Film question

[cyclistca]

I was cleaning up my place and found an old instant film camera. There are two roles of film in the box with the camera. Is there a way to find out if the film has been used short of getting it developed? I?m giving the camera away. If the film is unused I figured I could give it away with the camera.

 

[NuclearNed]

On a 35mm roll of film, there is a little piece of brown film that sticks out of the shell if the roll is unused. If everything you are seeing is made of hard plastic, then the roll is used.




EDIT: If I had actually read your original post, I would have seen that you said it was an instant film camera. What I wrote above applies only to 35mm film and not instant film, as far as I know.

 

[SonnyDaze]

Originally posted by: NuclearNed
On a 35mm roll of film, there is a little piece of brown film that sticks out of the shell if the roll is unused. If everything you are seeing is made of hard plastic, then the roll is used.

Yup. Normally on a self-winding (rewinding actually) this small film strip gets pulled back into the shell when the film is rewound.


Edit: Guess us harley guys think alike. I thought you were talking about 35mm film as well.

 

[FoBoT]

if it is that advanced film system film, it'll have a little signal flag marker thingy

 

[aircooled]

unroll it and hold it to the light and look for images on it.

 

[destrekor]

what is this 'instant film' you speak of? like, Polaroid? or APS? 110mm?
Polaroid
APS
110

any of those look like what you are describing?

 

[cyclistca]

Originally posted by: destrekor
what is this 'instant film' you speak of? like, Polaroid? or APS? 110mm?
Polaroid
APS
110

any of those look like what you are describing?

Non of the above. It says Fuji CH-135 DX F 400 Super G.

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: cyclistca

Originally posted by: destrekor
what is this 'instant film' you speak of? like, Polaroid? or APS? 110mm?
Polaroid
APS
110

any of those look like what you are describing?

Non of the above. It says Fuji CH-135 DX F 400 Super G.

oh ok. that's good ol' regular 35mm film. Threw me off with the 'instant' film remark. no biggie.
here's a picture of a roll of 35mm film
35mm
should look like that (different markings on canister, however).
now... what we are looking for, is do the rolls you have, have that film leader or not? basically, is anything currently coming out of the film canisters, that looks like film? (reference the photo: that would be an unused roll of film.) if that leader is not present, then the film has been used.
next question is, regardless of the film being used or not, how old (approx.) is the film? film only lasts so long (long storage requires fridgeration) before it has been shot, and I think once it's been used it doesn't last long (cannot even throw any number out there as to how long it may last after the film's been exposed).
if its used, just try and develop a roll and see if anything comes out. if it does, develop the second roll. if it appears to be wasted effort, cut losses and ditch the second roll, or take the chance. your money.

 

[mobobuff]

Originally posted by: aircooled
unroll it and hold it to the light and look for images on it.

That would work just fine, if you had no intentions of developing it.

If the film is entirely inside the canister, the film is used.

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: mobobuff

Originally posted by: aircooled
unroll it and hold it to the light and look for images on it.

That would work just fine, if you had no intentions of developing it.

If the film is entirely inside the canister, the film is used.

wouldn't work at all, because as soon as you expose the film to the light, it would go completely blank since it wasn't developed yet. so you'd never see the images.
im assuming aircooled's comment was meant to be taken as a joke. l)

 

[cyclistca]

I think that I will toss the film. I have not used the camera for over 7 years. I'm guessing that the film is not good even if it has not been used.