Check if film expired or not

[MindofMel]

Hi all,

I picked up some cheapo film in its 'pots' but no box - how do i tell if its expired or not from the cartridge itself? There doesn't appear to be any dates on them..

 

[alistair.o]

Use a roll and see.

(I am trying to make the above sound less harsh! It's not meant to be anything but plain advice)

 

[Peter B]

What kind of film is it? Some films have gone and can never be processed like Kodachrome and Agfa Scala, but there are still people selling them on the auction site. Other types get discontinued and someone might know when that was done if you list them or show a photo of them.

 

[s162216]

Some films have gone and can never be processed like Kodachrome and Agfa Scala

Actually both of those film types can be processed, although not quite in their original way. Kodachrome can be processed as a black and white negative film by some specialist labs, which it is anyway as they introduce the colour dyes into the film during processing by re-exposure and development.

Scala is just a black and white negative film as well, it was just optimised for reversal and can still be processed as a negative. Or even better it can be processed using the DR5 chrome process for a black and white transparency and actually gives better results than conventional Scala processing as its a chemical reversal process rather than using re-exposure to light.

Unless the film is seriously out of date or been stored in inappropriate conditions then it should be fine, especially if its black and white or colour negative as any colour casts etc can be corrected before printing. Slide film is a different matter though and tends to be more susceptible to damage.

 

[MindofMel]

Unless the film is seriously out of date or been stored in inappropriate conditions then it should be fine, especially if its black and white or colour negative as any colour casts etc can be corrected before printing. Slide film is a different matter though and tends to be more susceptible to damage.

Thanks.

 

[excalibur2]

****Unless the film is seriously out of date or been stored in inappropriate conditions then it should be fine, especially if its black and white or colour negative as any colour casts etc can be corrected before printing. Slide film is a different matter though and tends to be more susceptible to damage.***

....and would just add that last year I used some 12 year old expired colour neg film stored at room temp. some were pro film designed to be used fresh...anyway the results were very good and if there is a problem, it's usually a colour cast which has to be corrected in say Photoshop.