Any tips on storing negatives?

[gb hill]

You guys/gals that use bulk roll film, How do you store & file your negatives? Is there any cheeper/more practical way than buying sleeves. The sleeves i've seen are pretty expensive. Or maybe you have found some sleeves at a decent price.

 

[Stephanie Brim]

I buy negative pages. B&H sells packages of them for about $5 for 25 or $20 for 100. I believe they're archival. I get the 6 rows of 6 frames ones generally because I shoot 36 exposure rolls.

 

[nightfly]

I used the Clear File Archival Elite which are maybe a few bucks more but stiffer and easier to use. Nothing like trying to slip your negs in and having the edge of the neg keep catching on the cheap floppy plastic of bad sleeves. Super frustrating.

I buy 100 packs from B and H as well probably around $25. Seems like film storage is one place where you don't really want to economize since it holds the results of all your time and effort.

 

[dazedgonebye]

I leave them laying in piles on my desk.
I can't really recommend this practice though.

 

[JonR]

scan them

scan them

I scan them and that´s the way to save them for me.
Still working on the best backup solution but right now I store one set on my home computer and keep another set on dvd´s at our summer cottage.

Took me 3 years to scan all old negatives but it is great to have it done - for my own sake and for my kids and for the future!

/Jon

 

[dazedgonebye]

I scan them and that´s the way to save them for me.
Still working on the best backup solution but right now I store one set on my home computer and keep another set on dvd´s at our summer cottage.

Took me 3 years to scan all old negatives but it is great to have it done - for my own sake and for my kids and for the future!

/Jon

I have a timer going...to measure how long before someone tells you that your electronic files will not last.

 

[JonR]

No worry!

No worry!

I have a timer going...to measure how long before someone tells you that your electronic files will not last.

Your timer will have to run forever with my archive.... I see no problem with this but as with all electronic media you need to have a structure that works...
- clear archiving structure
- minimum 1 backup
- backup in another location
and of course on a regular basis "restoring" in order to avoid any aging problems and/or mechanical issues.

As long as you do that there should be no problems - in fact it will be much safer than the old negatives that could only be stored in one place with the risk that it means for fire etc.

Also - scanning my old kodachrime positives from the early sixties I found that the colours had started tio fade and it was high time to turn them digital so that my kids will be able to look at them when they have grown up.

I fell very good about my digital archive but as with everything else you need to think through how to make it work!

J

 

[dazedgonebye]

Your timer will have to run forever with my archive.... I see no problem with this but as with all electronic media you need to have a structure that works...
- clear archiving structure
- minimum 1 backup
- backup in another location
and of course on a regular basis "restoring" in order to avoid any aging problems and/or mechanical issues.

As long as you do that there should be no problems - in fact it will be much safer than the old negatives that could only be stored in one place with the risk that it means for fire etc.

Also - scanning my old kodachrime positives from the early sixties I found that the colours had started tio fade and it was high time to turn them digital so that my kids will be able to look at them when they have grown up.

I fell very good about my digital archive but as with everything else you need to think through how to make it work!

J

I'm with you 100%.