Expired Film. Is it worth it?
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- Опубліковано 15 лип 2024
- In this video.....
CHAPTER POINTS
00:00 Intro
05:16 The Results
08:00 The Negatives
In this video I try some Expired Film Kodak Plus X from 1985 sent to me to try from Gary Geezer on Instagram.
@garygeezerphotoart
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EQUIPMENT USED IN THIS VIDEO
CAMERA - Yashica Mat 124 g
FILM - Kodak Plus x 1985
DEVELOPER - ID11 - 1:1 7 mins
STOP & FIX - ILFORD/FOTOSPEED
ENLARGER -
PAPER -
DEVELOPER -
STOP & FIX -
PRODUCTION GEAR
CANON 6D, GOPRO 7 BLACK, Gopro 10 Black, TASCAM DR10L MIC, SENHEISSER SHOTGUN MIC,
NEEWER LED PANELS, GVM COLOUR PANELS, Valoi 360 Film Holder System for scanes, Zeapon Micro 2 Motor Slider,
Editing - FCP, PHOTOSHOP, LIGHTROOM,
ABOUT MY VIDEOS
If my videos inspire, create ideas and help others in film photography and darkroom work then it's worth making them.
I always welcome comments that are useful towards the video subject that will help others understand the process within.
Keep shooting and thanks for watching.
MUSIC CREDITING
UA-cam Studio Music - Навчання та стиль
Madness is the operative word when dealing with prices of some these expired or discontinued film. If you already have it in your possession then use it for fun or even a personal project, but to pay ridiculous prices for something out of date is just madness. Would you go to a super market and buy meat that is two months out of date? No, I didn't think so either. PS: This phenomenon of asking ridiculous prices for photographic stuff is not just limited to expired or discontinued film. Just browse the Bay and laugh at the descriptions of some of the stuff that have been out of production for decades, such as ' opened never used '. or asking top wack for a vintage camera but saying, not sure if it works as I don't have a film to test it with. These guys must be having a laugh.
Couldn't agree more ....... I edited all the sweary words out of my comment !
Expired film skyrocketed in prices in the last few years. When I started 11 years ago it was dirt cheap on eBay. Now, I've found a scary film club that's 10 to 20 quid per roll via subscription.
Funny tale... Couldn't figure out the smell in our kitchen recently. Really bizarre. Decided to deep clean the fridge. Found it. Chicken breasts my mum gave us in a tight container a week ago! Oh boy it was bad! Couldn't have eaten it lol
@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss put it on the Bay, someone will buy it as antique or vintage.🤣
I have been buying expired film at the price or higher than I paid for new film just a few years ago this madness must END !
Used Kodak Verichrome Pan from the 1960's with unknown storage. Did not need any compensation! That stuff holds up really well. Paid 8Euros.
When I go to yard sales, I'm always on the lookout for bulk loaders that still have some film in them. I mainly use expired film for the savings. If you get a batch that has a bit too much fog, you can add some Benzotriazole to the developer. It's an anti-fogging agent and it's very efficient. You just need a few drops.
As for your rat pee odor problem (or any pet urine smell for that matter), mix equal part sodium bicarbonate, dish liquid and hydrogen peroxide and just apply to the smelly parts without diluting. After that, just rinse and the smell will be absolutely gone (no masking of the odor).
The prices I've seen for expired film make me laugh. I would never pay good money for a scrap shoot.
I found an Olympus Quickmatic at a thrift store years ago along with two cartridges of Verichrome Pan. I shot both rolls and stand developed them. The first came out fine, the second was unusable. It was interesting, but unsatisfying. I also have a cartridge of Kodacolor X, but I think it's worth more as a display piece on my camera shelf that as a usable film.
I only shot 3 expired films in my life, one gave me OK results, the second so-so results and the third at best we can call that shitty results so not a good average. Fortunately they were free but I paid for the development, so I was a little pissed off by the results but the worst was that on the third I took a beautiful shot that cannot come back so that was the last time I risked something like that
My currently starting out shooting and developing and was given a half used bulk roll of 2009 Jessops Pan 100. After a few smaller test rolls I’ve got the dev times right and found by rating at around 50 ISO provides negatives with a surprisingly good density.
Good video and info Roger. I have 6 rolls of kodachrome 64 that I found in my father's fridge. I keep hoping that Kodak will start making the chemicals again so I can go out and shoot it. Stay healthy and keep shooting my friend
i recently bought a kodak fiesta camera and they dont produce the film anymore so i have no other choice but to buy expired film. was looking for videos to get some insight on how my photos may turn out. this video was very helpful :]
I have been shooting 35mm HP5 that is dated from 2004. Storage has been questionable but 2 free 100 foot rolls ya can't go wrong. I also have a 100 roll of Kodak technical pan 2415 dated at 97. So far the HP5 has had no issues.
