developed anymore.