Can film or one-time-use cameras be used after the expiration date? Why do they expire?

Question

I have some single use cameras that I forgot about in a drawer. They say to develop before 07/09. I would like to let the kids use them on our vacation in October, but I obviously don't want to risk not having the photos develop properly because the film was old. Why would film expire anyway, assuming it has been stored properly? Will a few months really make much difference?

Answer 1

The chemicals in the film are not totally stable and tend to degrade over time. As Gary in the DB noted, film is negatively affected by heat. Some photographers actually keep their film in a refrigerator. Although you can take photos after the expiration date, there is a good chance that the film will not develop well and the photos will be of poor quality. If the photos are important - use fresh film! If your just playing around or experimenting you can get by with the old stuff. For vacation photos, I think I'd use fresh film.



I'd use the old film for practice in staging photos, photographing people in different settings and from different angles. Let the kids play around with it to get some practice holding the camera still before taking real shots with a good camera and film.



Just as a warning: Paying to develop film can be costly. It could be a real bummer to pay for the development of old film and wind up with crappy photos of your vacation. It may actually be cheaper to just use fresh film.

Answer 2

That one year difference shouldn't make any difference that the kids will notice. That date is there because that is the longest period of time after the film has been manufactured that the maker is willing to guarantee it's quality.



The chemistry that goes into the film emulsions are not 100% stable. The materials degrade and change over time. It's just in the nature of the photosensitive materials. Proper care can make them last longer and some conditions can accelerate the degredation.



As long as the drawer they were kept in was not exposed to heat, such as being next to a radiator, furnace register, or kept next to an open window for the year, your kid's photos should process just fine.

Answer 3

IF they are Kodak or Fuji brand they will be OK, not perfect but ok for the kids. This is depending on them never being very hot as heat messes up film. If off brand, store brand then even new they had iffie film in them and I would just toss them.