How long can a 35mm film be used/stored before it starts to lose its quality after expiry?How do I prepare frozen/refrigerated film for use?Does film (get a chance to) degrade before sale?How do I prepare frozen/refrigerated film for use?How can I soften old film before putting it on a developing reel?Olympus OM-10 35mm - Film not gone all the way back into the cartridgeWhat's causing the definition and colour problem with my photos?Hold baggage xray scanners - how likely is it my film might have survived?The reason for my pale colored / bad contrast film images?Removing the curl from 35mm negativeYashica T4/Superia X-Tra 400 vs Contax T2/Portra 400Is there any distinct difference between using a 35mm camera versus a 35mm instant camera?Are these light leaks caused by a problem with my Leica M6, or could they have happened in the development process?
Appropriate certificate to ask for a fibre installation (ANSI/TIA-568.3-D?)
Introducing Gladys, an intrepid globetrotter
Should I mention being denied entry to UK due to a confusion in my Visa and Ticket bookings?
Is there an idiom that support the idea that "inflation is bad"?
Word meaning as function of the composition of its phonemes
Has a commercial or military jet bi-plane ever been manufactured?
In Russian, how do you idiomatically express the idea of the figurative "overnight"?
Can I use a fetch land to shuffle my deck while the opponent has Ashiok, Dream Render in play?
Are the Night's Watch still required?
Manager is threatening to grade me poorly if I don't complete the project
IP addresses from public IP block in my LAN
Do I add my skill check modifier to the roll of 15 granted by Glibness?
Are Finitely generated modules over a ring also finitely generated over a subring containing the identity?
29er Road Tire?
What exactly are the `size issues' preventing formation of presheaves being a left adjoint to some forgetful functor?
How do inspiraling black holes get closer?
Are there any of the Children of the Forest left, or are they extinct?
Why do people keep telling me that I am a bad photographer?
Can there be a single technologically advanced nation, in a continent full of non-technologically advanced nations?
Out of scope work duties and resignation
Should I decline this job offer that requires relocating to an area with high cost of living?
US born but as a child of foreign diplomat
Floor of Riemann zeta function
Why is "breaking the mould" positively connoted?
How long can a 35mm film be used/stored before it starts to lose its quality after expiry?
How do I prepare frozen/refrigerated film for use?Does film (get a chance to) degrade before sale?How do I prepare frozen/refrigerated film for use?How can I soften old film before putting it on a developing reel?Olympus OM-10 35mm - Film not gone all the way back into the cartridgeWhat's causing the definition and colour problem with my photos?Hold baggage xray scanners - how likely is it my film might have survived?The reason for my pale colored / bad contrast film images?Removing the curl from 35mm negativeYashica T4/Superia X-Tra 400 vs Contax T2/Portra 400Is there any distinct difference between using a 35mm camera versus a 35mm instant camera?Are these light leaks caused by a problem with my Leica M6, or could they have happened in the development process?
.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;
I'm somewhat of a beginner I would say in 35mm film photography. The last time I shot was back in the early 2000s with a Ricoh AF-7 that my dad gifted me. After the camera had some issues and couldn't be fixed, I had never used a film camera until now. I've always loved film photography and the process itself of developing your own images. Recently I decided to get a Minolta SLR camera and some films for really cheap prices and get some shots.
I purchased three packs of film rolls.
- Fujicolor 200 pack of 4 rolls with Expiry date 02/2007 (I was told by the seller that this was refrigerated)
- Fuji XTRA 400 pack of 4 with Expiry date 09/2018 (unknown storage condition)
- Kodak Ultramax 400 pack of 3 rolls with Expiry date 02/2017 (unknown storage condition)
The Fujicolor 200 was mainly purchased with the intention of trial. Also, I'll be developing it myself so don't want to do it on a good roll for the first few tries.
Will the images from the Fujicolor 200 be terrible due to its age? I'm assuming that the Fuji 400 is only a couple of months old so I might get lucky for a few months if I keep it in the freezer. As for the Kodak again its almost 2 years so I'm skeptical if that will be having grainy images, too.
film 35mm
edited Apr 29 at 18:12
Community♦
1
asked Apr 29 at 11:49
The_Vintage_CollectorThe_Vintage_Collector
1135
New contributor
The_Vintage_Collector is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
|
show 4 more comments
I'm somewhat of a beginner I would say in 35mm film photography. The last time I shot was back in the early 2000s with a Ricoh AF-7 that my dad gifted me. After the camera had some issues and couldn't be fixed, I had never used a film camera until now. I've always loved film photography and the process itself of developing your own images. Recently I decided to get a Minolta SLR camera and some films for really cheap prices and get some shots.
I purchased three packs of film rolls.
- Fujicolor 200 pack of 4 rolls with Expiry date 02/2007 (I was told by the seller that this was refrigerated)
- Fuji XTRA 400 pack of 4 with Expiry date 09/2018 (unknown storage condition)
- Kodak Ultramax 400 pack of 3 rolls with Expiry date 02/2017 (unknown storage condition)
The Fujicolor 200 was mainly purchased with the intention of trial. Also, I'll be developing it myself so don't want to do it on a good roll for the first few tries.
