If you already shoot film, then you know the importance of adapting to uncertainty.
Film can fog, or become damaged during development. Shutter speed might drag or mirror positioning may not line up correctly. Without an LCD screen built into the camera, there’s no way for you to check if you captured a perfect shot – all your faith rests with you, your camera, your skill, and the film you use.
As soon as you open up the shutter, it is like taking an actual trustfall.
Use of expired film compounds the uncertainty, much like using a parachute you just bought at an army surplus store: you don’t know who packed it or what damage may have been sustained since its purchase. Of course, things don’t seem so dire: roll of film should have far fewer variables and bets riding on it compared with its equivalent parachute!
What do you mean by “expired?”
A flash card should work similarly regardless of when it was made; film on the other hand uses chemical reactions instead of semiconductors to capture images, rendering its functionality obsolete after some period.
To make film, a gelatin paste containing silver salts is spread onto strips of thin plastic before being wound into rolls – similar to printing paper or even textile. What’s important in this regard is recognizing how light or other forms of radiation alters silver halides chemically through photochemical reaction.
Film has an expiration date for various reasons. Over time, silver halide sensitivities may become less sensitive. Cosmic radiation and nuclear testing fallout may also modify unmodified silver salts randomly–usually somewhat evenly–to produce fogging effects which reduce available unexposed crystals while simultaneously adding noise – an effect known as fogging.
Color films contain multiple layers of silver halides interspersed with dyes and color masks that degrade more rapidly than silver halides, while multiple layers may degrade at different rates.
Most films come with an expiration date two years from their month of manufacturing, more as an “ideal use by” date rather than an expiration date; manufacturers use this rule to protect themselves against complaints about film’s unpredictable aging properties, but there’s no harm done if you use film well past that point!
Where can you obtain expired film?
It can be found just about anywhere – even your parents’ or grandparents’ attic could contain some.
Independent drug stores, gas stations and convenience stores may still have unsold film that has been sitting on shelves for years. Thrift stores sometimes receive donations of old stock from warehouses or retail chains while estate and garage sales often sell old film that has been sitting idly. Antique stores may provide access to older film but be prepared for unreasonable pricing.
Any store selling film cameras likely carries expired film from previous purchases, while Craigslist and similar online classified sites sometimes yield small quantities. In addition, The Film Photography Project sells several expired stocks that have been tested and includes their recommended speed rating in its description.
Alternatively, eBay might be an option worth exploring; though this usually ends up being one of the more costly solutions.
