I have about seven ISO 400 reels of 36 shots each, all of which have a use-by date of sometime in 2006.
Are they useless now and should I just throw them away?
Or, does the Use By date not matter and it would not make a difference if I used these reels to take pictures?
Answer
Absolutely. In some cases, people do this for the effect that is achieved. Flickr, for example, has a group dedicated to images from expired film. Some of the outcome is really quite nice, but it is obviously going to be hit or miss since the nature of degradation is unpredictable.
Also, film expiration is not absolute. It largely depends on storage conditions because the number there is basically a guideline for film that is on a store shelf at room temperature. If you've been storing it refridgerated, or better yet frozen, then it may well be perfectly fine. Basically, unless it's really old or kept in a high temperature or humid environment, it should be fine. And, if it isn't, then see my first paragraph and enjoy it anyways. :)
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