Will the images from the Fujicolor 200 be terrible due to its age? I'm assuming that the Fuji 400 is only a couple of months old so I might get lucky for a few months if I keep it in the freezer. As for the Kodak again its almost 2 years so I'm skeptical if that will be having grainy images, too.
film 35mm
edited Apr 29 at 18:12
Community♦
1
asked Apr 29 at 11:49
The_Vintage_CollectorThe_Vintage_Collector
1135
New contributor
The_Vintage_Collector is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Film starts to lose its "quality" the day it is made. The question is more about how long until it is noticeable, and then how long until it is no longer considered usable.
– Michael C
Apr 29 at 13:35
"What brands still produce new film" is an entirely different question. I'm going to edit it out of this one — please ask it separately.
– mattdm
Apr 29 at 14:34
@mattdm well that just renders my answer completely useless
– Tim Stack
Apr 29 at 14:36
@Tim Yeah, sorry — I went for the title question and the bulk of the text rather than the second one thrown in as the last sentence. As it is, your answer only answers that last part of the question so it couldn't be "the answer" anyway. One thing you could do is ask that question yourself and then move your answer to that.
– mattdm
Apr 29 at 14:38
1
The general problem is that such wiki answers tend to not get maintained. Then when they fall out of date they're a mess that's hard to clean up. I suggest just starting it as a non wiki if you have the ambition to do so. You could follow the model of the "lens numbers and letters" question and make the top answer be a list of manufacturers and then have separate detailed answers for each.
– mattdm
Apr 29 at 14:49
|
show 4 more comments
I'm somewhat of a beginner I would say in 35mm film photography. The last time I shot was back in the early 2000s with a Ricoh AF-7 that my dad gifted me. After the camera had some issues and couldn't be fixed, I had never used a film camera until now. I've always loved film photography and the process itself of developing your own images. Recently I decided to get a Minolta SLR camera and some films for really cheap prices and get some shots.
I purchased three packs of film rolls.
- Fujicolor 200 pack of 4 rolls with Expiry date 02/2007 (I was told by the seller that this was refrigerated)
- Fuji XTRA 400 pack of 4 with Expiry date 09/2018 (unknown storage condition)
- Kodak Ultramax 400 pack of 3 rolls with Expiry date 02/2017 (unknown storage condition)
The Fujicolor 200 was mainly purchased with the intention of trial. Also, I'll be developing it myself so don't want to do it on a good roll for the first few tries.
Will the images from the Fujicolor 200 be terrible due to its age? I'm assuming that the Fuji 400 is only a couple of months old so I might get lucky for a few months if I keep it in the freezer. As for the Kodak again its almost 2 years so I'm skeptical if that will be having grainy images, too.
film 35mm
edited Apr 29 at 18:12
Community♦
1
asked Apr 29 at 11:49
The_Vintage_CollectorThe_Vintage_Collector
1135
New contributor
The_Vintage_Collector is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
I'm somewhat of a beginner I would say in 35mm film photography. The last time I shot was back in the early 2000s with a Ricoh AF-7 that my dad gifted me. After the camera had some issues and couldn't be fixed, I had never used a film camera until now. I've always loved film photography and the process itself of developing your own images. Recently I decided to get a Minolta SLR camera and some films for really cheap prices and get some shots.
I purchased three packs of film rolls.
- Fujicolor 200 pack of 4 rolls with Expiry date 02/2007 (I was told by the seller that this was refrigerated)
- Fuji XTRA 400 pack of 4 with Expiry date 09/2018 (unknown storage condition)
- Kodak Ultramax 400 pack of 3 rolls with Expiry date 02/2017 (unknown storage condition)
The Fujicolor 200 was mainly purchased with the intention of trial. Also, I'll be developing it myself so don't want to do it on a good roll for the first few tries.
Will the images from the Fujicolor 200 be terrible due to its age? I'm assuming that the Fuji 400 is only a couple of months old so I might get lucky for a few months if I keep it in the freezer. As for the Kodak again its almost 2 years so I'm skeptical if that will be having grainy images, too.
film 35mm
film 35mm
edited Apr 29 at 18:12
Community♦
1
asked Apr 29 at 11:49
The_Vintage_CollectorThe_Vintage_Collector
1135
New contributor
The_Vintage_Collector is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited Apr 29 at 18:12
Community♦
1
asked Apr 29 at 11:49
The_Vintage_CollectorThe_Vintage_Collector
1135
New contributor
The_Vintage_Collector is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited Apr 29 at 18:12
Community♦
1
edited Apr 29 at 18:12
Community♦
1
edited Apr 29 at 18:12
Community♦
1
1
asked Apr 29 at 11:49
The_Vintage_CollectorThe_Vintage_Collector
1135
New contributor
The_Vintage_Collector is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked Apr 29 at 11:49
The_Vintage_CollectorThe_Vintage_Collector
1135
asked Apr 29 at 11:49
The_Vintage_CollectorThe_Vintage_Collector
1135
1135
New contributor
The_Vintage_Collector is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
The_Vintage_Collector is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
The_Vintage_Collector is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Film starts to lose its "quality" the day it is made. The question is more about how long until it is noticeable, and then how long until it is no longer considered usable.
