Do you buy out of date film?

[coops]

I am new to lf and not a professional. Funds are limited and so I am considering buying out of date film from Ebay. I see 50 sheets of Velvia for $35, film that expired in the midde of 2007. Seems that it should be okay even if kept at room temp.
lThe guy has 20 boxes available.
Anyway, I was wondering if anybody here regularly buys out of date film.

[Gene McCluney]

While I have not "bought" any out-of-date film recently, I certainly "use" out-of-date film frequently. I have a large back-stock of film that was fresh when I bought it, but is now out-of-date. I have no issues with it.

[vinny]

I am new to lf and not a professional. Funds are limited and so I am considering buying out of date film from Ebay. I see 50 sheets of Velvia for $35, film that expired in the midde of 2007. Seems that it should be okay even if kept at room temp.
lThe guy has 20 boxes available.
Anyway, I was wondering if anybody here regularly buys out of date film.

That company had over 30 boxes when they started selling it. It won't go for much less than the buy it now price either, especially now that you mentioned it here. I bought one box from them a few months ago. I use expired velvia from as early as 2001 and no problems here as long as it stays cold.

[Brian Ellis]

I refrigerate film. Sometimes it's become a year or so out of date and I've used it with no problems. I don't buy out of date film. When I consider the financial cost of photography, especially the various trips I take, the cost of film is insignificant. I'd rather buy in-date film than take any chance on losing photographs because the film was out of date. I recognize that the chances are probably minimal but when I know nothing at all about who's selling the film and how it's been stored (strange but true - every single person who sells out-of-date film has kept it refrigerated and sealed) I just don't want to take the chance.

[Aender Brepsom]

I have used quite a lot of expired Velvia and never had any problems with it. If it is kept in the freezer or fridge, it can be used far longer than the expiry date.
It is said to be more important to have it processed quite quickly after having exposed it.

[lenser]

I shoot lots of Ektachrome that I've bought out of date on ebay....and I use it on commercial jobs.

I take two precautions. First, I check with the seller to see how it has been stored. If in the freezer, I buy it.

Secondly, before I use a batch on a commercial project, I test a few sheets in conditions similar to what I will be shooting to double check that I will have no surprises.

So far, no problems.

Tim

[coops]

[QUOTE=vinny;307029]That company had over 30 boxes when they started selling it. It won't go for much less than the buy it now price either, especially now that you mentioned it here. QUOTE]

Oops, sorry.
I guess that if I purchased several boxes and used couple of sheets prior to a trip to check they work fine, it's a safe bet the rest should be okay?

[IanMazursky]

I buy out of date film all the time. Some from as far back as the 30's & 40's.
Still works. Ive never had a problem with E-6 film up to 2 years old. After that it depends on storage. But even some of the 4 or 5 year old E-6 and C-41 looks great.

[Alan Davenport]

I've been shooting LF for five years. Every sheet of film I've used was out of date when I bought it. I'm about halfway through a full case of Ektachrome that was a year past its pull date when I bought it -- it's in my freezer, with the individual boxes in vacuum sealed bags; great stuff.

If you save money where you can, like on film, large format can be less expensive than 35mm. 4x5, anyhow. The extra money you spend on film is more than offset by the savings in processing costs, since you'll make far fewer exposures.

BTW, welcome to the asylum! :cool:

[PaulRicciardi]

I've shot BW film from the 60's and 70's with little problem. Sometimes you find that the older films have a strong layer of base fog depending on how they've been stored.
E6 film from 2007 sounds like it should be perfectly fine even if stored at room temperature.

The only films I would stay away from would be really old E6 or C41 films or old polaroid pack films. From what I understand E6 and C41 deteriorates faster than BW emulsions do. Old polaroid pack film tends to dry up so the chemicals are no good, but as we're talking LF that shouldn't be an issue.

Also, faster films degrade more quickly, I imagine it's because of their increased sensitivity. For example, I wouldn't worry about shooting 10 year old film with an ISO of 50 but I might worry about shooting 10 year old 3200 film. Granted I would still shoot it but that's just me.

But yes, I buy expired film all of the time, the photo shop I frequented when I was living in CT used to have a box on the counter of out of date film that I would dig through every time I went in there. I generally found at least a few goodies for 1/2 off their original price...I even picked up some free film that way too. I'd say if you want the old Velvia buy it and go for it!

[SamReeves]

Outdated film is an excellent value. As others have said throw it in the freezer and you're good to go.

[John Kasaian]

Depends.

I wouldn't buy color unless it was very recently out of date and I'd be shooting it very soon. I've got lots of dated b&w in the freezer, but I bought the stuff already frozen and it is a format I can't otherwise get (5" and 9-1/2" aero roll film) All my 120 B&W film is either dated or soon will be but it is obsolete anyway (Kodak VP) and I still have a stash of privately labelled APX 100 that is dated. I use the stuff and have no issues whatever.

For serious shoots I'd feel more comfortable with fresh film. As a pilot I was trained to always stack the deck in my favor and there are plenty of things to go wrong on a photo shoot so why add the possibility of something else to worry about?

[Glenn Thoreson]

Do I buy out of date film? Always. Refrigerate it, or freeze for longer term storage. It will last a long time.

[Ted Harris]

BTW, for the OP .... there are three "flavors" of Velvia; Velvia 50, Velvia 100 and Velvia 100F. They are very different films. All the raves you hear about Velvia are directed toward the Velvia 50 which is largely the same as the original Velvia. Velvia 100 doesn't perform quite the same although it is a nice film. I think you will find that Velvia 100F has may fewer admirers than the other two flavors. The film for sale on eBay is Velvia 100F. I wouldn't buy it. YMMV.