Hi Roger. Thanks for the mention mate. Expired film is always a risky one, but if the price is right, it's good for a laugh or to experiment with. Keep up the good work!
The best tips for developing expired film is getting High dilution rodinal at 1:100 and add some Kbr in it (1%) to reduce the base fog.
Or you can use HC110 which already have an "antifog" formula. I did try with the same expired film and the difference is really enjoyable.
👍Great content as always thanks.
Only ever bought old film in various formats if I considered the price /quantity justified it. Must admit haven't shot any yet but I've only got 5 ice cream cartons full of film in the fridge. 🤔
Shot some 62 years old tri-x pan iso 320 in 4x5 sheets. At box speed and stand developed they showed extremely low contrast and imperfections. Shot 5 stops overexposed and developed for the resulting speed (iso 12), they came out very nice looking, though retaining a bit of dated look.
Fun and informative as always, sir.
I've got a bunch of expired 35mm and 120mm that I bought from a generous chap who asked me to donate the money to a charity my late father was a supporter of. So I suppose I paid around a pound a roll and got about 116 rolls.
I like to run a few rolls every now and then just to see what I get. If I miss the shot of a lifetime because I had expired film in then so be it. I could easily have not seen the shot in the first place and missed it anyway.
I would not pay the kind of money I see it go for online.
My oldest is an Ilford Selachrome that expired in September 1951. I have a plan to shoot it and we will see what I get. I'll have Harman labs process that one mind you :)
Those are really good results. I have been trying some 1980 b&w and slide film that I ‘won’ on catawiki. I was drunk and this other guy kept outbidding me on every batch and I eventually just lost track of pricing. So now i’m stuck with 16 rolls of extremely expired film that I bought at almost shop price 😂Long story short, I’m not getting much out of them. You need really good light and long exposure. Pushing it in development is a no because you will increase/push the power of the fog as well and it will go totally dark.
Anyhoe. I still have hope for the slide film . Some say it degrades less; then again others say the opposite. Drives me mad.
Do really appreciate you putting this out there. 👍🏻🙋🏻♂️
Like you Roger, I do look for a deal on expired film. Great value.
I refrain from buying expired film unless it’s a cheap and in bulk of a few rolls or more. One never knows how it was stored. Many of the prices on the auction sites are rediculous.
Wow not as bad as I thought.
I got an expired Kodak something from the 80s when purchasing a Rolleicord, the previous owner told me just to use it to practice loading the film, but now that I saw this I'll see if anything comes out. Should be interesting.
Expired color film can give you fun results but I’ll only buy it if it’s cheap. Another problem is the film curl on older film can be pretty intense😬
I have acquired quite a large lot of expired tri x and plus x some years ago, all of which expired two decades ago with very questionable storage. The Plus X turned out to be largely usable. Tri X is a completely different story though, the fog is sooo thick that I even had difficulty cutting the film strips after development.
That's a shame re the Tri X
.
I like shooting expired film. It's fun to see what you get and experiment with old stuff.
I mostly only buy it when it's cheaper than fresh roles. Unless, it's a rare or really old film. I've shot some ANSCO and Kodak films from the 30's.
I find ANSCO hold up the best.
if it's stored well it doesn't make a difference. I've been using expired film for years and have always had very interesting results.
I only have experience with expired film that is a year or two expired and have had decent results, don't have any desire to play with ancient film ... I usually shgoot enoughj that it's all fresh!!!
Generally I've found up to a few years, like the Delta I was talking about, is fine.
Cheap to buy ??? the prices of some expired film is ridiculous it used to be a cheap option I am not so sure now people seemed to got on the bandwagon and prices are at the same of fresh stock or more I will have a punt if it’s right but I now with the prices as they are stick with fresh stock great interesting topic 👍🏻
Would never consider it. What if you get the shot of your life, find it is destroyed on the film?
I shoot expired film often. I would never shoot with for my shot of my life. It's mostly for experimental purposes. So if it doesn't come out, no big loss.
Yeah NO, hell no!!! more than 2 Euros per roll of expired film is exaggerated...let alone 10 quid!!!! people are going crazy
That handled over exposure better than new film. I went out yesterday and my light meter has something going on making me over expose by 3 or 4 stops.
I think you have to dig a bit deeper to understand those ebay prices;
1.prices vary wildly by country and fresh film is often 2-3x the US/UK price in many countries.
