out of date?

[Thomas Bertilsson]

I think the Efke and Foma sheet films don't have the same sealed envelopes that Kodak has, so the condensation that could form on the film sheets could be harmful for the film. Just a theory, but it's the same theory that's the reason I store my own film in the freezer in double zip lock bags. Same for paper, but they go in the fridge mostly.

I used to try expired film and paper a lot, and according to wogster's advice earlier, I wasted a lot of time. Now I have a ton of portfolios that I need to reprint because I went cheap before, because there is no consistency to it unless you know exactly how it was stored (just like Ian says).

With that said, a couple of months past expiration will do nothing to Ilford Fp4+ film. To some extent I agree with Ralph's sentiment earlier that the best we can do to the film industry is to buy fresh film. There is some old film that will not get used if we all follow this advice, but perhaps that's not the end of the world? What you can count on by buying fresh is consistent results with regard to negative contrast, grain, and base fog. It assures quality in your work that you may not afford to pursue if you really care about your art. Then again, some artists like different treatment for different series, so if you find a batch of 50 or 100 rolls for cheaps, perhaps it would still be worth it. Unless it's airport sandwiches.

My 2 cents.

Fyi, freestyle doesn't refrigerate expired films they've got in the store. It may be different in the warehouse but I've seen stuff like 8x10 infrared sitting around there for months with a 50% off tag. The store also doesn't cold store b+w sheet films and many off-brand b+w films like efke and foma. I don't see why when their fridge has plenty of empty space. The last time I bought polaroid type 669 they pulled it from under the counter. When I asked why it wasn't cold stored they said "it doesn't need to be". Again, it may be different in the warehouse.