polaroid expiry dates

i am a novice photographer and recently purchased a polaroid 'one'

camera which takes 600 film. i was looking into buying a bulk load

of films but am concerned about the expiry dates on the packages.

are these simply guidelines? what are people's experience of using

film which is past the expiry date?

The packs of caustic goo dry out. Freezing isn't an option, either. Polaroid film is not something that you want excess inventory of.

I sometimes buy expired 600 film from ebay and find the colours to not even be interesting let alone dull. When the 'caustic goo' as it is being referred to becomes expired it slowly starts to dry out and doesn't spread over the picture as well and even when the polaroid is 'fully developed' you can see evidence of 'patchy' marks on the picture.

 

I would just buy a pack or two of expired 600 film and see, 600 film is bog standard polaroid film anyway, and i'm not talking as if i'm a pro...its very consumer level stuff. Might be worth trying 779 which is the PRO equivalent to the 600.

 

I tried a pack of SX-70 film which had expired in 2003 i think and had kept it in the fridge since it was bought last year but the 'caustic goo' had turned to powder and went nowhere! So i dont think fridging is gonna work, not on this film type anyway.

 

Have you had a look at pack film cameras like the EE100? they are just as cheap as your 'one' camera and also take fujifilm and fuji colours are awesome...

I'll say this as clearly as possible:

 

Do not use Polaroid film past its expiration date.

 

Only buy as much as you can use within a reasonable amount of time. Unlike most negative films, it just doesn't last beyond its expiration date. The developer gets all gooey and doesn't spread properly anymore, and eventually dries out.

 

Personally, I wouldn't even wait for it to get near the expiration date; I try to use the film when it is as fresh as possible.

 

The old-style pack film does seem to last longer than the modern integral films (like 600).

<p>I've purchased expired Polaroid film before, with amazing results, the colours develop in off colours, green and yellow tones. After a few good experiences with expired film, I made a few bigger bulk purchases on eBay. I learned the hard way, that eventually expired film, just dries up, and becomes uselsess. I've even seen the chemicals corrode film box. This pack expired in 1993.<img src="http://www.jaimevedres.com/Buying_Expired_Polaroid_Films.jpg" alt="" /></p>