2. In most countries fresh film choice is pretty limited or might not be available at all in some cases, especially 120.
3. If youre not selling those pictures, 1-2decade old film is often as fine as fresh, especially b&w, so cheaper is cheaper if you just want to shoot.
...still can't comment on buying 1950s-expired film, but the rest is pretty clear, just demand and offer.
Wow, I didn't know that expired film are not bad and seeing that they're not too expensive, they will be bought out soon and hopefully by that time we'll have a good range of film speed to buy at a fair price.
I shoot a good bit of it but just to save money. I go thrifting all the time and find film a few times a year. I just got a brick of hp5 for free at a thrift store (they saved it for me)
Meh, not a huge fan. Like you said, most expired film is almost the same price as fresh film. But some people I know get a real kick out of it.
...yes ...handed several rolls of exposed color film that had been shot 25 years ago ..kept in the bottom draw ... I will give them a few more minutes in the Dev../.
Nice experiment with good results. Personally I wouldn't spend my time on long expired film. I don't know why some people spend a fortune on vintage wine, either. You never know how it was stored. Recently expired film is a different matter, a few years don't make a difference with BW films, I find. Just bought soon to expire film cheaper from an online shop, but would not spend my time to search for such bargains, as they are rare with today's supply chain problems.
Expired film might not seem so very bad. But then again, it matters how far past the expiration date it is used.
It would surely be interesting to compare the freshest of film which has been well treated, but is still maybe 5 years past the expiration date. Yes, taking identical photos at the same time, and rating the film at the same ISO. As far as I know, old film gets a bit less sensitive to light.
I bought a pack of 17 rolls of 100TMAX. It's like 15 years expired. I shoot it at box speed and it comes out rather nice.
Great video, thanks.
Result
@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss They always turn out great.
Hi Roger, surprisingly good results with the films. Well, in 40 years we probably won't look as fresh as we do today :-)
ha ha ha
I love my last expired film kodak Ektachrome 100 Olympics edition i think the 1995 or 1997 not sure the year but last kodak film expired I bought from junk shop its nice nostalgic looks i like it but after that I will only shoot fresh no more expired film especially the fujifilm film the Venus, Superia so many at online that expired and not well stored 🤣😅😂 but nice experience though nice video 📸👍😁
I have some expired Velvia 50 that I want to try out at some stage. Keep it in the fridge. Probably end up with some weird colour shift!!.
I see Adox Color Mision next to a computer :-D
The only reason I would like to learn how to use expired film is I need to use the stock of film which I bought new years ago but found that time has slipped away and now the film is 15 to 20 years old.
A friend gave me some film he had laying around but it’s from the 1980s 😮 so I’m not sure I’ll ever risk using it.
I shoot with some expired film but its film I bought but never used and has been sitting around. I've never bought any.
I’ve got a roll of Ektachrome 64T that expired in 1976 (2 years before I was born!) that I am yet to test. Will probably be crap tbh
May be an interesting result!
Expired black-and-white film? OK. Expired color negative or slide film? More of a gamble.;)
I only have useable results from expired slide film when I develop it as a black and white neg.
@@MrHerrera805 Hello Kodachrome, now Panatomic-X.;)
I’ve used some old b&w films that I’d bought and not used and most have been fine. One expired film to avoid though seems to be Ilford Pan F as it doesn’t keep well.
When the last brick and mortar store closed shop here I was there on the last open day buying up used and rental bit for dirt, they ended up giving me a box with 26 rolls of misc 35mm and 10 random rolls of 120. They told me it was in the fridge and shoot as normal. Some didn’t work at all but most worked just fine. I’m using the last of it for pinhole photos for this years project, see what happens :p
Great result!!
I think there are a lot of collectors, that's why the prices are high, I have seen empty boxes going for more than the actual film itself pretty often.
Expired film is a kind of lucky bag to see what will happen :-)
I can not understand why people pay as much for expired film as for fresh film. I have a lot of expired film that I bought fresh and kept in frig and freezer. I gave up film for a while but didn't throw that film away. I now use it because there is so much of it from 35mm to 4x5. My own old expired BW always comes out fine. I'm suspicious of all my own color expired because of color shifts and I don't like off colors. However, I accidentally purchased some expired film (they didn't indicate except in fine print) that the tmax400 bulk roll was expired. That film is brittle and pieces the spocket holes tear easily often while winding or rewinding the film. The film base has a greater fog, etc. It is hard to get consistent results. I only use it to test equipment never for anything useful. I have had great success with HC110 and stand development to get consistent developing results from this film. I see NO reason to buy expired file. However, I don't want to throw away all the expired film I have in my freezer and refrigerator so I do use that.
