24 YEAR OLD FILM!! How I tested this to see if it was still good! What would you do?

[@scottplumer3668]

I bought a 100' roll of Kodak Ortholith film that expired in 1979. It had an ASA of 12, but my camera only went down to 25. I think I shot it set at 25, then just added some exposure time, if I recall correctly. It turned out really well, and being orthochromatic film, really contrasty.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Nice one Scott!

[@lensman5762]

Slow to medium speed B&W films do not deteriorate so much, past their expiry date, if the wrapper is well sealed.Kodak used to be top class for packaging. I have not used them recently so I can not comment on their present stock. Going for stand development was a good call and no acid stop bath, as the emulsion gets very brittle in an old film so the less agitatin and banging around the better, and I would also advocate the use of an Alkaline fixer which is a lot milder than a rapid acid fixer. Good results.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Interesting tips. Cheers Lensman! I never knew that about lower speed films. Like airport scanners then!

[@philwoodall9023]

Opening your Camera and finding no take up spool is something that happened to me. I once went to the wonderful town of Arles with a Super Ikonta and three roles of Ektar. Guess what; I ended up shooting two rolls of Ektar and trashing a roll for the spool. Arles is a town rooted in photography, but don't try and cadge a spool!

[@RickLeMon]

When I started shooting medium format, the first thing I did was buy a spare spool because I know me

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

That was on my mind! But, instead of wasting a roll of that expired film I went to a camera shop to ask for a spool or a roll of 120... no film! I then went to three charity (thrift) shops to find an old camera that may have had a spool... no cameras! I waited till the next day ha ha. Lesson learned there.

[@funkyuk1]

with b&w shot at box, stand dev, mostly comes out ok. colour over 10 years, i’ll usually add a stop, just a stop, no matter how old the film is.

[@veivoli]

I've got about 10 rolls of various Kodak colour film that expired in the 1990s, including one roll of Kodachrome 200 that's pretty useless. Thus was rescued from the fridge of my late cousin that I also rescued the OM2000 from. One day, before we both get much older, I must test some of it...

[@cptsalek]

I love shooting all kinds of films and formats, including expired films I bought w/o knowing how they were stored. Especially colour film gives some interesting looks. Granted, this is more experimental shooting, very often including Lomography cameras. The LoFi look is incredible. :)

[@erichstocker8358]

I shoot a lot of expired film but it is film that I have had since new. I keep it in the freezer or refrigerator. I once made an error and purchased a 100ft roll of TMAX 100 not realizing it was out of date. Most of the film was just unusable. One could get 4 or 5 images from a roll of 24. I ended up just throwing the remainder of the roll away. Generally my B&W is up to date because when I shoot film it is mostly B&W. For color I tend to use my digital cameras. I don't use expired film unless I know the history of storage and this generally means film that I personally have had since new.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Shame about the 100ft roll! I would have been gutted!

[@erichstocker8358]

Yes it was a stupid mistake not noticing that It was an expired roll. It wasn't well taken care of either. @@ShootFilmLikeaBoss

[@anthonys_expired_film]

I shoot a lot of expired film that has not been stored in a freezer. My experience is that the +1 stop per decade mainly applies to color negative film. B&W film does not degrade like color film. For the most part, low ISO expired b&w film like Kodak Panatomic-X, Technical Pan, Verichrome Pan, TMAX 100, and Ilford Pan-F and FP4 can all be shot at box speed even after 20 years (or even 30 years in the case of Verichrome Pan) after expiration. (There’s always exceptions so only use it for fun photography). Then higher speed B&W film like all the 400 varieties can go up to 20 years at box speed, with a +1 stop not hurting results. For development, I’ve gotten the most consistent results using the stand development method and 1:100 dilution of HC110/LegacyPro L110 or TMAX developers (I haven’t yet tried Rodinol but I see many KZbin videos with that developer with good results too). Your scenario in this video is not typical of what many expired film photographers use because their film is not freezer stored from purchase. Your video shows the best case scenario, which is fine because it’s good to see examples of freezer-stored expired film. Thanks for making videos on this topic, Boss! 👍🏻

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Cheers Anthony. I've probably used and tried most developers but never used HC110.

