I recently tried to reload a 110 cassette as an experiment. In order to do that I had to cut some 120 films. I decided to use expired films as I wasn’t sure I would be successful. I was also unsure if I had fogged the 127 bits that remained in the process. So when I went to Birmingham for the first time, I took them with me ready to use in my Yashica 44. I didn’t want to waste the film, but I wasn’t sure it would work and using the Yashica was always fun. I wish I had used fresher film though as the camera got a bit of attention and a young gentleman asked me to take his photo. I explained they might not come out, and I was right. You can see his photos in the selection below, but oh I wish I had taken better film.
The first half of the selection was taken on expired Rollei Retro. The second half was taken on expired Delta, they are the more grainy shots.
What are your opinions on expired film? Do you use it or give it a wide birth?
I avoid all expired color-unless I know it’s history-usually purchased by me and frozen. Too much time and/or cost for ‘iffy ‘results. B/W seldom gives me any exposure problems at ei s under 800. But, some carefully preserved film sizes -116, 122, etc.were troubled by excessive curl and lack of flatness-
Me too usually, but I have just received a whole load of expired colour film. I am loathed to throw it away.
APS is the one format where I will shot color- 1-2 stops overexposed. Sadly, not many of those cameras allow exposure adjustment
I agree with this and had a canon that allowed it. I gave it to a friend who still shoots aps.
BTW- I think 4×4 TLRs are the perfect size and shape for a camera.Not too heavy, but enough heft to be serious, and they nestle beautifully in the hand(s). The reversed image is easily adapted to, and the waist level perspective is great.
Exactly, but a lack of film hinders the full enjoyment.
I shoot a fair amount of expired film. Mostly Kodak b/w. Their traditional films (Plus-X, Verichrome Pan, Panatomic-X, Tri-X) are pretty hardy even when stored at room temp. I’m less excited about shooting expired color film unless I know it’s been stored cold.
I just bought some bulk kodak vision 800T the one bit I have tried looks like it needs to be shot at 50asa. Even then I am not sure it is worth the effort. So I agree with you.
I really enjoy the unpredictability that colour film brings. I find the colour shift brings interesting results. Of course you can always convert to B&W it is film after all.
Andrew
I’ve found that converting color to b/w isn’t nearly as good as shooting b/w originally.
I have done that in the past. I couple of times I received really badly processed film. It was bright purple, not in a lomochrome way. So I converted that.
Hello! How did the 110 go? I didn’t know it was possible to reload those! Does the 110 format not require the one perf hole per frame? I applaud your nimble fingers! I had enough trouble trying to reload a 35mm single use camera!!! All best wishes Andy
I wrote about it already the link is… https://cameragocamera.com/2022/08/30/voigtlander-vitoret-110/
Just a professional photo lesson from an old pro. In the days of film, professional films were shipped ready to go for color, contrast, et. al., and kept frozen at the dealer, to maintain that. They could NOT be depended on to maintain any of that after the “drop dead” date, even while frozen! The end date was in consideration for the useful life even frozen! In a forty-five year career, never shot roll out of date, and also never had a less than optimal result. Non professional film, and there was such a thing, was shipped “green”, and meant to reach its optimum “look” and color, on the unrefrigerated loading docks and film racks of big box stores in the country, and never guaranteed to be optimal. While I’ve seen deep frozen film, thawed and used after the end date, with acceptable results, the key is to thaw, use, and develop, within a very, very, short period of time! Good luck!
That’s interesting thanks. I tending get things developed straight away and freeze what I am not using. But I do have a box of stuff ready to go when I feel like it. Maybe I should reduce that box and thaw out what I intend to use the day before.
Another old standard is that hard frozen film needs to warm up for 24 hours, but refrigerated film only needs about 4 hours…you can certainly keep film you’re planning to use in the ‘fridge for the month, and transfer around as needed!
Frozen color negative and b/w give excellent results decades after the expiration date. Color neg deteriorates quickly if not frozen or refrigerated . Reversal film behaves as Andy describes.
BTW Peggy, lots of interesting stuff on-line about film fogging from cosmic rays (!), actually muons, and other sources. I never paid much attention to this stuff because I’m a fresh film user, but recently went down a fascinating rabbit-hole reading up on all this. Might not matter how long or deep you freeze film, as base fog and desensitization may just be unstoppable unless you package film in those lead lined bags we used to get to travel with film 20+ years ago! Read some pretty fascinating stuff over the weekend about how quickly black and white Kodak printing papers fog, compared to Ilford; something I used to experience back in the 70’s, when my local pro shop stocked Kodak, Ilford, and Agfa papers. Back then, I was printing for a person that requested Agfa, and was always surprised because it didn’t seem to last very long before becoming “unusable”. Interesting rainy day reading for the bored!
I am going to look that up as I just used some very age fogged film. Thanks.
I found some fogging in some (but not all)Verichrome Pan I have had frozen since the 70’s. HC110 seems to be mitigate the effect in subsequent rolls. Excessive film curl was a bigger problem