– Michael C
Apr 29 at 13:35
"What brands still produce new film" is an entirely different question. I'm going to edit it out of this one — please ask it separately.
– mattdm
Apr 29 at 14:34
@mattdm well that just renders my answer completely useless
– Tim Stack
Apr 29 at 14:36
@Tim Yeah, sorry — I went for the title question and the bulk of the text rather than the second one thrown in as the last sentence. As it is, your answer only answers that last part of the question so it couldn't be "the answer" anyway. One thing you could do is ask that question yourself and then move your answer to that.
– mattdm
Apr 29 at 14:38
1
The general problem is that such wiki answers tend to not get maintained. Then when they fall out of date they're a mess that's hard to clean up. I suggest just starting it as a non wiki if you have the ambition to do so. You could follow the model of the "lens numbers and letters" question and make the top answer be a list of manufacturers and then have separate detailed answers for each.
– mattdm
Apr 29 at 14:49
|
show 4 more comments
Film starts to lose its "quality" the day it is made. The question is more about how long until it is noticeable, and then how long until it is no longer considered usable.
– Michael C
Apr 29 at 13:35
"What brands still produce new film" is an entirely different question. I'm going to edit it out of this one — please ask it separately.
– mattdm
Apr 29 at 14:34
@mattdm well that just renders my answer completely useless
– Tim Stack
Apr 29 at 14:36
@Tim Yeah, sorry — I went for the title question and the bulk of the text rather than the second one thrown in as the last sentence. As it is, your answer only answers that last part of the question so it couldn't be "the answer" anyway. One thing you could do is ask that question yourself and then move your answer to that.
– mattdm
Apr 29 at 14:38
1
The general problem is that such wiki answers tend to not get maintained. Then when they fall out of date they're a mess that's hard to clean up. I suggest just starting it as a non wiki if you have the ambition to do so. You could follow the model of the "lens numbers and letters" question and make the top answer be a list of manufacturers and then have separate detailed answers for each.
– mattdm
Apr 29 at 14:49
Film starts to lose its "quality" the day it is made. The question is more about how long until it is noticeable, and then how long until it is no longer considered usable.
– Michael C
Apr 29 at 13:35
Film starts to lose its "quality" the day it is made. The question is more about how long until it is noticeable, and then how long until it is no longer considered usable.
– Michael C
Apr 29 at 13:35
"What brands still produce new film" is an entirely different question. I'm going to edit it out of this one — please ask it separately.
– mattdm
Apr 29 at 14:34
"What brands still produce new film" is an entirely different question. I'm going to edit it out of this one — please ask it separately.
– mattdm
Apr 29 at 14:34
@mattdm well that just renders my answer completely useless
– Tim Stack
Apr 29 at 14:36
@mattdm well that just renders my answer completely useless
– Tim Stack
Apr 29 at 14:36
@Tim Yeah, sorry — I went for the title question and the bulk of the text rather than the second one thrown in as the last sentence. As it is, your answer only answers that last part of the question so it couldn't be "the answer" anyway. One thing you could do is ask that question yourself and then move your answer to that.
– mattdm
Apr 29 at 14:38
@Tim Yeah, sorry — I went for the title question and the bulk of the text rather than the second one thrown in as the last sentence. As it is, your answer only answers that last part of the question so it couldn't be "the answer" anyway. One thing you could do is ask that question yourself and then move your answer to that.
– mattdm
Apr 29 at 14:38
1
1
The general problem is that such wiki answers tend to not get maintained. Then when they fall out of date they're a mess that's hard to clean up. I suggest just starting it as a non wiki if you have the ambition to do so. You could follow the model of the "lens numbers and letters" question and make the top answer be a list of manufacturers and then have separate detailed answers for each.
– mattdm
Apr 29 at 14:49
The general problem is that such wiki answers tend to not get maintained. Then when they fall out of date they're a mess that's hard to clean up. I suggest just starting it as a non wiki if you have the ambition to do so. You could follow the model of the "lens numbers and letters" question and make the top answer be a list of manufacturers and then have separate detailed answers for each.
– mattdm
Apr 29 at 14:49
|
show 4 more comments
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
One of the users on Photo.net is a chemical engineer who worked at Kodak for ~30 years. He posted the following information in a thread over there about Life expectancy for refrigerated film:
In all cases where we are using film past its expiration date, the
only safe approach is to try a roll OF EACH PRODUCT and evaluate it
before shooting the rest of that product. The stability of film
products is different for different products.
Having said that, here are some general guidelines. The expiration
date for many products is about 2 years after manufacture.
Refrigeration will preserve the the chemical properties of film for 2
to 4 times longer than at room temperature. If you bought fresh film
and refrigerated it, the chemical properties should last 4 to 8 years
instead of 2.
