Using film after expiration date?
 

We are leaving on vacation this Tuesday. How important are the expiration dates on 35mm film. We have a 12 rolls that expired in 99. My husband said he heard from a reputable source it doesn't affect picute quality.
Anyone know for sure? Thanks!

Hi snork,

I have had some experience in the conservation of photographic images.

Unless you have kept the film in the freezer all this time, it's not worth taking a chance on.

I have used expired film only once - on the best advice of my photo store - and it was fine - but the film was only expired by about 2 months. They said there is a built in safety-factor - but recommended against using any film expired for more than about 6 months.

I have used films more than a year past the expiration dates when I know they were stored properly....

But why take a risk when the cost of new film is usually such a negligible fraction of the total travel cost?

If you hate to throw away those '99 films, use them on occations when it does not matter if the pictures do not come out well.

There are a few things not worth risking in the expiration department:

Vacation photos and sunblock come to mind.

I agree that I would never use expired film for vacation photos. I have used film that was expired only a couple of months for unimportant photos at home and had no major effects, but I would think film that is five years expired would be entirely too risky to use on vacation.