Best website to buy expired film?

[Marc Estalella]

I would like to shoot 4x5 expired film but I don't know where to buy it. Any guess?

 

[Donald Qualls]

Checked eBay?

Might also look in the Clearance category at Freestyle, B&H, Adorama, etc. If they have anything expired or short-dated, that's where it should land. Film Photography Project sometimes has expired films, but no telling what they'll have at any given time.

You could also post a Wanted to Buy ad here.

 

[cmacd123]

or do what I do, Buy too much and discover it has gone out of date sitting at the back of the fridge. :0

 

[abruzzi]

are you looking for expired film because you like the aesthetic, or are you trying to save money? I ask because in my experience, expired film is usually either free or surprisingly expensive..

 

[Agulliver]

These days, expired film on eBay is sold at a premium because some people value the unpredictability it brings to their photography. If that's what you're looking for then check out eBay and clearance pages of any online vendors.

If you're looking for cheap sheet film.....I don't know. Maybe very recently expired sheets might appear in clearance pages/boxes of photographic dealers.

 

[pentaxuser]

If it is to save money on recently expired film which should be as good as "in date" film then have a look at film retailers who usually have what is called a "clearance" section where films about to go out of date or have an expiry date of only a few months ago are sold.

A company in Birmingham, England called AG Photographic has such a section. Another company called Mathers of Lancashire, England occasionally have clearance stock. It just means doing a search frequently. Retailers who have clearance film have by definition made a mistake in their stock ordering by buying more film than they can sell within the expiry dates so it will only ever be a rare thing and the film stock will be limited

pentaxuser

 

[Marc Estalella]

Checked eBay?

Might also look in the Clearance category at Freestyle, B&H, Adorama, etc. If they have anything expired or short-dated, that's where it should land. Film Photography Project sometimes has expired films, but no telling what they'll have at any given time.

You could also post a Wanted to Buy ad here.

I've checked Ebay but the shipping price there is to high. And I'm from Spain so B&H, Adorama,... are out of my reach.

 

[Marc Estalella]

are you looking for expired film because you like the aesthetic, or are you trying to save money? I ask because in my experience, expired film is usually either free or surprisingly expensive..

I just bought a 4x5 camera and I would like to try new things with inexpensive film.

 

[Marc Estalella]

If it is to save money on recently expired film which should be as good as "in date" film then have a look at film retailers who usually have what is called a "clearance" section where films about to go out of date or have an expiry date of only a few months ago are sold.

A company in Birmingham, England called AG Photographic has such a section. Another company called Mathers of Lancashire, England occasionally have clearance stock. It just means doing a search frequently. Retailers who have clearance film have by definition made a mistake in their stock ordering by buying more film than they can sell within the expiry dates so it will only ever be a rare thing and the film stock will be limited

pentaxuser

Oh thanks! I'll check these companies out.

 

[removed account4]

I have a feeling many things in Europe with the VAT tax will be expensive, even if it starts off as cheep. I'd look into buying film from china, Shanghai film is really really inexpensive, or it seems it was for a while. there was someone exporting it and keeping people supplied and happy. https://www.ebay.com/b/Shanghai-Camera-Films/4201/bn_84529. might be worth contacting the seller to see if they have sheets still.
not sure if your film has to be panchromatic or if you can do non-panchromatic film, but X-ray film is usually pennies / 8x10 sheet and can be trimmed to 4x5 with a red light in the darkroom. its super slow though, like paper emulsion, id also suggest paper negatives with a yellow filter so it won't be as contrast-rich, expired paper is wonderful for negative because it is a little foggy and less contrast ..
have fun with your new camera and good luck finding expired film, most of the film I use is expired but usually its because its been sitting on a shelf for 15-20 years..or its paper also suffered the same fate ( on shelf for 20+ years or hand coated with liquid emulsion )

I ask because in my experience, expired film is usually either free or surprisingly expensive..

yeah abruzzi, very true. but that's been the way for years. . there was this boutique camera shop near where I grew up. it was in a posh suburban town catering to the leisure class, if you know what I am getting at. well, I went there ( this was 2000 ) and they had an expired 100sheet box of 4x5 Kodak tmy400 on the shelf, expirery date was something like 1996, had a price of 100$ on it, so I asked the clerk if that was the right price cause the film was 4 years out of date (pointed to the expiration date). he took his shirt sleeve and rubbed all the dust off of the box and said "yup that's the price, do you want it?" I went home and bought fresh 100 sheets of the same film from B+H. they shipped to me for $67. LOL.
John

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I've bought expired films here, and over at LFF.

 

[ColdEye]

Get some foma or shang hai. I think those will be cheaper than whaterver is expired 4x5 on ebay. Ask some local forums too if you have those.

 

[bnxvs]

I just bought a 4x5 camera and I would like to try new things with inexpensive film.

If you are looking for a cheap film for experiments and to take some experience - I recommend to try x-ray film. It's cheapest and easiest entry point to LF.
Otherwise you can try shoot on photo paper as "paper negatives" or with reversal process. But some expirience you'll need for such process (low sensitive, ortochromatic, high contrast, DIY chemicals etc.).
p.s. However, this is a forum section devoted to color photography, and I think we are all understand what LF color film isn't will be cheap, a priori. )))

 

[BradS]

Have you checked with Fotocasion in el rastro, Madrid? They stock Kodak and Ilford 4x5 sheet film. They might have some short dated or expired available at a discount.

 

[koraks]

but X-ray film is usually pennies / 8x10 sheet and can be trimmed to 4x5 with a red light in the darkroom. its super slow though, like paper emulsion

Not really. Most xray film works well at EI 50 to 80 in my experience. Not all that slow and still several stops faster than paper.
There are other reasons not to start with xray film however. It's prone to scratching, contrast can be difficult to tame, it's not panchromatic, it's very prone to uneven development and its tonality is just mediocre in my opinion. A film loke fomapan is a much better choice for someone just starting out with sheet film. Still quite affordable and it is a proper photographic film with good availability of processing data (development times &dilutions etc).

 

[MattKing]

Not really. Most xray film works well at EI 50 to 80 in my experience. Not all that slow and still several stops faster than paper.
There are other reasons not to start with xray film however. It's prone to scratching, contrast can be difficult to tame, it's not panchromatic, it's very prone to uneven development and its tonality is just mediocre in my opinion. A film loke fomapan is a much better choice for someone just starting out with sheet film. Still quite affordable and it is a proper photographic film with good availability of processing data (development times &dilutions etc).

And of course, it isn't colour film .
Note where this thread resides.