Freezing will preserve the chemical properties for something like 8 to
16 times longer than at room temperature. Frozen film can be expected
to maintain chemical properties for 16 to 32 years.
Unless you have access to a salt mine, background radiation cannot be
stopped by any process that any of us can afford. Background radiation
causes fog and grain increases in the shadow areas. All films are
sensitive to background radiation ROUGHLY in proportion to film speed.
That is, an 800 speed film would be roughly 32 times as sensitive as a
25 speed film. This is very rough since the current Kodak 800 speed
film is about 1/4 as sensitive as the generation from 8 years ago. All
these discussions of keeping film in a refrigerator or freezer should
only apply to low speed films (200 or slower). With high speed films,
the background radiation will degrade the film regardless of the
storage temperature.
FWIW, I've shot K-64 that had been in my freezer for 20 years with
good results. I don't shoot 800 speed film that has only 6 months
until expiration.
In fact there is a ton of information about this on Photo.net if you search around.
There are also some questions here that could be useful:
- Does film (get a chance to) degrade before sale?
- How do I prepare frozen/refrigerated film for use?
Kodak and Fujifilm are still making high-quality, fresh, reliable, gorgeous colour film. Take a look at (for example) Freestyle Photographic Supplies to see other current manufacturers. I would encourage any budding film user to buy fresh film - you don't need to worry about storage conditions, and you are supporting continued film manufacture.
answered Apr 29 at 13:03
osullicosullic
6,36211228
2
+1 for freezing film. I am shooting old expired Ektachrome from June '85, which has held up extremely well
– Tim Stack
Apr 29 at 13:20
So if I'm reading that correctly, the Fujicolor 200 effectively expired six years ago, the Kodak Ultramax 400 is probably no good, and the Fuji XTRA 400 might or might not still work -- test it before doing anything important.
– Mark
Apr 29 at 22:17
1
@Mark The info I posted, while relatively authoritative, is more applicable to critical (or at least important) use cases. A "consumer" film like Ultramax 400 that expired "only" 2 years ago is probably still perfectly usable. Certainly not for the trash just yet! I wouldn't use it for once-in-a-lifetime photography opportunities, but acceptable results are widely obtained from such expired film.
– osullic
Apr 29 at 22:27
@osullic I plan to use only brand new films with expiry date far from date of use for important events which I definitely wouldn't want to take any chances with.
– The_Vintage_Collector
yesterday
add a comment |
Which brand still produces new films?
Although the market is considerably smaller than it used to be, there is still decent number of companies producing fresh film. Note that most of the production has been scaled down.
From the top of my head:
Traditional films
- Kodak
- Fujifilm (pulling back)
- Ilford
- Kentmere
- ADOX
- Foma
- Rollei
- CineStill (rebranded Kodak motion picture films, with removed remjet)
- Lomography (a lot of rebranded films, some home-produced films)
- Film Washi
Instant films
- Polaroid Originals
- ONE INSTANT (est. summer 2019)
- Fujifilm (Instax)
answered Apr 29 at 13:34
Tim StackTim Stack
2289
1
Not all of these are different manufacturers: Rollei are someone else, Kentmere are Ilford
– tfb
Apr 29 at 15:14
@tfb yes and it's not Kodak but Kodak Alaris producing the film specifically. You can buy films under these brand names, so for film buying purposes this list is fine.
– Tim Stack
Apr 29 at 16:22
Well, if you're worried about whether film will survive or which films are actually different rather than just badge-engineered then it matters, I think.
– tfb
Apr 29 at 16:47
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ready(function()
var channelOptions =
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "61"
;
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
createEditor();
);
else
createEditor();
);
function createEditor()
StackExchange.prepareEditor(
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader:
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
,
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
);
);
The_Vintage_Collector is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fphoto.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f107933%2fhow-long-can-a-35mm-film-be-used-stored-before-it-starts-to-lose-its-quality-aft%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
One of the users on Photo.net is a chemical engineer who worked at Kodak for ~30 years. He posted the following information in a thread over there about Life expectancy for refrigerated film:
In all cases where we are using film past its expiration date, the
only safe approach is to try a roll OF EACH PRODUCT and evaluate it
before shooting the rest of that product. The stability of film
products is different for different products.
Having said that, here are some general guidelines. The expiration
date for many products is about 2 years after manufacture.
Refrigeration will preserve the the chemical properties of film for 2
to 4 times longer than at room temperature. If you bought fresh film
and refrigerated it, the chemical properties should last 4 to 8 years
instead of 2.
Freezing will preserve the chemical properties for something like 8 to
16 times longer than at room temperature. Frozen film can be expected
to maintain chemical properties for 16 to 32 years.
Unless you have access to a salt mine, background radiation cannot be
stopped by any process that any of us can afford. Background radiation
causes fog and grain increases in the shadow areas. All films are
sensitive to background radiation ROUGHLY in proportion to film speed.
