Found camera with expired film

Hi

 

I found a Fujifilm DL-270 Zoom in the family flat, which I think belonged to my late dad. There is unfinished film in it, pretty sure it's expired, no idea how old it is or what's on it. I had to get a new battery and it says there is still 13 shots left in it. Is it worth taking the rest of the shots on expired film? There is a button to roll the film back even if it's midway, but unsure about it.

 

Thanks in advance,

Larisa

Why wouldn't you finish the roll? It will not damage anything that was already shot. Most negative film will produce good, at least, images long after its expiration.

You'll get something, finish it!!

I would not risk damaging the film -- old film can be brittle. Why not take the camera to a photo lab or camera store. Best if the behind the counter people have gray hair. Have them unload in a changing bag or darkroom. Now have them send the film out for developing and printing. They will also re-battery the camera and check it out. I advise putting it on a nick knack shelf so everyone can admire it. Why start your new photo hobby with old fashion film. Buy a $200 point and shoot or stick with your phone camera. P.S. I once did this for my Grandmother who found and old camera in a cabinet. The pictures came out -- they were Grandpa and his mistress -- what a surprise - he was long dead so no harm no fowl.

I've developed film that has sat in a camera for at least 40 years. The color had shifted but the images were still reasonably clear. I converted them to black and white and they didn't look half bad.

The camera was first released in 1994, so the film is no more than 25 years old. It shouldn't be brittle unless the camera was stored in a hot attic and maybe not even then.

 

Finish is off and get it processed . . .

Once you've done it, why not post the images (if suitable) so we can see how the film behaved ?

Many thanks for all the replies.

My dad passed over two years ago, he was into his photography, a hobby he passed on to me. It's strange to find an unfinished film camera though as I know he switched to digital a while back. But I agree I guess the film shouldn't be particularly old.

The camera was stored in a draw in our family flat in London, gets a bit hot in the summer as it's 7th floor but nothing extreme... My local Snappy Snaps said they would develop it no probs. I just don't know if it's my place to finish it?

PS sure will post the photos (if suitable!)

PPS I've also got his Smena 8 which I've been experimenting with but not actually finished the film yet.

Many thanks for all the replies.

My dad passed over two years ago, he was into his photography, a hobby he passed on to me. It's strange to find an unfinished film camera though as I know he switched to digital a while back. But I agree I guess the film shouldn't be particularly old.

The camera was stored in a draw in our family flat in London, gets a bit hot in the summer as it's 7th floor but nothing extreme... My local Snappy Snaps said they would develop it no probs. I just don't know if it's my place to finish it?

PS sure will post the photos (if suitable!)

PPS I've also got his Smena 8 which I've been experimenting with but not actually finished the film yet.

 

I can understand why it might feel odd and not right to finish that roll of film. You don't think of it as yours. But I see that film as a gift to you, - a part of his life that's been passed on. Some unfinished business of his that's yours to finish now. You could use the rest of the roll as a tribute to him of sorts. Take pictures of people and places he cared about, - or maybe places from his youth.

A much missed member here used to do a lot of "found film" work and also wrote up marvelous accounts of what he found:

 

Gene M

 

Enjoy, it's really worth a look see.

OF COURSE it's in your place to finish it! If you don't who will? Think what your dad would have wanted. What's the difference between developing a half used film, and (for example) scanning some negatives you found in a box?

Thank you all for the kind words and encouragement. I guess I could give it a go sometime soon.

I'm not confident enough to develop it myself though. Recently have done with photo paper (from a pinhole camera) but not developed film before.

I have had rolls of my own film that I found 30 to 40 years later.

 

I developed a roll of VP122 that I bought that was almost 60 years old.

(It has a picture of the Mackinac bridge under construction, so I can date it pretty close.)

 

Color film doesn't age as well as black and white, though.

 

Some cameras will forget the exposure count when the battery dies.

Hopefully yours is right.

FWIW, after my grandfather passed away, his Konica Autoreflex TC with an unfinished roll of film got passed down to me. He too was a hobbyist photographer for many, many years and when I started getting more seriously into things would enjoy "playing" with my Rolleiflex as something he'd wanted for himself back in the 50s but couldn't afford.

 

I deliberated for a little while over what to do with that Konica, but ultimately took it on a trip with me to the little town in North Carolina where he lived for many years. I had about a dozen frames to shoot, so took photos of his friends I visited, the remnants of his flower garden in the house where he lived, and from the scenic overlooks of the roads he use to drive all the time. When I had the film processed, it was difficult to tell where his photos stopped and mine began-both in terms of the subject matter and the overall look and feel of them. It was quite an interesting thing to see...

This is Tri-X that was in the camera (Canon VI) for over 30 years.

 

There are some white spots in the darker areas that are age fog, but otherwise it

came out pretty well.

 

It was developed in Diafine, as that is what I had at the time, and not in D-76,

as I had 30 years earlier.

 

I had borrowed the camera from my father for black and white use, after I bought

my Nikon FM for slide film. After some rolls, I returned it to him with this roll.

He then found it later and sent me the film. I think this is from the last roll

off a 50 foot roll.

(It was from my last days in my college dorm.)

 

 

 

Well you do need to consider the following aspect of things.

 

Places like Walmart or Meijers or Whalgreens will call the local state police on your butt if you develop film or try to print photos that they consider "bad". Seriously, if the person running the film department that day doesn't like the fact you developed a roll of film you took at your nieces sweet 16 birthday pool part, or try to print off a 14x20 photo of your girlfriend in her hello kitty thong.... they call the cops on you as being a pervert.

 

And if you WORK at those stores and develop or print either of those things,,, you actually CAN fire you for cause.

 

SO one may want to think about who owned the camera last and any rumors about them... Say you get the mint condition almost unused Argus C3 complete with auxiliary lens kit in a garage sale and find a roll of exposed film...

 

If it was from the garage sale run by the children of the recently passed away gym teacher who was known for "spending to much time helping students take a shower after class" your best just throwing it away.

 

But if it was from the garage sale of a military photographer who had it over seas with him during say korea, there can be some really good stuff on it to develop.

I'm a girl and I'm in UK, no idea what the laws are here for these things. when I found the camera my sister voiced the same concerns, but more as a joke I think. Why would anyone take questionable photos if they knew they'd have to develop them somewhere? My dad never developed film himself. Though there's that 1% chance it's not actually his camera.

Get it developed, otherwise you'll never know.

 

Family photos are, for the family, the most important, greater than the greatest work of art, so it's worth finding out.

 

 

As to the risk of 'questionable' images, well, I'd trust you to know your own father, but as you said, film would have to be developed somewhere, so the risk is very small. There's a reason Polaroids were so popular before digital came along...

As well as I know US laws, if there isn't anything actually illegal, they won't do anything about it.

(Community standards are complicated, though.)

 

I do remember a store that had the minilab printer in the window, where you could watch the prints come

out and fall into the output bin. That might not always be a good idea.