frozen film? Past expiration date?

Question

I was wondering if you have frozen 35mm film and its past its expiration date is the film still ok? Or can you even freeze your film and have it be ok?

Answer 1

I store film in the refrigerator to this day, and all my film always goes well beyond the expiration dates. Before using, I just leave it out for a couple of hours in room temperature and have never had any problems whatsoever. Freezing? I supposed that as long as you leave it out for it to "thaw out" it should be OK.

Answer 2

Film is periodically updated/improved by the manufacture and the new updated color balance configurations are sent or sold to the labs that process and the film. The setup negatives age just like any old negative will and when you bring in a film emulsion or generation that is 5 years old the lab has no up to date setups to color balance by! Kodak's 400 ASA film has probably been updated no less 7/10 times! Film 5 or 6 months past expiration that has been stored in an envirionment you are comfortable in is rarely a problem. Freezing film can cause a host of problems/ refrigeration is MUCH safer. How much money you save per shot by using old film may not be the most important factor in your film selection...

Answer 3

Well I can tell you that I have a fair supply of outdated black and white film that has been frozen for well over 30 years; anything from Kodak panatomic x to some more obscure German film manufacturers which haven't been in business since 1968. Question is does it work? I can tell you the negatives develop fine without any issues, they aren't too thin and show good tonality and contrast, and I can push and pull the negs with no issues whatsoever. The only thing that I do is make sure the film reaches room temperature before I photograph with it. Is this some kind of anomalie that my film can last this long, I can tell you that other people I know are doing the same thing, stockpiling large quantities of film right before it goes out of production and then putting it in the deep freeze. Another photographer I know has been doing this since the 50's and still has film from that era which apparently works fine.

Answer 4

As a professional photographer it depends on the maker of the B&W film and how old it is. Yes there will be some incredible out comes as the chemicals have shifted with heat and being stored in acidic containers. Another factor is the type of camera you use. German made cameras are the best but very pricey. So KODAK is your gold standard. Ebay is a good source and just get a written warranty from the seller that the camera does function correctly with the Lens and mirror in correct position. I don't have a lot of experience in the dark room so I don't want to comment on processing. Don't be afraid to go into a full service lab and ask if you can observe the B&W processing and ask that your prints are put on a card stock paper. That is not of official name so better to say a thicker paper. My best B&W shoot of my life was of my 13 yr old grand daughter and I got film that was NOT for one hour processing. But you mentioned that your getting old film so no problem.

Answer 5

Refrigerated or frozen unexposed film can go well beyond its expiration date. Operative word is unexposed! I would not shoot once in a lifetime shots with it, but it generally does well.

Answer 6

You can use it after year for color and 2 years for B&W, provided it was kept frozen, (not refrigerated), just aloud time to room temperature before you put into the camera, to avoid condensation.