I guess if it's your own film that you've had all that time stored away you have more of a sense to trust it and not only that, see for yourself how it has kept over time in the freezer.
I've only shot one roll of (more-recently expired) Plus-X and it looked great. Beautiful film. Shame it went the way of the Dodo. I have to be honest, seeing that the expiration date of your film was the same year as my birth, and then hearing the phrase "nearly 40 years old", gave me a little existential dread.
I snagged the 5 box set of Acros II 35 for $25. They came expired, Adorama gave me a partial refund since I didn't mind (but wanted to know beforehand) so it ended up being around $3 a roll. Super expired film used to be nice and cheap online but it seems like subscription clubs bought most of it and now it's driving up the prices of whatever is left. I nabbed ten more boxes of Svema 120 at $4 a roll. Not really the bargain I hoped for, but still better than - say - $12 a roll for 30 yo Ektachrome.
No. Fresh Portra 160 and Fomapan 100 are so fantastic I would never use anything else. Well almost
I did never pay for expired film, but just in that moment, I decided to switch totally to smartphone photography, friends an relatives, who knew that I was photographing film, gifted me several expired films (36mm, color and reversal). So I decided to see it as an act of providence and to experiment with it. As of now I have three very different results from three color films and there are still about a dozen films waiting for me…
I've never tried smartphone photography for anything creative but I have seen some awesome work
I don't buy expired film. Too OCD to gamble with that much unpredictability! My old cameras are enough of a gamble! I have been collecting vintage film cameras and equipment (pandemic coping mechanism) for a few years from online thrift store sales here in the US. Most come in an old vintage camera bag with original accessories, paperwork and often some rolls of film -- stuck away in the attic or basement when Grandpa was too old to shoot the camera anymore (when I am too old to shoot a camera -- put me on a boat and leave me adrift in the arctic!). So often not the best conditions of storage. I in fact ended up with so many unknown -age expired rolls (mostly 35, but some 620/120/127) that I have been selling it on eBay with full disclaimers about "results not guaranteed" -- and always selling for less than what similar brand new film would cost. I'm not trying to make money but get this film out there to people who will use it and appreciate it. But at the same time I found that testing all of these vintage cameras was pretty expensive in terms of film/developing/scanning (I don't develop or scan, myself). So on a gamble I started using expired Fuji 800 color film so at least I would get an idea that focus/shutter speed/exposure (well, again, a bit of a gamble with expired film) work, and no light leaks. I must say that 9 out of the 10 rolls that I shot looked cool. I always overexposed by just one stop. The results were a bit grainier than the same film would be new, especially in the "black" areas, but had a cool "vintage" slightly faded, slightly dropped contrast look to them. When I ran out of the 800 I tried the same thing with Fuji 400 (shot at 200) -- not so good. Looks more underexposed, lack of strong reds/yellows and grainier -- so maybe it just happens to be older? I tried a few random rolls of Kodak 400 UltraMax -- which could not be more than what, 10-15 years old at the worst? Yuck! Plech! Definitely underexposed (shooting 1 stop over), grainy and ugly color shift. Oh well -- I could at least still use it to judge focus (especially for rangefinder/viewfinder cameras).
I actually cut a part out where I mentioned I had a brick of house clearance stored HP5 a couple years ago. It was really bad, heavy base. I used it to test cameras. Thanks for the comment Aengus
Kodak Plus X Pan was the first film I learnt to process in the dark room. Wish it was still around...
Hi Steve, Plus X was the poor brother of Panatomic X film. Apparently Catlabs X80 is available and is similar to Panatomic X. Hope this helps.
@@garychatfield6709 thank you, unfortunate very limited availability of Catlabs films in Australia.
@@stevehunt4660 Sorry to hear that Steve. Analogue Wonderland stock this film and ship worldwide.
I don't understand paying huge amounts for expired film in standard sizes but I do occasionally buy it in formats that are no longer made to test vintage cameras I've repaired or to get spools and backing paper for film I slit myself to those odd sizes. There seems to be a trend in searching for "happy accidents" in neo-film photography (see some polaroid channels!) whereas I'm guessing most of us traditionalists wanted to learn how to control and master the medium so good results were through our own skills. BTW - is that tree face at 6:48 accidental or a carving?
Yes it's been there for ages. Creepy eh!
Noticed a huge difference in price for film. The price difference could be as much as 20% . Is this just a case of greed from the vendors perspective?
