 BetterPhoto Member |
3 year old film rolls?? i have about 8 rolls of film which have been used and they have been in a draw for about 3 to 4 years, will I still be able to get them developed? they havent been exposed tolight or anything like that. thanks mik
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Jon Close |
Yes, they can be used and developed. However, I would not use them for any "critical" or professional work since undeveloped color print film deteriorates slowly with age (color shifts, loss of contrast and fogging). See Kodak Technical Reference - Storage and Care of Photographic Materials
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Jon Close |
Oops, bad link. Try again: Kodak Technical Reference - Storage and Care of Photographic Materials.
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Christopher A. Walrath |
I second Jon. Go for it. You'll get good images though they may be a little flat. But perfectly acceptable unless you only accept perfection.
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Alan N. Marcus |
Hi Michael, A bit of wisdom on old unexposed film: From the moment film is made, it is bombarded by radiant energy that acts upon the film in a similar way as light. Given time these radiant energies will expose the film and render it useless. While 8 ~ 10 years won’t completely wipe out the film, it won’t do it any good either. These energies are heat, gamma rays, and background radiation. As they slowly act on the film, first they hyper-sensitize, meaning its ISO is increased. Next the fog level is increased reducing contrast i.e. the curve or slope is flattened. Color films are also highly affected by out-gassing. Fumes from glue, varnish, cedar, pine, mothballs, natural wood oils, and the like, also slowly expose. Unfortunately out-gassing is not uniform as to it affects some emulsion layers more than others. As a result is the color balance of the film is grossly altered. One other thought; modern photofinishers buy reference negatives that are used to balance their printers. Film color balance alters from batch-to-batch. After 6 to 8 months the aim-point of all films alters enough to cause the reference negatives to be invalidated. In other words it will be a challenge of the photo lab to achieve a satisfactory balance. My advice is to toss the outdated film. Alan Marcus (marginal technical nonsense)
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John P. Sandstedt |
Take you film to almost any one hour lab that will also give you a CD containing your pictures. Ask for developing of the negatives only, and get the negatives and the CD. You can now view your images on your computer and do any appropriate editing. I take my film to CVS. Three rolls on one CD, all negatives in one envelope - COST #2.95.
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Christopher A. Walrath |
And I serve notice to all film photographers. I will humbly and graciously accept any and all film before being placed in the 'due consideration' file. Thank you
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