35mm Fuji Astia - kept in fridge but Use By is March 2010

[ted_smith]

Thanks everyone - I'll give it a try then if I see a scene worthy of it's use :-)

[Bob Carnie]

We are more concerned about the incredible curl we are seeing with old film, once on the reels and processed not seeing much problem other than with old colour negative rolls.

I am loading a 150 roll job of old black and white now and it really is a PIA.

I use jobo systems and hand rolling onto plastic reels, We are not running dip and dunk where you could easily clip the top and weight the bottom and you are good to go.
I may feel different if I was using a big boy Refrema but those beasts need lots of film or their plots are hard to maintain.

@ted_smith - The film should be absolutely fine....I'm currently using Astia expired 2007 and 2008 which was bought by me as "short-dated" around the time it expired. It has been frozen since for most of the time, then moved into the fridge for up to two-or-three months until needed.

@bobcarnie - My first reaction was surprise that old films were causing you so many lab problems, given that the expiry dates allow so much latitude, and that most analogue photographers are aware of the need to use fresh film for important work. But I guess that are always a few people who want to save a few $$, then need to blame someone else when things go wrong! (My old boss used to say "customers who want a cheap job won't later admit that they wanted a cheap job when it doesn't work out"!)

[markbarendt]

We are more concerned about the incredible curl we are seeing with old film,

This is one of the reasons I like my FM2 so much.

[Diapositivo]

This is one of the reasons I like my FM2 so much.

Mark, what do you mean? Don't all cameras curl film the same way?

[markbarendt]

Mark, what do you mean? Don't all cameras curl film the same way?

Nope.

[lxdude]

Mark, what do you mean? Don't all cameras curl film the same way?

No. Many 35mm cameras reverse curl it, with the emulsion side out. The "auto-load" cameras I've seen do not reverse curl it.

[railwayman3]

No. Many 35mm cameras reverse curl it, with the emulsion side out.

My Pentaxes reverse-wind the film. If a film has been in the camera a while, I leave it in the cassette after rewinding, for a day or so before processing, just to get the curl back the normal way for easier loading into the tank spiral.

[Diapositivo]

Oh, I see what you mean.

I checked my lot:
Minolta Srt-100x, Srt-101, XM, X-700: reverse curl;
Nikon FE2: reverse curl;
Voigtländer Bessa-L: reverse curl;
Voigtländer Vito CLR: straight curl;
Canon Canonet (quick load): straight curl;
Yashica T-3: I suppose straight curl (automatic load).

I usually don't process my films immediately after having extracted the cartridge from the camera. I've never seen a film with a reverse curl so far.

I didn't understand this reverse curl thing. I thought that if you open the back of the camera by mistake, it's better if the back of the film faces light.

[markbarendt]

I usually don't process my films immediately after having extracted the cartridge from the camera. I've never seen a film with a reverse curl so far.

I didn't understand this reverse curl thing. I thought that if you open the back of the camera by mistake, it's better if the back of the film faces light.

It is better not to open the back until rewound.

It's not that the film actually takes on a reverse curve permanently, but the inside out winding can open up the curve and that can make loading the reels easier.