Expired film

I have a box of Tri-X Pan film, that expired January 2004. Do you

think it would still be good? I bought the film originally to use in

a pinhole camera, but never used it. The film has not been kept in

the fridge.

What were the storage conditions? B&W film can be pretty robust if it doesn't get too hot.

You may see some additonal fogging and a loss of speed but I'm afraid the ONLY way to

know is to try some. Is this Tri-x Pro 320 or the 400 speed? Try rating it at ISO 200-250

and it might be just fine.

It may be OK - but the prudent approach would be to do a few test exposures before using it on critical subjects.

 

If you find that it's significantly fogged, don't just throw it out. If you know anyone who does serious black and white work, they may be able to use it for dye-dodging.

Nancy, it is probably still good. However, I would try to store it in a fridge until you use it.

It's fine unless it was left in an oven.

I've been shooting Tri-X 35 mm loaded from bulk rolls that expired in 2001 -- it's fine, with barely detectable overall fog and no significant loss of speed. I also have some TXT in 9x12 cm format that expired about the same time as yours; it's excellent.

 

Shoot a few test sheets to be sure (you'll need to get the development exactly right anyway) and then go have fun with your (presumably) inexpensive film!

Thanks for all the advice. For most of the year, the conditions in my home were fairly cool. I was planning on using this film strictly for pinhole, so I guess I'll just take some shots and see what I get!

 

Nancy

It should be fine. Changes in film after the expiration date are gradual and usually indistinguishable for a couple of years, at least to the eye.

 

The point of an expiration date is (1) to give the photographer a point at which you know the film will meet its specs if stored properly, and (2) to help the manufacturers sell more film.

 

Basically, the mfgr warrants the film to perform as claimed up to the "date" but not after. Kinda like cars; most of them still run OK after the warranty runs out. For a while, anyhow...

Nancy. It's totally fine. I'd put $50 on it. I've used 20 year old film without

incident. The only thing going against you is that it's high speed film. That

will generally fog more quickly. I'd give tri-x a life expectancy of maybe 12

years at room temp for the FB+F (film base plus fog density) to double over

fresh film. Even then, it's pretty even. It will VERY slightly change the

exposure characteristics ( the way it responds to highlights/shadows) -

almost imperceptibly.

 

Jonathan

I would endorse the opinions expressed above: you unlikely to notice much change, unless the film were stored some place very warm, or was from a lot that was marginal to begin with.

 

There is one general exception that deserves mention: film and paper are quite sensitive to certain volatile compounds, and the ones most likely to be encountered in a non-industrial environment are sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. The former is released by burning natural gas (a sulfur compound is used to "scent" it for safety) and in my case the latter comes out of well water. Storing film or paper in unsealed packages with poorly ventilation and sources of sulfur compounds will definitely shorten the shelf life. (You can probably figure out how I know this....)

I am currently using a batch of film expired in 1985 because it is a rare and great low contrast film, it is fine but the concentration of the development had to be stronger. and out of 200 sheets only 15 were fogged so far.

 

expiration is critical in color but 1 year expiration on black and white can be an issue on situations which apply to a meter and not pinhole.

 

a tri x expired in 2004 might be no worse that 10- 15% less contrast but in a long pinhole exposure that may be a dream come true

pinhole is such a guessing game anyway that you cant go wrong, what is the point of testing a development if you have no control over exposure?

Nancy,

 

I'd have to agree with William... I'm working my way through a box of 100 sheets that is

expired (vintage 1999) and it wasn't stored in the fridge at all. And, the room it's stored in

gets warm and cold intermittently.

 

But, give a couple of sheets a try and see what the end results are. I doubt you'll notice any

fogging with it.

 

I don't think you'll have any issues whatsoever... especially in light of the fact that you're

using it in a pinhole camera.

 

BTW... what aperture opening are you using and did you build the camera yourself? I'm

just starting to get into pinhole photography myself. :)

 

Good luck.

 

Cheers