Posted by Nelcha Cross on August 21, 2008 at 12:09 AM
Howdy all,
I have a local Photo Store going out of business
and I was wondering if it is worth it to buy
some film and stick it in the freezer?
Does that really make it last until you take it out?
I was thinking about picking up some 4x5 film of they have any left?
..and maybe some 35mm also...
Please advise.. ASAP if you can...
The BIG sale is the next 2 days...
Just found out 10% MORE off for cash...
If the film has been properly stored and is unexpired, then it should last for several years if kept frozen. This is especially true for B&W.
You may need to do some test exposures to check for any color shifts if the film has been stored for a long time.
I suggest storing the film in plastic 'freezer' bags. When you take if out of the freezer the moisture will condense on the inside of the bag. Be sure to allow the film the thaw for several hours before using it so that it is moisture-free.
-P
Posted by Nelcha Cross on August 21, 2008 at 12:27 AM
Thanks Preston....
I knew someone here would know
I would probably be buying color....
I had alot of film that went bad in the refridg, but it was not in the freezer...
So I was wondering if it was worth starting over...
for when I might be inclined to take out the Linhof Technika 3
Freezer bags..I only buy those anyway... as they are sturdier...
Assuming it HAS been stored properly, they do have a cooler in the store...
and is not expired... any ideas how long Color film would last?
and if there is any difference between load it yourself vs. Quickload?
Thanks,
Nelcha
Posted by David Senesac on August 21, 2008 at 3:26 PM
You had problems putting film in a refrigerator? Whether one puts color film either in a cool refrigerator or freezer ought not matter. Personally I've always just used a refrigerator since storage and subsequent removal is less critical. Some specific types of older films were certainly more apt to undergo hue changes whether kept cool or not.
Since you are dealing with a local photo shop, you probably have little to worry about since any shop selling pricy large format film ought to know how to store such film if they have any intention of making a business of selling to that relatively most savvy photographic group. Especially film that hasn't expired.
I have bought lots of dated 4x5 Provia over the years including some over 3 years out of date all of which supposedly had been kept refrigerated. Haven't noticed any obvious color issues on any exposed film though serious hue testing might have shown something. However I have most definitely read of individuals complaining of buying dated film with poor color. Even respectable vendors may occasionally buy dated film from an unscrupulous source and then unknowingly pass it on to their customers. All that takes is for the film to have been sitting around for months and years at warm temperatures. For instance some photographers on road trips probably don't protect their extra film left in vehicles that sit in the sun for hours or days while they are out in the field. Others that live in really warm locations may have regular ambient temperatures in their homes that are simply too warm. So a key thing is being able to reasonably trust the shop/vendor/person. If it is a regular seller on a site like eBay or a known brick and mortar supplier, they like your local shop have an incentive for delivering good film. Its the individual trying to unload a bunch of old unused film on say eBay that one ought be more suspicious of merely stating film has been stored in refrigeration for the sake of turning a buck.
Posted by Nelcha Cross on August 26, 2008 at 2:23 AM
Thanks David for your reply.....I wished I had read an article like this
before I tossed the other into the garbage. It was all out of date, but
I have the elect. bills to prove it had been refridgerated the entire time.
Oh well... too late now to cry over spilled milk...
So if kept cold or frozen... what would you say is the longest
out of date you have successfully used?
Just for future guidelines?
in gratitude,
Nelcha
Posted by David Senesac on August 26, 2008 at 7:39 PM
Hi Nelcha,
I have a couple still active images being pushed down the back pages stack now on ES&S that I recently exposed then crudely scanned and Photoshop processed for a close match to the slides. Both were from 2003 dated film that had supposedly been cold stored. Neither of them have any hue issues.
http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/ic.cgi?a=up&pi=DAVIDSENESAC&ns=1&CGISESSID=b929fc6256a2ff0800efc5a7d47dcd77&u=7630
Beyond that date simply is a mystery. Every type of film has different aging qualities so one cannot really generalize. Some older films in fact were rather disgusting.