[@thomasfeimer1706]

I shoot a lot of expired black and white film. I've found the "one stop per decade" rule is mostly rubbish. Generally, I'll overexpose half to one stop to counteract base fog if it's high speed and 20+ years old. 100 or slower films I would just expose at box speed and not worry about it. I once bought a 20 year old roll of Tmax P3200, storage conditions unknown. Box speed is technically 800, so I shot it at 650. Turned out like it was new.

[@DanielSchneider77]

Generally, I shoot expired black and white film at box speed up to 20 years after expiration, then do one stop after that. If it’s 30 years or more past expiration, I just don’t buy it. For c41 film, you’d be shocked at how much of the stuff in the range of 10-20 years expired comes out looking practically fresh if you just ignore the box iso and shoot it at 50. Faster stuff deteriorates faster than slow speed film, and color neg can usually handle overexposure very well anyway. I almost always just set my meter to 50 iso without a second thought if I’m loading old color neg and I haven’t missed yet. Of course, you want to be smart about it, maybe don’t do that on a roll you know has been cold stored or a roll of 800 that is toward the shorter end of that window. I usually ask myself what is the lowest iso I’d be comfortable shooting it with if it were fresh, then apply the standard rule from there. If you do that, you often end up at 50 iso.

[@astrothetic7313]

A few months ago, I shot a roll of Tri x pan film that expired 1975 umsure of its storage and the results still came out very well

[@rick-fstop-lewis]

Kodak (mike drop)

[@fredintheshead]

Just got around to shooting my first two rolls of expired film I got in a job lot of 8 rolls of 120 film for just over £24. There's 5 rolls of Kodak EPY and they're only 32 years old! Obviously, I gave no idea how they have been stored but it turns out they are ok(so far) After my first time doing E6 developing, the results are pretty good. Shot them on my Kodak model 66 and Bronica EC.

[@xville8642]

I usually shoot BW at box speed, never had any issue with it , developed in Paranol S at box speed as well.

[@alanhuntley55]

With Rodinal 1:50, I've found that about 1/2 ml of 1% Benzotriazole in 1L of working developer works nicely to minimize fog in old film.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Thanks Alan. I've never used it.

[@johnkaplun9619]

I've dabbled with expired film, but the issue now is people ask more tham fresh film which is ridiculous. Just defeats the purpose of messing around without worrying about cost of a frame. I like the artifacting sometimes, especially on B&W, but base fog is pretty much just a drag. And I've also had backing paper number pop through in the past.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

You're right with the pricing John.

[@bjadov]

Great results! I just got 2 rolls of DNP Centuria 200 film, but I don't see an expiry date anywhere on it. Maybe it was taped over by the store that sold them back in the day, but peeling it off just peels the packaging away with it too. It's going to be interesting trying to guess when it expired :D

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

A complete mystery tour!

[@funkyuk1]

i buy lots of used camera gear from auction/ house clearance etc. loads of it has been loft or shed stored for over 20 years. It shows in the condition of cameras & lenses. the temperature variance in a loft or shed is mad throughout the year. if film’s been stored there too, it will generally be shite 👍🏼

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Definitely. A lot of cameras come out of the loft after 30 years with that lofty smell

[@shreedevi2005]

I stocked up on film in the mid to late 2000's when there was a panic about film going the way of the dodo. I have a freezer full of sheet film, medium format, and 35mm film. I just exposed a roll of Ektar 120. Dropping it off at the shop today. Let's see.

[@flyingo]

Same here. I bought up film cameras and film back in about 2004-2008. Canon AE-1s for $15 per, Nikons for $30-$50.. and hundreds of rolls of 35mm film for pennies per roll. My freezer is overflowing.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

I can imagine the excitement back then walking into a camera shop and the owners face getting rid of all the film stock!

[@jamesal6138]

Crikey, these films are nearly as old as i am and are in better condition than i am 😅

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

LOL!!!!! When you get some expired film in 2050 that expired in 2025 you'll know what I mean! It goes quick! Enjoy it.

