Film expiry dates critical?

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Steveo_Hants

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I've not shot with film for many years and only when I was a kid! I've just dug out my granddad's old Nikon FG-20 and realised I purchased a couple of films to run through it a few years back, but they've both passed their expiry date. How critical are film expiry dates?
 
Hi Steveo, if they've been stored in a cool dark place they should be fine, even a drawer would probably be ok. If they were left on a window sill...borked....probably.:D
 
If it's fast film (800 and over) very. If under 400, forget about the date and shoot it, maybe rate it a stop lower to be sure.
 
If consumer film then it will probably be fine. I've shot rolls of Jessops that are 5 -7 years out of date. Never stored properly. Just left in the canister under a bed or on a shelf. Pro film would be toast.
 
WTS ^^^^

Personally I'd just shoot it tbh regardless of speed/storage.
 
Both stored unopened in their boxes inside the camera bag under a bed, couldn't get much darker! But it would have got warm in the summers.
Fuji Velvia 50
Kodak BW400CN

So shot them?
 
get it shot - you can always say you were going for the lomo effect if the films munged!
 
Ok will do. Next question, does the Kodak BW require a special processing or will any shop that does normal processing be able to do it?
 
BW400CN? It's not even that old then. I'm still shooting T400CN (what BW400CN replaced a LONG time ago!) and that's still looking good! The Velvia may look interesting, but it would anyway!
 
The velvia expiry is 11-2009, Kodak is 06-2011.
 
I wouldn't worry too much. I would advise against using the Velvia for anything with people in shot since it's far better suited to landscapes and the like but the same would go for brand new, factory fresh Velvia!
 
So the velvia will be good for shooting colourful flowers?
 
Yeah its very very vivid, though I'm not sure what it'll do being quite so old. Should be a laugh!
 
give it a go i just took a black and white film to asda they developed it using c41 process young lad couldn't work out why it was blank :bang:
 
Steveo_Hants said:
Ok will do. Next question, does the Kodak BW require a special processing or will any shop that does normal processing be able to do it?
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BW400CN is a special B&W film that develops in the ordinary C-41 colour neg process, so any minilab in the land can develop it.

As the Velvia is old, I would expect some loss of film speed (and a few colour shifts!) so I would expose it at ISO 40 to compensate. Be warned that on top of its vivid colour rendering, it is quite high in contrast so be careful in contrasty situations.
 
s162216 said:
BW400CN is a special B&W film that develops in the ordinary C-41 colour neg process, so any minilab in the land can develop it.

As the Velvia is old, I would expect some loss of film speed (and a few colour shifts!) so I would expose it at ISO 40 to compensate. Be warned that on top of its vivid colour rendering, it is quite high in contrast so be careful in contrasty situations.
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^^^^^^
WHS

The Velvia 50 will be fine just shot at 40Asa or allow 1/2 to one stop on metering numbers.
 
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