Pro tip: don't buy expired film from a flea market just because it's cheap

I grabbed three rolls of 35mm film for five bucks at a swap meet in Burbank, thinking it was a steal. Shot a whole roll of what was supposed to be 400 speed color film during a family picnic. Got the scans back and every single frame was a washed-out, grainy mess with weird color shifts. The film was so old it was basically useless. Has anyone actually had luck with expired film, or is it always a gamble?

3 comments

3 Comments

thompson.tyler2mo agoTop Commenter

Ugh, totally been there. I found a dusty roll of 2003 film at a garage sale and the photos came back with this weird purple tint (like a bad Instagram filter). It's such a bummer when you waste a whole day shooting on it.

roseb472mo ago

That purple tint sounds like a cool, happy accident to me.

seana144d ago

Wait hold on, that purple tint sounds wild. I've never heard of film doing that before. Got me thinking maybe it's some rare defect or something. You sure it wasn't some kind of special edition film? Either way it's a bummer but also kind of a cool mystery. Hope you find a way to use it in some art project or something.