[@jamesal6138]

@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss haha! Thanks Roger

[@russellsprout2223]

Great video, Rog. I haven't got the first clue how you do all those animations to make your explanations so clear. Thanks for all you do for us film users. Atb.

[@thomaschamberlin2485]

I have been shooting some Kodak E100VS slide film that expired in 2008 and has been frozen most of the time since then. It is fine at box speed, but has a strong magenta cast. I use it on foggy days to exploit that magenta. I just shot a roll of Velvia 50 that was with the E100VS so I assume it is the same age. It was clearly more that a stop under-exposed when shot at box speed. It is very grainy for ISO 50 film (the under exposure played into that somewhat). I also have to dial the magenta back to about -24 in Lightroom with it, but it is not as magenta as the Kodak, which appears to be seriously deficient of green pixels.

[@RickLeMon]

I just bought a couple rolls of respooled Ilford Mark V black and white motion picture film that expired in 1978. I'm waiting for a suitably moody day to shoot it.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Well I learned something there. I never knew Ilford once made motion picture! Or that film! Hope it turns out well for you Rick.

[@JasperBunschoten]

I just shot 50 year old Agfa BW film. Originally 40 ASA. Shot it at 3. Wondering how it will turn out! But shoot a lot of expired colour film! If you're picky about who you buy it from it usually turns out fine!

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Fingers crossed Jasper.

[@amosk24]

OMG, I thought the same thing, 2000 isn't too bad. 😂 Time keeps rolling! Good job Boss

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

I know right!!! Even my Wife when I told her the penny dropped.

[@josephawatson]

I have a bunch of verichrome pan and plus x I bought in the early 2000s seems like it still holds well at box speed. Color I have not had the same experience.

[@burningmilk53]

I bought a brick of 120 FP4 that expired in 1981 a few months back. I've shot a couple of rolls, and it shoots and develops like it's brand new! The only weird thing about it is that it has a crazy delicate emulsion, and I have to be super careful when it comes out of the development tank. I might try it out with a hardening fixer next, to see if that helps. Love testing with expired film, I've had almost all good experiences.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Strange to read about the emulsion. I don't think i've come across that

[@gatblau1]

I bought a bunch of film around 2007 then life got in the way and I didn’t get a chance to use it. The main reason I would like to use it is I would hate to waste it. Unfortunately it was not frozen.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

It's probably fine as long as it hasn't been in a hot humid pace such as a loft (attic) for all that time.

[@simonwilliams6140]

I think TMax 100 must be particularly stable. I bought an old but unopened box of 4x5 from Abraham Vinegar (your N American friends will likely know who I mean) for very little and they've all been great shot at box speed. Got good results from some early '80s Pan F on 120 too from the same source.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

It's always nice if it's a bargain and hold up well Simon. Nice!

[@flyingo]

I love the expired stuff! If it’s over 10 years old (b&w) I “kind of” follow the stop per decade advice, but only with negative film. E6 or slide film only gets a half stop per decade.. maybe. I can only say that the results can be artistic, fascinating, or right rubbish, but I enjoy it. I’ve got a roll of Kodak type 103 film with a 1948 date that I’m excited to play with it in a 4x5 LF camera soon.

[@rick-fstop-lewis]

Let me know how those turn out! I am really curious about a film THAT old. I thought my 100 roll of Kodak 2415 Tech pan that expired in 86 was old! I think I might give it a go for a roll or two and see.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

1948!! I can imagine that will produce some interesting results especially 4x5

[@BobOgden1]

Here in Oz they're selling expired film like its vintage wine, the older it is the stupider the price. I stick to fresh stock

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Ouch!

[@SinaFarhat]

i have a lot of ektachrome 100 and 200 in 120 that expired in 1995 that has been freezer stored since day one so i happily shot them at box speed and 9.5 out of 10 get great results!

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Great news!

[@danem2215]

I overexpose and underdevelop expired rolls - not sure where I read it but overdeveloping expired just increases the fog. The 10 year guideline works most of the time, except for some Panatomic X 32 I had from 1982 that was very dense when I shot it at 16.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Sounds like a good plane Dane! I might try that on some TRI-X I have that is fresh BUT has a heavier base from airport scanner!!

