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Using Expired Film - Need to Compensate?


I have a roll of expired ACUPAN 800 film. The film expired in 1999. However, I would still like to use it for some "effect" shot. I understand there will be degrading of the quality. Would like to know how should I compensate for the lost of quality. via overexposing? or underexposing? pull or push during processing? Also, will a filter help? if so, what filter? thankz


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September 05, 2001

 

Romen Vargas
  Hi Dominic,
As far as I know when film expires you shouldn't really use it BECAUSE you get colour cast in it. What colour depends on the film. I tried using old Kodak 400 once and it gave me a greenish yellowish tint to all my photos. All in all I've been told that when films expire it starts to react slower/fast to different colours.

But in any case I haven't heard of Acupan and almost sounds like B&W film.

Sorry I can't be of much more help than that.


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May 29, 2002

 

Mike
  why don't you try a clip test. it's a weird one for bw films-it's usually for e-6(slide film). you need to definitely go to a pro lab. shoot about 3 frames of gray scale or gray card at your rated iso. rewind the film. have the lab clip 3 frames from the beginning(note-tell them the beginning-sometimes they do an end clip which would yield nothing beacause it's at the other end.
This all depends on your camera too
i had a fuji that shot from the end to the beginning). ask them if they could leave you a leader as well. it's no fun digging the film out of the cannister if you don't have an extractor

anyway-tell them to process and print these normal. judge the prints accordingly.

then rate your film properly.

it's a lot more involved. but it's probably your best guess without shooting the whole roll blind

by the way- i've heard that film increases in speed as it ages.
some of the light-sensitive grains cease to be.

oh well
good luck
mike


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November 23, 2002

 
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