Film about to expire

[jalLee2001]

Due to work commitments I have not been able to shoot like I normally do for the past year. I have E200, Provia 100 and Elite chrome 200 (200 rolls total) about to expire. They have been are stored in the freezer. I will prob shoot them a couple of months after they expire.

Should I expect any problems?

 

[sara]

if it's in the fridge, no, freezer - better still 🙂
(or so I was told) and a couple of months is fine!

 

[Chris101]

Sure you should expect problems. But expecting them is better than being caught by surprise, eh?

Seriously though, being a couple months out AND having frozen your film prior to use - that will be better than 90% of the film being shot these days. did you just post this to brag about your film storage technique? Congrats in that case.

 

[degruyl]

Speaking of film storage techniques...

Do you put it in something before popping it into the freezer? (I assume there is ice and vegetables and crap in the freezer as well).

I am especially concerned about LF and bulk 35mm, because they are relying on very little in terms of water protection. Some tape or a paper / foil pouch. Rather than 35mm in plastic cans and 120 in plastic / mylar sealed pouches.

 

[jalLee2001]

No didnt store it in anything. Actually-I think that I am addicted to buying film. Thanks all

 

[Roger Hicks]

You should not expect any problems for a year or two with chilled slow films like these.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Ronald_H]

I'd like to know what people's experiences are with faster films. I am well aware that extremely fast film detoriates quickly due to background gamma radiation, but how about films like Superia 800 and Neopan 1600?

A year or two back I was given a few rolls of fresh Superia 800 and put them in the freezer immediately. I also bought some rolls of Neopan 1600. I only shoot these films occasionally, and it certainly appears to me that these films show significant speed loss. They are now slightly expired, but the have been frozen all the time. Is this normal?

When I was going back to film I shot a roll of Tri-X that was 19 years past expiry. I shot it a box speed and had the lab develop it. Sure, it was very grainy, but the images were usable.

 

[sevo]

The date printed on the boxes is the period until which consumer films will be within their official specs stored when at room temperature under normal European/US conditions (about 18-26°C). For professional film it usually means much tighter specs with storage at 13°C.

Deep frozen film will last several times as long. Indeed, there is no final verdict on how long it will go - there are many instances where film kept within spec for twenty or thirty years, and past that time, deep freezers weren't widespread yet...

 

[sevo]

A year or two back I was given a few rolls of fresh Superia 800 and put them in the freezer immediately. I also bought some rolls of Neopan 1600. I only shoot these films occasionally, and it certainly appears to me that these films show significant speed loss. They are now slightly expired, but the have been frozen all the time. Is this normal?

This is slightly strange - in my experience T-Max and Delta 3200 do not lose sensitivity when frozen for years beyond expiration date. But some films might use volatile sensitizers which are less affected by freezing than usual water based chemistry.

 

[Rob-F]

Very fast films such as Delta 3200 and TMax 3200 do not last as long, even under refrigeration, as slower films. Temperature is not the only factor. All film is subject to the effects of cosmic radiation, which penetrates refrigerator walls and even concrete. I order fast films in smaller quantities in order to shoot them soon enough. Still, I don't worry about them being a year or two beyond the expiration date.

 

[Thardy]

No didnt store it in anything. Actually-I think that I am addicted to buying film. Thanks all

That sounds familiar. Reminds me that I really need to shoot some of the film I already have.

 

[dmr]

I've had good luck with E6 and C41 films which were a year expired.

The only old film I've had trouble with is when I discovered two ~10 year old rolls and used one. Base fog and ugly color shift! I ash-canned the other roll.

 

[Ade-oh]

My experience has been that most film is good for a year or two beyond its expiration date even if not refrigerated or chilled. I haven't tried this with Delta or T-Max 3200, but certainly with Tri-X and HP5+, and with Provia 400. I've still got some original Velvia which works very nicely.

 

[D.O'K.]

My experience too.

I recently used some 5 years expired FP4 and 3 years expired Delta 400 without any perceptible loss of quality. None had been refridgerated (although it's a cold house...).

Regards,
D.

 

[Vobluda]

I dont think that radiation can penetrate fridge. Look how Indiana Jones survived explosion of atomic bomb inside the fridge in his last movie 😀

Very fast films such as Delta 3200 and TMax 3200 do not last as long, even under refrigeration, as slower films. Temperature is not the only factor. All film is subject to the effects of cosmic radiation, which penetrates refrigerator walls and even concrete. I order fast films in smaller quantities in order to shoot them soon enough. Still, I don't worry about them being a year or two beyond the expiration date.

 

[venchka]

Shoot them this week before they disintegrate in the canisters.
Or ship them to me. I will dispose of them properly.

Seriously, just use the film. Your film is newer by years than anything in my fridge.

 

[Frank Petronio]

When film gets really old -- ten years or so -- the emulsion will separate, this happens more with color than B&W. Mostly you just get a higher base density (fog) and loss of contrast that can be printed out.

I've been shooting free 35mm C41 film that is 3-4 years out of date, stored at room temperature and it's fine.

Likewise you can leave it in the trunk in Death Valley and it will be fine for a day or so. And you can leave it next to your Rare Earth Summicron or Aero-Ektar too.

Most of the film date boogiemen come from the old pre-E6 days when chrome film was very sensitive to color shifts and professionals used to use 0025 Wrattens to adjust the color, then you might see it.

Why would anyone shoot chromes nowadays anyway? Unless you like slide shows it seems pointless.

 

[KenR]

Frank - I guess you disagree with Ken Rockwell and his love of Velvia 50? 🙂

 

[SteveM_NJ]

old films - no problems - -

(Frank - some of us (I) use chromes because I like to tinker with stereo. (Revere33)

 

[Trius]

Chromes on a light table/box are still glorious.

And how the frack do you match Kodachrome with anything else?