[@idahofur]

Years ago I wondered into a dollar store and they have 24exp Polaroid 35mm film. Close to expiration date. I think it was iso 200. Anyway I chucked it all into a freezer. I think when i looked it up. It was mfg by Afga at the time for Polaroid.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Sounds like AGFA VISTA 200. We had that in our pound store about 10 years ago. Never to have returned!

[@Resgerr]

Mine is sitting under my darkroom sink, don't bother altering speed. I had some inprint of backing paper from 120 film Ilford FP4 I'd kept from my college years on the 90s, of course stored badly but that's me. Other rolls in the pack were ok if I remember correctly.😂

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

I couldn't leave film in my darkroom shed! Summer would kill it ha ha. Like paper!

[@Resgerr]

@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss mines in the boxroom 😂

[@thomaspopple2291]

I don't buy expired film unless it's from a reputable film store that has kept it cool/cold stored. I tend to buy a lot of film at once so they usually go out of date while I have it. I always keep it cool/cold stored. Black and white I just shoot at box up to 15 years. 15 to 25 I overexpose a stop. For Color negative, 1 stop per 10 years. Slide film. If it's more than 5 years old, I don't shoot anything important.

[@Uwe_Ludolf]

Everyone says that about slide I have some 1997 Agfa RSX100 that I expose at 25 and some 2009 expired Fujifilm Astia (@64) that looks perfect.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

I've never shot slide film! I have some in the freezer! One day

[@22fret]

Just used a roll of Agfa Copex Rapid, expired more than 30 years ago. The emulsion was completely shot, which brought some interesting results - from an artist's POV, but all in all it was quite rubbish...

[@rick-fstop-lewis]

Only a true artist can appreciate absolute rubbish!!

[@22fret]

@@rick-fstop-lewis That's indeed true. The images look really interesting...

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

That film is nuts from the start! Glad you got some results from it.

[@22fret]

@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss Should be quite a pleasant film to shoot when it's new, at least according to sample pics I have seen. Maybe I'll give it another try with a fresh one. But there's still a roll of the old stock left...

[@matt_phistopheles]

I would extend the warning to all film rolls with unknown history, expired or not. I've just shot two rolls of B&W film that I've got in the box with a used camera and they were officially good until the end of 2022. both rolls were fogged as hell and they had an ugly leopard pattern all over the emulsion. Maybe direct sunlight on a shelf for a year or two? The photos are just test images with the new camera and the film was free. So I'm not complaining but I didn't expect that result.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

I had similar with a brick of HP5 i picked up at auction just out of date. No pattern, just a heavy heavy foggy base. Cheap as chips so wasn't too upset. Like you I thought storage killed it.

[@cabbelos]

I'm a sucker for expired films, if a few prequisites are met... 1) known source, 2) cold kept, 3) big lot so I can do test rolls, 4) has to be way cheaper than fresh film. Like 1-3 eur/roll max. Only if it is something that I really want and cannot be purchased new anymore, like Provia 400X or Ektachrome 200, I can pay a bit more than that. Black and white keeps the best, but Fomapan is so cheap it's better to just buy it fresh. Proper freezer kept slide film might develop slight color casts after 25-30 years, but is usually good. I always shoot it at box speed. Not a big fan of colour neg even when it's fresh, but it seems when it starts to expire it does so in very unpleasant ways. Shadows go fully green and the grain goes through the roof. You can sort of blast through the grain with overexposure, but you're never getting the shadows black in-camera.

[@hoggif]

There's expired firm and expired film (kept in cold). I'm getting back to analog and just developed a few rolls of b&w from about 15 years back. One (in warm camera all the time) fogged to unusable levels. FP4 in warm cam definately fogged but I guess usable footage with scan (not great though), fp4 in fridge fogged but not that bad. I've used old frozen film way back and all it had was some fogging that was mostly not an issue. I'm looking forward to seeing what my frozen ones are like when they'll be shot. I'm sure of history fo those. (That includes quite a few films not manufactured like velvia in roll and sheet plus lots of sheet films b&w that I'd really like to use due to current costs). I have used warm kept well expired C41 way back and I got hmm.. "interesting and artistic" colors at least. If kept in cold, try it out. All you miss is some developer and a roll you tried on. Way worth testing especially if you have a lot like I do. Oh, I'll get interesting insight on developing some old films I found. I almost always shot zone 1 + zone 8 test frames to calibrate film speed and developing (on 35mm rolls). I exposed for 0.1+fog density for zone1 and around density 1.2 for zone 8. Scanners can make great densitometers!