That is, an 800 speed film would be roughly 32 times as sensitive as a
25 speed film. This is very rough since the current Kodak 800 speed
film is about 1/4 as sensitive as the generation from 8 years ago. All
these discussions of keeping film in a refrigerator or freezer should
only apply to low speed films (200 or slower). With high speed films,
the background radiation will degrade the film regardless of the
storage temperature.
FWIW, I've shot K-64 that had been in my freezer for 20 years with
good results. I don't shoot 800 speed film that has only 6 months
until expiration.
In fact there is a ton of information about this on Photo.net if you search around.
There are also some questions here that could be useful:
- Does film (get a chance to) degrade before sale?
- How do I prepare frozen/refrigerated film for use?
Kodak and Fujifilm are still making high-quality, fresh, reliable, gorgeous colour film. Take a look at (for example) Freestyle Photographic Supplies to see other current manufacturers. I would encourage any budding film user to buy fresh film - you don't need to worry about storage conditions, and you are supporting continued film manufacture.
answered Apr 29 at 13:03
osullicosullic
6,36211228
2
+1 for freezing film. I am shooting old expired Ektachrome from June '85, which has held up extremely well
– Tim Stack
Apr 29 at 13:20
So if I'm reading that correctly, the Fujicolor 200 effectively expired six years ago, the Kodak Ultramax 400 is probably no good, and the Fuji XTRA 400 might or might not still work -- test it before doing anything important.
– Mark
Apr 29 at 22:17
1
@Mark The info I posted, while relatively authoritative, is more applicable to critical (or at least important) use cases. A "consumer" film like Ultramax 400 that expired "only" 2 years ago is probably still perfectly usable. Certainly not for the trash just yet! I wouldn't use it for once-in-a-lifetime photography opportunities, but acceptable results are widely obtained from such expired film.
– osullic
Apr 29 at 22:27
@osullic I plan to use only brand new films with expiry date far from date of use for important events which I definitely wouldn't want to take any chances with.
– The_Vintage_Collector
yesterday
add a comment |
One of the users on Photo.net is a chemical engineer who worked at Kodak for ~30 years. He posted the following information in a thread over there about Life expectancy for refrigerated film:
In all cases where we are using film past its expiration date, the
only safe approach is to try a roll OF EACH PRODUCT and evaluate it
before shooting the rest of that product. The stability of film
products is different for different products.
Having said that, here are some general guidelines. The expiration
date for many products is about 2 years after manufacture.
Refrigeration will preserve the the chemical properties of film for 2
to 4 times longer than at room temperature. If you bought fresh film
and refrigerated it, the chemical properties should last 4 to 8 years
instead of 2.
Freezing will preserve the chemical properties for something like 8 to
16 times longer than at room temperature. Frozen film can be expected
to maintain chemical properties for 16 to 32 years.
Unless you have access to a salt mine, background radiation cannot be
stopped by any process that any of us can afford. Background radiation
causes fog and grain increases in the shadow areas. All films are
sensitive to background radiation ROUGHLY in proportion to film speed.
That is, an 800 speed film would be roughly 32 times as sensitive as a
25 speed film. This is very rough since the current Kodak 800 speed
film is about 1/4 as sensitive as the generation from 8 years ago. All
these discussions of keeping film in a refrigerator or freezer should
only apply to low speed films (200 or slower). With high speed films,
the background radiation will degrade the film regardless of the
storage temperature.
FWIW, I've shot K-64 that had been in my freezer for 20 years with
good results. I don't shoot 800 speed film that has only 6 months
until expiration.
In fact there is a ton of information about this on Photo.net if you search around.
There are also some questions here that could be useful:
- Does film (get a chance to) degrade before sale?
- How do I prepare frozen/refrigerated film for use?
Kodak and Fujifilm are still making high-quality, fresh, reliable, gorgeous colour film. Take a look at (for example) Freestyle Photographic Supplies to see other current manufacturers. I would encourage any budding film user to buy fresh film - you don't need to worry about storage conditions, and you are supporting continued film manufacture.
answered Apr 29 at 13:03
osullicosullic
6,36211228
2
+1 for freezing film. I am shooting old expired Ektachrome from June '85, which has held up extremely well
– Tim Stack
Apr 29 at 13:20
So if I'm reading that correctly, the Fujicolor 200 effectively expired six years ago, the Kodak Ultramax 400 is probably no good, and the Fuji XTRA 400 might or might not still work -- test it before doing anything important.
– Mark
Apr 29 at 22:17
1
@Mark The info I posted, while relatively authoritative, is more applicable to critical (or at least important) use cases. A "consumer" film like Ultramax 400 that expired "only" 2 years ago is probably still perfectly usable. Certainly not for the trash just yet! I wouldn't use it for once-in-a-lifetime photography opportunities, but acceptable results are widely obtained from such expired film.
– osullic
Apr 29 at 22:27
@osullic I plan to use only brand new films with expiry date far from date of use for important events which I definitely wouldn't want to take any chances with.
