Kodachrome 64 - Shelf life?

[Brad Bireley]

Anyone know how good Kodachrome 64 is a couple of months past it's exp. date(5/07) ?

 

[Xmas]

I have some from '00 that looks ok when you get it back from Dwanes...

Noel

 

[Windwalker57]

Okay to shoot with now, get it developed soon.

During my time working in a camera store, I asked the same question to the Kodak sales rep.He indicated that within 6 months after the exp. date, a film stored at room temperature would not show a color shift, but would begin to age noticeably after. One year after the date, apparent color shifting and loss of film speed will affect your images. Also, film loses its ability to retain the image (latent image) for extended times prior to development. Kodak's expiration dates are conservative.

Hope this helps.

 

[Trius]

I have a modest amount of outdated K64 in the refrigerator; so far no probs with 1+ years past "due date". I just sent off 5 more rolls to Dwayne's today.

 

[ChrisPlatt]

AFAIK Kodachrome is silver-based; the colors are "added" in processing.
So like black and white film, shouldn't it be good *long* past expiration?

Chris

 

[bobomoon]

I just finished a roll of Kodachrome 25 from 1988. Goes in the mailer tomorrow.

The guy I bought it from said it was stored in the freezer. Don't know what to expect.

 

[dmr]

A recent consensus on "another network" was that it's very conservatively rated as per expiration date, and it's essentially as good as new up until a year or so after the date.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

A recent consensus on "another network" was that it's very conservatively rated as per expiration date, and it's essentially as good as new up until a year or so after the date.

In room temperature or in a refridgerator? A year after the expiration date might be right for room temperature, albeit still quite conservative, but most modern color films will remain usable in a fridge with only slight or no changes for years after the expiration date. My estimate would be about 5-10 years for slower than ISO 160 films and 2-7 years for faster films. I rarely bother to put films in a freezer, since defreezing them properly takes some time and you can't re-freeze them. Even those estimates above are fairly conservative: I have used several rolls of 11 year old Ektachrome Elite 400 stored in a fridge the whole time and the results were quite good (apart from the grain of course, which the Elite 400 has plenty of even new).

 

[dmr]

In room temperature or in a refridgerator?

IIRC this was at room temperature. I do know that refrigerated film will last much longer.