[Michael Kadillak]

The important variable in this discussion are the conditions that the film has been stored. If it has been refrigerated (and optimally frozen) that is the best of all situations. Many times you have to accept a persons word for this condition but I find most folks that claim that the film has been stored cold are stating fact because most of us store film this way.

While we know that higher ASA films are more susceptible to gamma radiation, a reasonable amount of B+F can be easily dealt with. Plus, in can be deal with in B&W quite easily.

Personally I would rather use outdated Ilford or Kodak than fresh Efke as the compromise of dealing with the possibility of additional density over erratic quality control is not even a close contest.

Cheers!

[rippo]

i don't think i've ever bought sheet film new! i always buy it used. wait...i bought some 2x3 Arista.edu Ultra new. but that's about it.

i happen to live within 30 minutes of a major photo college, so there are always students looking to unload 4x5 film after their first year. but i've bought ebay film too. just depends on the price. basically, i don't pay more than 50% of the new price, including shipping. never pay more than you can afford to throw in the trash without crying too much.

i've got more slide film than i'll use in a few years, and not enough b/w film to keep me going. i should do a swap with someone...

[davidb]

I'm about to shoot some Agfapan 100 that I was given.

It expired in 1987.

[Jim Becia]

I am new to lf and not a professional. Funds are limited and so I am considering buying out of date film from Ebay. I see 50 sheets of Velvia for $35, film that expired in the midde of 2007. Seems that it should be okay even if kept at room temp.
lThe guy has 20 boxes available.
Anyway, I was wondering if anybody here regularly buys out of date film.

I have been buying out of date color film for years without ever having a problem. I stick it in the freezer. I am shooting some E100VS that expired in 2001 without any problem. Got the film for about $15 for a box of 50 so I loaded up with as much as I could afford at the time. As for the Velvia 100F, I personally find it to be fine. I probably have 50 or so boxes of the cut and quickload film in the freezer. If your ultimate result is a print, I find the 100F a little less contrasty than the Velvia 50 or 100 in some images. As for the color pallette, that can be adjusted in printing. Try a box or two and see if you like it. I personally think it is a fine film. And with the new Velvia films going for 2 or 3 times the price, it's a nice value. Jim

[coops]

Thanks for the responses, I feel a lot better about buying out of date film now. But two questions:
1: If film is purchased to be used in a few weeks, is it worth freezing, or should it be frozed regardless?
2: How long after removing from the freezer can it be used?

Thanks again

[SamReeves]

Thanks for the responses, I feel a lot better about buying out of date film now. But two questions:
1: If film is purchased to be used in a few weeks, is it worth freezing, or should it be frozed regardless?
2: How long after removing from the freezer can it be used?

Thanks again

Usually a box will be thawed out in three to four hours at room temperature.

[Filmnut]

I often do buy and use out of date film, and don't beleive that I've ever has a problem. I find it a great way to save money, but I do make sure I test it before doing some important shooting though!
In answer to your question, I will leave it out for a few days or weeks, if I am dipping into it regularly, rather than go through the cold/ warm up cycle. But basically the more time it spends out, the shorter its' useful life is liable to be. Also, it depends on conditions, I have a darkroom in my basement that is fairly cool, even in summer, so I don't worry much, however, if you live an an apartment that gets hot, I wouldn't leave it out too long.
I am carefull about thawing and re-freezing, as when you open the package, it will take on the humidy of the area, so if its' particularly humid, I worry that the film will be damaged from the water in the air during the freezing, so I wrap it as well as possible when it goes back into the cold. I may be worrying unnecessarily though.

Keith

[eddie]

i use expired film all the time. i buy new stuff when i need to shoot weddings or other very important things.

i have had only one problem with color shifting. it was from a 120 roll of 800ASA that i had been carrying with me for several months in asia. it was hot. i am sure i cooked it thoroughly. funny thing was out of the 10 frames i got from the roll i have sold 3 different shots! all different images. (go figure)?

other than that one roll i have used 100s of rolls and 1000s of sheets with no other problems.

eddie

[Michael Graves]

I've got a roll of 35mm Kodachrome 25 with an expiration of 1980. Anyone want that?

[Gary L. Quay]

Anyway, I was wondering if anybody here regularly buys out of date film.

I found a roll of Kodak Super XX from, I think, the 1950s at a junk store. It's probably worthless, but I'm going to shoot it anyway.

Other than that, I do buy out of date film as long as it's from a pro camera store where they refrigerate it.

--Gary

[SamReeves]

I've got a roll of 35mm Kodachrome 25 with an expiration of 1980. Anyone want that?

Hock it on eBay. People go absolutely nuts for cold stored Kodachrome 25!

[venchka]

I've got a roll of 35mm Kodachrome 25 with an expiration of 1980. Anyone want that?

I'll take it. I think I have a matching roll in my freezer. More from 1989 as well.

[Kuzano]

I always buy "eBay special film". Can't stand to shoot current film. The price of current film upsets me so much that I can't pay attention to my composition and exposure setting at the camera. I buy on eBay all the time. I stick with people who sell film primarily and with over 99% positive feedback on numbers over 300 transactions. I figure if they sell film and have that feedback, people aren't complaining about the seller. (Although I realize most people arent going to complain if they accept the risk). I buy large format, 120 roll film, BW and color. I even scored 100 film cassettes for my Pentax Auto 110. Some of that film was dated early 90's, color, and was excellent upon printing.

[QT Luong]

I've been using exclusively out-of-date Astia for a number of years, cold-stored from Freestyle. I bought an additional freezer to stock it. Images printed digitally have to undergo some digital work no matter what, so a little shift in color is of no consequence.