Note there was some mention of "cyan cast" by one of the posters on the newer ES&S pic and then echoed. Taint so as the middle ground granite is simply a light grey hue that it ought to be with a very slight unsaturated blue cyan unbalance that is totally natural in alpine environments under deep blue sunny skies. Easily checked by doing a screen capture and then using the Photoshop eyedropper tool poking at some of those bits. So at least with Provia I am going to get my money's worth from the cheap cheap couple 50 sheet boxes I picked up on eBay.
Discussion
5 repliesI have a local Photo Store going out of business
and I was wondering if it is worth it to buy
some film and stick it in the freezer?
Does that really make it last until you take it out?
I was thinking about picking up some 4x5 film of they have any left?
..and maybe some 35mm also...
Please advise.. ASAP if you can...
The BIG sale is the next 2 days...
Just found out 10% MORE off for cash...
Thanks,
Nelcha
If the film has been properly stored and is unexpired, then it should last for several years if kept frozen. This is especially true for B&W.
You may need to do some test exposures to check for any color shifts if the film has been stored for a long time.
I suggest storing the film in plastic 'freezer' bags. When you take if out of the freezer the moisture will condense on the inside of the bag. Be sure to allow the film the thaw for several hours before using it so that it is moisture-free.
-P
I knew someone here would know
I would probably be buying color....
I had alot of film that went bad in the refridg, but it was not in the freezer...
So I was wondering if it was worth starting over...
for when I might be inclined to take out the Linhof Technika 3
Freezer bags..I only buy those anyway... as they are sturdier...
Assuming it HAS been stored properly, they do have a cooler in the store...
and is not expired... any ideas how long Color film would last?
and if there is any difference between load it yourself vs. Quickload?
Thanks,
Nelcha
Since you are dealing with a local photo shop, you probably have little to worry about since any shop selling pricy large format film ought to know how to store such film if they have any intention of making a business of selling to that relatively most savvy photographic group. Especially film that hasn't expired.
I have bought lots of dated 4x5 Provia over the years including some over 3 years out of date all of which supposedly had been kept refrigerated. Haven't noticed any obvious color issues on any exposed film though serious hue testing might have shown something. However I have most definitely read of individuals complaining of buying dated film with poor color. Even respectable vendors may occasionally buy dated film from an unscrupulous source and then unknowingly pass it on to their customers. All that takes is for the film to have been sitting around for months and years at warm temperatures. For instance some photographers on road trips probably don't protect their extra film left in vehicles that sit in the sun for hours or days while they are out in the field. Others that live in really warm locations may have regular ambient temperatures in their homes that are simply too warm. So a key thing is being able to reasonably trust the shop/vendor/person. If it is a regular seller on a site like eBay or a known brick and mortar supplier, they like your local shop have an incentive for delivering good film. Its the individual trying to unload a bunch of old unused film on say eBay that one ought be more suspicious of merely stating film has been stored in refrigeration for the sake of turning a buck.
before I tossed the other into the garbage. It was all out of date, but
I have the elect. bills to prove it had been refridgerated the entire time.
Oh well... too late now to cry over spilled milk...
So if kept cold or frozen... what would you say is the longest
out of date you have successfully used?
Just for future guidelines?
in gratitude,
Nelcha
I have a couple still active images being pushed down the back pages stack now on ES&S that I recently exposed then crudely scanned and Photoshop processed for a close match to the slides. Both were from 2003 dated film that had supposedly been cold stored. Neither of them have any hue issues.
http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/ic.cgi?a=up&pi=DAVIDSENESAC&ns=1&CGISESSID=b929fc6256a2ff0800efc5a7d47dcd77&u=7630
Beyond that date simply is a mystery. Every type of film has different aging qualities so one cannot really generalize. Some older films in fact were rather disgusting.
Note there was some mention of "cyan cast" by one of the posters on the newer ES&S pic and then echoed. Taint so as the middle ground granite is simply a light grey hue that it ought to be with a very slight unsaturated blue cyan unbalance that is totally natural in alpine environments under deep blue sunny skies. Easily checked by doing a screen capture and then using the Photoshop eyedropper tool poking at some of those bits. So at least with Provia I am going to get my money's worth from the cheap cheap couple 50 sheet boxes I picked up on eBay.