Expired

So I found a roll of Fuji Sensia slide film. The use by date on the box is November 2001. It has been stored in normal room temperature.

I’ve not used film in ages, but I still have my trusty Yashica T5 (T4 Super), a camera that I love a lot. Against my old Canon 55 (50E) with a 28-200mm lens, the Yashica T5 churned out better, sharper, more saturated pictures.

(An aside: At the time, that I was purchasing the T5, I couldn’t afford the Ricoh GR1s, and I’m still on the lookout for it now.)

Almost 5 years later, I popped the expired film into my T5. This morning, I shot 20 shots on it. Unfortunately, I forgot how to press some of the buttons, so I pressed the shutter before I actually wanted to.

I’m intending to send it to the shop to get it cross processed. I’ve got some 16 shots to go, but I think I want to take my time to finish this roll.

I’ve to admit. I’m feeling a rush of excitement. Having no idea how this roll will turn out. Wondering how terrible some pictures will be. There’s a sense of chance involved.

With digital, I’ve completely lost this feeling. On the flipside, there’s also no disappointment with the photographs, because you can try and try again and go home with a good shot. With film, you never really know unless you know your equipment really well – and this includes point and shoot cameras.

I did feel a little at a loss without a preview screen. But it totally took me out of the snap shot mode that I’ve been doing with the digital. I was actually thinking if a particular scene was a worthwhile shot to blow film on.

With digital, there’s a rush to get a shot because the delete button is so accessible. And you don’t want to miss any of the action. But on film you learn to let things pass.

This may not be an entirely bad idea, because it allows you to look at things and experience it, instead of just looking at life through a viewfinder. It allows you to engage and communicate with your subject.

With film once the shutter is pressed, it’s a commitment. And commitment deserves thought.