Discontinued, expired film hoarding

[anjoca76]

I've been slowly stocking up on color film, especially E6, because these seem to be going away at a much quicker rate than B&W. I haven't been putting much, if any, B&W away in the freezer because I don't see B&W going anywhere for quite a long time, and probably not even in my lifetime. Not so sure the same can be said for color, though.

When I see photos of the fridges/freezers of some RRF members here, jammed to capacity with film, I realize that my stash of about 200 rolls (at most) is pathetic in comparison!

 

[Robert Lai]

There is no harm in stocking up when the price is right. With expired film, the price is usually very good. I had lots of rolls of Tech Pan and Pan F that were sitting around for years, and they were fine when I finally used them.

I'm currently going through Provia 100F that expired in 2004, and the colors haven't changed compared to the occasional in-date film that I mistakenly grab from the cupboard.

Then, there are all the wonderful films that are no longer made. I had many, many rolls of Fuji 800H that expired years ago. The colors were good, and the film kept its speed. I do think that Fuji films are made to last forever.

 

[Calzone]

I hoarded mucho Legacy Pro 100 (Fuji Arcos) when it was offered as expired film on sale at a great discount. At Freestyle it hasn't been available for a while and now Arcos sells at Freestyle for $4.99 a roll. I'm down to my last 80 rolls out of the 300 I ordered.

Most recently stocked up on Arista Premium. My freezer is about half filled with film.

Also I like the convenience and find comfort in having a stockpile.

Cal

 

[Ronald_H]

Need fo tind another fridge.. still have plenty of film that needs to be stored.

That does it, I'm going to buy a new fridge tomorrow. Just for film. Why? Because I can 😀

In recent years I have come across a lot of (cheap) expired film. At first I bought a bunch of 5 years expired Fuji Superia 400. Expose it at 100 and hey presto, nice looking images.

I also have a bunch of Canon EOS cameras bought for 1 or 2 euro at flea markets. Sometimes they even throw in a few rolls 😉

Point is that I basically buy all the expired film that I can find, as long as it is cheap and when I am confident it is still usable. I can give it up any time I like...

What I don't understand though is the hoarding part. I tend to shoot it all!

 

[Calzone]

What I don't understand though is the hoarding part. I tend to shoot it all!

Perhaps a better word is maintain a big stockpile.

BTW I'm down to my last 3 rolls of TXP-320 in 220. I bought all the last stock at Adorama when it was posted in the forum that it was going to be discontinued. First I ran down to B&H after work, but their stock was already gone. When I got to Adorama I bought all their 220.

Cal

 

[rxmd]

I would also point out that the whole photographic process is possible to do "from scratch." Developers and other solutions can be made from pretty readily available chemicals. Even paper can be hand-coated. BUT, film is the piece of the puzzle that requires an industrial base to manufacture. There is pretty much no "home-cooked" alternative to this if you want to use the plethora of 35mm and 120-capable cameras and lenses that were manufactured in the last half of the last century (note to wet-plate practitioners: I am not talking to you, go back into the dark tent). So a little film-hoarding is a good thing, ensuring useful life over the next several years for a variety of cool toys.

Unfortunately there is a stronger argument that works the other way round. Manufacturers have no incentive to keep making new stuff if everybody just buys used or expired stuff instead. I can see that buying expired film for $2 is economically more attractive than buying new film for $5, but it's the same logic that favours buying cheap stuff from China over slightly less cheap stuff locally and then wonders why local manufacturers are disappearing.

In a shrinking film market, hoarding film, especially old film, is bad for the few manufacturers who still make new film, and eventually only accelerates the moment when nobody makes new film at all. As long as one can afford buying new film, one should do it, if only to reward and encourage those manufacturers that are still making it.

 

[KoNickon]

Lately I have been buying frozen expired 120 from my local camera shop. It has the feel of draining an aquifer -- their film took many years to accumulate, and I'm shooting it over just a few weeks. And there won't be any more from that source when I'm done, since they don't seem to carry 120 anymore except Portra. I'm hoping to shoot a roll of 1991 Fuji Super HG 400 next. Meanwhile I haven't been able to bring myself to thaw and discard my Kodachrome yet. Hope springs eternal....

 

[bob338]

Meanwhile I haven't been able to bring myself to thaw and discard my Kodachrome yet. Hope springs eternal....