– The_Vintage_Collector
yesterday
add a comment |
One of the users on Photo.net is a chemical engineer who worked at Kodak for ~30 years. He posted the following information in a thread over there about Life expectancy for refrigerated film:
In all cases where we are using film past its expiration date, the
only safe approach is to try a roll OF EACH PRODUCT and evaluate it
before shooting the rest of that product. The stability of film
products is different for different products.
Having said that, here are some general guidelines. The expiration
date for many products is about 2 years after manufacture.
Refrigeration will preserve the the chemical properties of film for 2
to 4 times longer than at room temperature. If you bought fresh film
and refrigerated it, the chemical properties should last 4 to 8 years
instead of 2.
Freezing will preserve the chemical properties for something like 8 to
16 times longer than at room temperature. Frozen film can be expected
to maintain chemical properties for 16 to 32 years.
Unless you have access to a salt mine, background radiation cannot be
stopped by any process that any of us can afford. Background radiation
causes fog and grain increases in the shadow areas. All films are
sensitive to background radiation ROUGHLY in proportion to film speed.
That is, an 800 speed film would be roughly 32 times as sensitive as a
25 speed film. This is very rough since the current Kodak 800 speed
film is about 1/4 as sensitive as the generation from 8 years ago. All
these discussions of keeping film in a refrigerator or freezer should
only apply to low speed films (200 or slower). With high speed films,
the background radiation will degrade the film regardless of the
storage temperature.
FWIW, I've shot K-64 that had been in my freezer for 20 years with
good results. I don't shoot 800 speed film that has only 6 months
until expiration.
In fact there is a ton of information about this on Photo.net if you search around.
There are also some questions here that could be useful:
- Does film (get a chance to) degrade before sale?
- How do I prepare frozen/refrigerated film for use?
Kodak and Fujifilm are still making high-quality, fresh, reliable, gorgeous colour film. Take a look at (for example) Freestyle Photographic Supplies to see other current manufacturers. I would encourage any budding film user to buy fresh film - you don't need to worry about storage conditions, and you are supporting continued film manufacture.
answered Apr 29 at 13:03
osullicosullic
6,36211228
One of the users on Photo.net is a chemical engineer who worked at Kodak for ~30 years. He posted the following information in a thread over there about Life expectancy for refrigerated film:
In all cases where we are using film past its expiration date, the
only safe approach is to try a roll OF EACH PRODUCT and evaluate it
before shooting the rest of that product. The stability of film
products is different for different products.
Having said that, here are some general guidelines. The expiration
date for many products is about 2 years after manufacture.
Refrigeration will preserve the the chemical properties of film for 2
to 4 times longer than at room temperature. If you bought fresh film
and refrigerated it, the chemical properties should last 4 to 8 years
instead of 2.
Freezing will preserve the chemical properties for something like 8 to
16 times longer than at room temperature. Frozen film can be expected
to maintain chemical properties for 16 to 32 years.
Unless you have access to a salt mine, background radiation cannot be
stopped by any process that any of us can afford. Background radiation
causes fog and grain increases in the shadow areas. All films are
sensitive to background radiation ROUGHLY in proportion to film speed.
That is, an 800 speed film would be roughly 32 times as sensitive as a
25 speed film. This is very rough since the current Kodak 800 speed
film is about 1/4 as sensitive as the generation from 8 years ago. All
these discussions of keeping film in a refrigerator or freezer should
only apply to low speed films (200 or slower). With high speed films,
the background radiation will degrade the film regardless of the
storage temperature.
FWIW, I've shot K-64 that had been in my freezer for 20 years with
good results. I don't shoot 800 speed film that has only 6 months
until expiration.
In fact there is a ton of information about this on Photo.net if you search around.
There are also some questions here that could be useful:
- Does film (get a chance to) degrade before sale?
- How do I prepare frozen/refrigerated film for use?
Kodak and Fujifilm are still making high-quality, fresh, reliable, gorgeous colour film. Take a look at (for example) Freestyle Photographic Supplies to see other current manufacturers. I would encourage any budding film user to buy fresh film - you don't need to worry about storage conditions, and you are supporting continued film manufacture.
answered Apr 29 at 13:03
osullicosullic
6,36211228
edited Apr 29 at 13:33
answered Apr 29 at 13:03
osullicosullic
6,36211228
answered Apr 29 at 13:03
osullicosullic
6,36211228
answered Apr 29 at 13:03
osullicosullic
6,36211228
6,36211228
2
+1 for freezing film. I am shooting old expired Ektachrome from June '85, which has held up extremely well
– Tim Stack
Apr 29 at 13:20
So if I'm reading that correctly, the Fujicolor 200 effectively expired six years ago, the Kodak Ultramax 400 is probably no good, and the Fuji XTRA 400 might or might not still work -- test it before doing anything important.
– Mark
Apr 29 at 22:17
1
@Mark The info I posted, while relatively authoritative, is more applicable to critical (or at least important) use cases. A "consumer" film like Ultramax 400 that expired "only" 2 years ago is probably still perfectly usable. Certainly not for the trash just yet! I wouldn't use it for once-in-a-lifetime photography opportunities, but acceptable results are widely obtained from such expired film.