I Have no idea how old this film is but it was in an old Starflex Brownie it is K color x ( I'm thinking it's type Kodachrome.) I know color film doesn't hold up very well especially the older type before the 90's. But I was wondering if I should develop it normally or should I attempt to push or pull the film in any way?
Wow. I am not the best person to ask on expired colour film
I don’t think anyone is buying expired film because it’s cheap - and honestly, I never see it cheaper than new film anyway! *If* that’s why they’re interested then honestly they’re in it for all the wrong reasons. I like expired film because I think it’s interesting to try and create something out of a material that’s no longer available or hasn’t been produced in decades. And the “old” stuff probably should’ve been thrown out decades ago. But it wasn’t, and it survived till today. So.. you expect me to just not use it?! Nah, might as well try. You never know. If anything it could be fun. I’ve shot nitrate base film dating back to the 1930’s and some of my favorite photos have been borne of such experimentation. And if not the photos themselves, then certainly the experience!
I can see the attraction of seeing a film from the 1940s ready to shoot. I picked one up in an antique shop from the 1970s for £2. I vlogged it if I remember. Bit of fun
20 year old kebab beautiful mate! LOL That reminds be of the that joke, If you are going to see Disney on ice save yourself the bother it's just old bloke in a freezer. I never buy expired film it's not worth the price usually someone gives it away for free. Expired photo paper on the other hand is much more rewarding especially for Lithing.
Agreed, expired photo paper is fun to try and you still have a good neg. I read the film Frozen was a smoke screen to stop people finding search results for Walt Disney actually frozen. Interesting
If I WAS going to use expired stock it would only be in 120 format (as you did, Roger). There is plenty of unusual stock emulsions in 35mm format for bulk loading, enough to satisfy the most ardent experimenter. I certainly wouldn't pay some of the crazy prices they're asking for expired stock.
Coming back to your shots, I don't know whether it's my eyes, stupidity, or age, but I think the 3 stops over roll have a more "silvery" appearance, at least from the scans you showed us, does it appear that way to you?
It would be interesting to see a wet print of some of these. Maybe it's a bit of degradation of the anti-halation layer (if Plus X has one)?
Yes the over exposed definitely looked better.
Watching this while recording a class at uni (what I do for a living) and had a laugh at the "stick a kebab in the freezer" line, which got me some dirty looks from the students.
I like expired film because it makes pictures look crappy. I prefer the word "artistic."
It really is hit and miss! I've had the good, the bad and the ugly. I live in the sub tropics and everything needs to be stored cold, otherwise the natural environment just decimates the film.
Great video as always mate!
You don't need a cat, but a Jack Russel. They really like chasing rats
I'm not a fan of wee dogs. What he needs is a tin of cat food, a torch, and a mallet !
As film ages the fog increases and the sensitivity decreases. Depending on how it was stored this can happen very quickly. If you don't know what has happened in the lifespan of the film then you cannot know what's going to come of shooting and developing the film until you test it. You should never buy a singular roll of expired film as then you are gambling with your images. Your images are worth more than that. If you want consistent results you have to buy expired film in batches that have been stored under the same conditions for the same amount of time. Assuming you can find this and you are willing to go through the testing process then yes expired film is viable. That is if it isn't so far gone that you can't get a decent image, something you can't know until you shoot it. So no don't shoot expired film unless you're kind of stupid like that.
I have used Expired Film since I started as an Impoverished Schoolboy on 2 Shillings and Sixpence a week Pocket money I used to go round all the Chemist's Shops asking and they would sell me Selochrome Pan / FP3 for 6d ( 2 1/2 New Pence) a roll which left me with 2 Shillings ( 10 New Pence) . I STILL USE Expired Film as I have been GIVEN so much from Deceased Camera Club Members and put it in a Fridge. I DO 'TEST' it first and CUT and Process a few frames -- I find 1 stop per decade is too much. Yesterday used a roll of 620 Kodak Verichrome Pan dated October 1976 and used it at 64 ASA after test in my Home-Made 510-PYRO for 8.5 mins 1:100 @ 20oc and got good negs with a little base fog. COLOUR is different -- do NOT USE OUTDATED 'TRUPRINT' film the WORSE Colour emulsion ! It goes all GREEN and loses loads of Sensitivity . Kodak Agfa Fuji OK though with extra exposure and a little extra C41 development.
You need to make that book of expired film Pete :)
End you up in the shit, I have been there lmfao.
I don’t get this at all. It makes no sense to me to spend hundreds or many thousands on the sharpest lens and pro bodies only to mess it up with foggy unsharp images. Film is still the cheapest part of our hobby ( if you shoot film of course.) why do it ?