Kodachrome can be processed as B/W. Don't throw it away, there are people who want it.

 

[Calzone]

Unfortunately there is a stronger argument that works the other way round. Manufacturers have no incentive to keep making new stuff if everybody just buys used or expired stuff instead. I can see that buying expired film for $2 is economically more attractive than buying new film for $5, but it's the same logic that favours buying cheap stuff from China over slightly less cheap stuff locally and then wonders why local manufacturers are disappearing.

In a shrinking film market, hoarding film, especially old film, is bad for the few manufacturers who still make new film, and eventually only accelerates the moment when nobody makes new film at all. As long as one can afford buying new film, one should do it, if only to reward and encourage those manufacturers that are still making it.

I see your logic, and what you say makes good economic sense, but on my scale of a few hundred rolls of film am I not just taking advantage of good prices as an educated consumer? BTW all my film will likely be consumed by the fall of this year if not replenished.

Anyways thanks for making me think.

Cal

 

[bob338]

Here is my fridge at work. Maybe I am a hoarder, there is this much film in the freezer at home...

IMG_0759 by bob338, on Flickr

 

[Field]

I'm actually trying the opposite if you look in classifieds.

 

[KoNickon]

I'm envious that you 1) have your own refrigerator at work and 2) that it's so big! I was thinking you had a college dorm-sized cube. Dang.

 

[Jobin]

Here is my fridge at work. Maybe I am a hoarder, there is this much film in the freezer at home...

IMG_0759 by bob338, on Flickr

Oh my word, very jealous. Bob, I think we actually met in the bay area for a craigslist meetup.

 

[bob338]

Oh my word, very jealous. Bob, I think we actually met in the bay area for a craigslist meetup.

When was that? I haven't bought anything from CL in a while.

Bob

 

[bob338]

I'm envious that you 1) have your own refrigerator at work and 2) that it's so big! I was thinking you had a college dorm-sized cube. Dang.

It is a dorm size refrigerator, but it holds a lot if you do away with pesky food. I keep a couple of days of frozen lunches and Eastman 5222 in the freezer part, and keep the lower 3/4 at a pretty low temp for film. This one was about $100, I had to buy it after my wife threatened to disappear all of the film at home! I still have at least 200 rolls in the fridge at home, and about 20-30 in my camera cabinet ready to go.

 

[rjbuzzclick]

I don't seek out expired B&W film, but when I run across it I'll buy it if it's a good price and something I like. I got a 50-sheet box of FP4+ in 4x5 with a Grafmatic film holder and most of the film was fine despite being almost 10 years old (Shot @ ASA 50-64). I've also purchased Verichrome Pan in 120 for $1 or less per roll that expired in the late 1960's or early 1970's. It still works wonderfully when shot around ASA 25. That being said, when I shoot it, I'm well aware that it may not work. I enjoy seeing what I can get from it.

 

[shadowfox]

Film hoarding is alive and well.
Yesterday I was hesitating to do a Buy it Now on a stock of Plus-X in 120 on ebay and later on it was gone, baby!

 

[Chinasaur]

The last couple of days I've been thinking of selling my hoard (relative term compared to some of you "under bridge dwelling individuals" 🙂 ) of 150+ rolls of LegacyPro™ 100 and 50 rolls of Arista Premuim™ 100, 9/2011 dated.

Then the Freestyle catalog arrived and I saw the current state of film prices.

I mean..DAYUM!!! Just DAYUM!!! For something that's been produced as long as FILM has to be that expensive... And that doesn't even begin to cover the cost across the Atlantic for our Euro brothers and sisters. 🙁

So sorry...I think I'll just hold onto it and shoot it at my current lazy pace...

 

[wblynch]

Some film products haven't been made in a long while. Like 127 and 126 Instamatic. So when I can, I grab a 100 foot roll of 46mm or 35mm non-perforated film just for making up my own.

Just yesterday I made up 4 cartridges of 126 Instamatic using old parts and Portra film. (the perforation punching process sucks).

And it seems like no one is producing new bulk stock either, so what else to do?

70-mm for rolling 116/616 is also disappearing.

 

[btgc]

Lately my expired C-41 film has started to give cyan cast when processed (on scans). Fast film, slow film. I don't know.....fine gear and not so fine results. So I feel it's time to buy more fresh film.