– osullic
Apr 29 at 22:27
@osullic I plan to use only brand new films with expiry date far from date of use for important events which I definitely wouldn't want to take any chances with.
– The_Vintage_Collector
yesterday
add a comment |
2
+1 for freezing film. I am shooting old expired Ektachrome from June '85, which has held up extremely well
– Tim Stack
Apr 29 at 13:20
So if I'm reading that correctly, the Fujicolor 200 effectively expired six years ago, the Kodak Ultramax 400 is probably no good, and the Fuji XTRA 400 might or might not still work -- test it before doing anything important.
– Mark
Apr 29 at 22:17
1
@Mark The info I posted, while relatively authoritative, is more applicable to critical (or at least important) use cases. A "consumer" film like Ultramax 400 that expired "only" 2 years ago is probably still perfectly usable. Certainly not for the trash just yet! I wouldn't use it for once-in-a-lifetime photography opportunities, but acceptable results are widely obtained from such expired film.
– osullic
Apr 29 at 22:27
@osullic I plan to use only brand new films with expiry date far from date of use for important events which I definitely wouldn't want to take any chances with.
– The_Vintage_Collector
yesterday
2
2
+1 for freezing film. I am shooting old expired Ektachrome from June '85, which has held up extremely well
– Tim Stack
Apr 29 at 13:20
+1 for freezing film. I am shooting old expired Ektachrome from June '85, which has held up extremely well
– Tim Stack
Apr 29 at 13:20
So if I'm reading that correctly, the Fujicolor 200 effectively expired six years ago, the Kodak Ultramax 400 is probably no good, and the Fuji XTRA 400 might or might not still work -- test it before doing anything important.
– Mark
Apr 29 at 22:17
So if I'm reading that correctly, the Fujicolor 200 effectively expired six years ago, the Kodak Ultramax 400 is probably no good, and the Fuji XTRA 400 might or might not still work -- test it before doing anything important.
– Mark
Apr 29 at 22:17
1
1
@Mark The info I posted, while relatively authoritative, is more applicable to critical (or at least important) use cases. A "consumer" film like Ultramax 400 that expired "only" 2 years ago is probably still perfectly usable. Certainly not for the trash just yet! I wouldn't use it for once-in-a-lifetime photography opportunities, but acceptable results are widely obtained from such expired film.
– osullic
Apr 29 at 22:27
@Mark The info I posted, while relatively authoritative, is more applicable to critical (or at least important) use cases. A "consumer" film like Ultramax 400 that expired "only" 2 years ago is probably still perfectly usable. Certainly not for the trash just yet! I wouldn't use it for once-in-a-lifetime photography opportunities, but acceptable results are widely obtained from such expired film.
– osullic
Apr 29 at 22:27
@osullic I plan to use only brand new films with expiry date far from date of use for important events which I definitely wouldn't want to take any chances with.
– The_Vintage_Collector
yesterday
@osullic I plan to use only brand new films with expiry date far from date of use for important events which I definitely wouldn't want to take any chances with.
– The_Vintage_Collector
yesterday
add a comment |
Which brand still produces new films?
Although the market is considerably smaller than it used to be, there is still decent number of companies producing fresh film. Note that most of the production has been scaled down.
From the top of my head:
Traditional films
- Kodak
- Fujifilm (pulling back)
- Ilford
- Kentmere
- ADOX
- Foma
- Rollei
- CineStill (rebranded Kodak motion picture films, with removed remjet)
- Lomography (a lot of rebranded films, some home-produced films)
- Film Washi
Instant films
- Polaroid Originals
- ONE INSTANT (est. summer 2019)
- Fujifilm (Instax)
answered Apr 29 at 13:34
Tim StackTim Stack
2289
1
Not all of these are different manufacturers: Rollei are someone else, Kentmere are Ilford
– tfb
Apr 29 at 15:14
@tfb yes and it's not Kodak but Kodak Alaris producing the film specifically. You can buy films under these brand names, so for film buying purposes this list is fine.
– Tim Stack
Apr 29 at 16:22
Well, if you're worried about whether film will survive or which films are actually different rather than just badge-engineered then it matters, I think.
– tfb
Apr 29 at 16:47
add a comment |
Which brand still produces new films?
Although the market is considerably smaller than it used to be, there is still decent number of companies producing fresh film. Note that most of the production has been scaled down.
From the top of my head:
Traditional films
- Kodak
- Fujifilm (pulling back)
- Ilford
- Kentmere
- ADOX
- Foma
- Rollei
- CineStill (rebranded Kodak motion picture films, with removed remjet)
- Lomography (a lot of rebranded films, some home-produced films)
- Film Washi
Instant films
- Polaroid Originals
- ONE INSTANT (est. summer 2019)
- Fujifilm (Instax)
answered Apr 29 at 13:34
Tim StackTim Stack
2289
1
Not all of these are different manufacturers: Rollei are someone else, Kentmere are Ilford
– tfb
Apr 29 at 15:14
@tfb yes and it's not Kodak but Kodak Alaris producing the film specifically. You can buy films under these brand names, so for film buying purposes this list is fine.
