Expired Film

[yashica4life]

I noticed that there is a lot of expired film for sale on ebay for very cheap. What happens to the film when it expires?

 

[Tok]

Basically u don't have to worry that it will drastically ruin your work.. the change in colour for expired film, to me, are giving me pleasant surprises most of the time. Besides, u can always let your developer know about the film that u r gonna develop has expired and they will adjust the tone during processing too.

 

[Shutterbug]

I noticed that there is a lot of expired film for sale on ebay for very cheap. What happens to the film when it expires?

The emusion gets old, the film's sensitivity to light slows down, and it becomes slightly harder to develop (Needing a slight personal touch.) In color film, there can be slight color shifts (I find Red, Yellows, and Bright Blue to lose intensity)

BUT, using old film can have it's advantages - It's fun to screw around with, and its cheap.

 

[green]

If the film has been kept in a fridge it will last well past the expiry date, but photography stores can't really sell it after that. in a freezer, it will last even longer.

 

[ksmattfish]

Besides, u can always let your developer know about the film that u r gonna develop has expired and they will adjust the tone during processing too.

If your lab is telling you this they are BSing you. C41 and E6 processes are standardized and they cannot correct color in the developing process. They may be able to correct the color in the printing, but they should be doing this whether your film is expired or not.

Consumer film is designed to sit at room temperature for a long time without serious degradation. Also I figure that Kodak, Fuji, etc... are hedging their bets, and the real expiration date should be a little further along. Keep it in the freezer and you should be okay if it is recently expired (6 months or so).

Pro film is designed to peak in color intensity/quality when it gets to the store so it is kept refrigerated to lengthen it's life. It will go down hill much faster than consumer films after it's expiration date, although once again, freezing it can slow this way down.

I have shot and developed BW film that is over 5 years past the expiration date (kept unrefridgerated) with no major noticable differences between it and "fresh" film.

 

[ksmattfish]

The emusion gets old

I had several rolls of exposed color film that got lost in my car for about 2 years (going through 2 summers and 2 winters). When I had it developed the emulsion actually peeled off the film base in places. It was kind of a cool effect, although I wouldn't recommend this manner of handling film.