Will expired film damage my camera? (2024)

FAQs

Will expired film damage my camera? ›

Yes, photographic film is often okay to use beyond its expiration date. The extent to which you will notice effects of the film's age depends on how many years the film has expired by, as well as the conditions it has been stored in.

Film has an expiry date printed on the box. This is typically several years from the date of manufacture. After this it is still usable but you may find that it isn't as sensitive to light, may be partially fogged, may have colour tints or a lack of saturation or contrast.

10-20 years will see some noticeable deterioration. You will see those blues really start to take over. The grain size will increase, you might even lose a few shots on the roll. Anything older will be hit or miss and on a case-by-case basis.

Unexposed film loses sensitivity with age — 1 stop of sensitivity per 10 years is a widely accepted formula. The color dyes also start breaking down causing unpredictable changes to color and contrast. Many photographers intentionally shoot with expired film specifically for the surprise factor and trippy results.

Photographic film is often completely fine for two or three years past its expiry date on the box. However, eventually the chemicals inside all film will gradually begin to break down. The film will slowly start to become less sharp, show more grain, and have less contrast.

As photographic film ages it tends to have decreased contrast, increased grain, and significant color shifts. These features are highly desired by many film photographers so they will seek out expired film in the hopes of getting such results in their photos.

If your film was ten years expired you would shoot it at 200 ISO (1 stop overexposed), if it was twenty years expired you would shoot it at ISO 100 (two stops overexposed) and if it was thirty years expired (!) you would shoot it at ISO 50 (three stops overexposed).

Unused rolls of film typically have an expiration date of 2 years from the date they were made. However, don't throw out your expired film stock yet. Just because the old film is beyond the expiry date doesn't mean you can't still use it.

Most exposed films need to be developed within 6 months of shooting. Any time after 6 months, your images are going to start to break down.

You can also push, but that will add to the contrast, and sometimes expired film has weird color shifts, so the extra contrast might not be the look you're going for. Definitely DO NOT pull - pulling is very rarely needed (pulling is if you outrageously overexposed and you pull the film out of the developing early).

What do pictures on expired film look like? ›

Generally, old film produces images with more grain, increasing color shifts, more contrast, and less sensitivity. If you don't know your expired film's history—how it was handled or stored—you could be in for some surprises when you develop film.

Don't believe me? Take a look at the bottom of your disposable camera. There you'll see an expiration date. Most disposable cameras expire two years after their manufacture date, which gives you plenty of time to use and develop your camera.

Film usually expires 2 or 3 years after the expiration date on the box. After the expiry date, all film will slowly start to lose light sensitivity, become less sharp, show more grain, and have less contrast. Colour film is affected more than black and white film by dull colours and colour shifting.

We recommend a period of no more than six months from the time of film purchase before exposure and processing, provided it has been kept under specified conditions.