– Tim Stack
Apr 29 at 16:22
Well, if you're worried about whether film will survive or which films are actually different rather than just badge-engineered then it matters, I think.
– tfb
Apr 29 at 16:47
add a comment |
Which brand still produces new films?
Although the market is considerably smaller than it used to be, there is still decent number of companies producing fresh film. Note that most of the production has been scaled down.
From the top of my head:
Traditional films
- Kodak
- Fujifilm (pulling back)
- Ilford
- Kentmere
- ADOX
- Foma
- Rollei
- CineStill (rebranded Kodak motion picture films, with removed remjet)
- Lomography (a lot of rebranded films, some home-produced films)
- Film Washi
Instant films
- Polaroid Originals
- ONE INSTANT (est. summer 2019)
- Fujifilm (Instax)
answered Apr 29 at 13:34
Tim StackTim Stack
2289
Which brand still produces new films?
Although the market is considerably smaller than it used to be, there is still decent number of companies producing fresh film. Note that most of the production has been scaled down.
From the top of my head:
Traditional films
- Kodak
- Fujifilm (pulling back)
- Ilford
- Kentmere
- ADOX
- Foma
- Rollei
- CineStill (rebranded Kodak motion picture films, with removed remjet)
- Lomography (a lot of rebranded films, some home-produced films)
- Film Washi
Instant films
- Polaroid Originals
- ONE INSTANT (est. summer 2019)
- Fujifilm (Instax)
answered Apr 29 at 13:34
Tim StackTim Stack
2289
edited Apr 29 at 14:18
answered Apr 29 at 13:34
Tim StackTim Stack
2289
answered Apr 29 at 13:34
Tim StackTim Stack
2289
answered Apr 29 at 13:34
Tim StackTim Stack
2289
2289
1
Not all of these are different manufacturers: Rollei are someone else, Kentmere are Ilford
– tfb
Apr 29 at 15:14
@tfb yes and it's not Kodak but Kodak Alaris producing the film specifically. You can buy films under these brand names, so for film buying purposes this list is fine.
– Tim Stack
Apr 29 at 16:22
Well, if you're worried about whether film will survive or which films are actually different rather than just badge-engineered then it matters, I think.
– tfb
Apr 29 at 16:47
add a comment |
1
Not all of these are different manufacturers: Rollei are someone else, Kentmere are Ilford
– tfb
Apr 29 at 15:14
@tfb yes and it's not Kodak but Kodak Alaris producing the film specifically. You can buy films under these brand names, so for film buying purposes this list is fine.
– Tim Stack
Apr 29 at 16:22
Well, if you're worried about whether film will survive or which films are actually different rather than just badge-engineered then it matters, I think.
– tfb
Apr 29 at 16:47
1
1
Not all of these are different manufacturers: Rollei are someone else, Kentmere are Ilford
– tfb
Apr 29 at 15:14
Not all of these are different manufacturers: Rollei are someone else, Kentmere are Ilford
– tfb
Apr 29 at 15:14
@tfb yes and it's not Kodak but Kodak Alaris producing the film specifically. You can buy films under these brand names, so for film buying purposes this list is fine.
– Tim Stack
Apr 29 at 16:22
@tfb yes and it's not Kodak but Kodak Alaris producing the film specifically. You can buy films under these brand names, so for film buying purposes this list is fine.
– Tim Stack
Apr 29 at 16:22
Well, if you're worried about whether film will survive or which films are actually different rather than just badge-engineered then it matters, I think.
– tfb
Apr 29 at 16:47
Well, if you're worried about whether film will survive or which films are actually different rather than just badge-engineered then it matters, I think.
– tfb
Apr 29 at 16:47
add a comment |
The_Vintage_Collector is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
The_Vintage_Collector is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
The_Vintage_Collector is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
The_Vintage_Collector is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Thanks for contributing an answer to Photography Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fphoto.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f107933%2fhow-long-can-a-35mm-film-be-used-stored-before-it-starts-to-lose-its-quality-aft%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Film starts to lose its "quality" the day it is made. The question is more about how long until it is noticeable, and then how long until it is no longer considered usable.
– Michael C
Apr 29 at 13:35
"What brands still produce new film" is an entirely different question. I'm going to edit it out of this one — please ask it separately.
– mattdm
Apr 29 at 14:34
@mattdm well that just renders my answer completely useless
– Tim Stack
Apr 29 at 14:36
@Tim Yeah, sorry — I went for the title question and the bulk of the text rather than the second one thrown in as the last sentence. As it is, your answer only answers that last part of the question so it couldn't be "the answer" anyway. One thing you could do is ask that question yourself and then move your answer to that.
– mattdm
Apr 29 at 14:38
1
The general problem is that such wiki answers tend to not get maintained. Then when they fall out of date they're a mess that's hard to clean up. I suggest just starting it as a non wiki if you have the ambition to do so. You could follow the model of the "lens numbers and letters" question and make the top answer be a list of manufacturers and then have separate detailed answers for each.
– mattdm
Apr 29 at 14:49