[@Socrates...]

Thank you

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

You're welcome

[@thenutter2003]

i have had mixed results with expired film some seems ok but others no good at all if the film is a really good price i might try it out but i would never pay some of the prices you see on ebay.

[@podhoncisty]

Hi Roger I like expired films, I like unpredictable results, of course sometimes the film is in very bad condition, so are the negatives, but when everything turns out as it should, then I'm happy 🙂 I also use the rule "one stop per decade" but with with the addition of intuition and courage, I'm not afraid to add a little more exposure, old films like a lot of light. In May of last year, I loaded my Seagull 4A with a Fortepan 100 that expired in 1986 and shot at 8 ISO, the photos turned out great, considering the age of the film 🙂

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Awesome Pod. I totally understand why some enjoy the wonder of it all.

[@michael195b]

Shoot it from time to time, had generally good results but don't bother increasing exposure and cross my fingers. A mate gave me 2 rolls of film with fungus on it it's been that badly stored, he shot a roll of old buildings and it looked excellent so I'll take similar shots when I use it.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Brilliant!

[@user-ve3gh5xg9q]

Hello Boss👍

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Hello 👋

[@Mennozo]

I use expired film every now and then. Bnw holds its quality much better. Like the Tmax 400 that expired in 1995 and which I rated at 100 iso. Came out flawless. I have a film that assumably was made in de 1930’s (??) which I’m a intresested in seeing what it does. And have many other like that still, like reproduction film which had no other tones than pure black or white.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Sounds like fun! The oldest I shot was 1960's Russian film but it was really awful!

[@dylanhill1640]

I haven't had any issues with expired film that I have kept in my mini fridge.

[@АкваНуб-р5е]

Для очень просроченых плёнок хорошо подходит проявитель ИД-62, в котором есть и бромид и бензотриазол. Время проявки подбирается для каждой плёнки индивидуально. Может быть и 15 минут, а может быть и 40 минут

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

TRANSLATED: For very expired films, ID-62 developer, which contains both bromide and benzotriazole, is well suited. The development time is selected for each film individually. Maybe 15 minutes, maybe 40 minutes

[@acmdv]

I've been living in the same house for 27 years, my dad has lived in the same place for 34 years.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Thats content! Nice.

[@acmdv]

@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss We've lived in the same village for almost 46 years.

[@funkyuk1]

used 120 film is more likely to have been fridge stored since folks who shoot it would have been used by photography enthusiasts, rather than regular family snapshotters

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

Thats actually a good point!

[@RickMahoney2013]

Stay away from it especially if you are shooting something that is very important to you. If you have extra time and money go for it but personally I don’t mess with it anymore because all my photos are important to me.

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

I had a brick of HP5 that was just out of date that I saw at an auction. Same as you but without the pattern. Just a heavy base. Unusable really! I assumed it had been sitting in a hot place for a long time.

[@rossmansell5877]

.and the moral is...dont take a chance...................🤣🤣

[@katharinemovertonphotographer]

Most of my film is expired keep it in my fridge. Most of the time it is ok.

[@theblackandwhitefilmproject]

I haven't used expired film but I'm nearly expired myself it that counts🤣

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

ha ha!! I feel expired some days!

[@SloopJohnBeeRockabilly]

Must admit I have never shot expired film. And haven’t stored film in a freezer. I would have thought it might do more harm than good. I would expect the actual celluloid to go brittle like really old negs do in normal conditions. 👍📸

[@ShootFilmLikeaBoss]

I think the people that sell that CCTV and other strange films they get their hands on thats on large rolls have been kept in a freezer storage for decades. And they spool it onto cassettes. I don't think freezing film does it any harm but food for thought!