Life of film if in freezer??

[wsa111]

I have some kodak portra 400 UC film which has an expiration date of 5-05.

This film has been in my freezer since purchase in 2004.

Since being frozen since purchase is this film ok to use??

I am the new guy on the block, so thanks guys & gals for any professional response.

I am a moderator on an automotive forum but also being a photo amateur for many years I will enjoy this experience.

I have won hononable mention at my local county fair contest for previous photos entered, especially in the area of fireworks displays on the fourth of july.
Respectfully, William Ambler:hail:

 

[Matty-Bass]

Well WSA, let me be the first to welcome you to TPF! (THE photography forum, I might add ). You've come to the right place, these people will help you along the photography trail.

Addressing your film, I've never done it myself, bit I think the only way to find out if the film is good is to shoot it. If it's no good, so be it. However if it does, you're good to go! Even if it is bad, what have you got to lose? You may as well not leave it any longer in case it is slowly being ruined but I say go for it!

Hope that helps.

 

[DocFrankenstein]

For all practical purposes most films don't degrade at all in the freezer.

If you store them a REALLY long time then maybe something will happen.

I've developed color negative film which was stored in camera on a shelf for 14 years and it printed quite nicely.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

As long as the film has been kept in it's original packaging, sealed in plastic bags or similar to keep it dry, and the freezer has been running at about -15C then it will be fine.
The life expectancy of 'frozen' film is theoretically indefinite. I have stored film for more than 10 years and it has been fine.
Just remember to thaw it out and allow it to get up to room temperature before use. 2-3 hours is usually OK.

 

[PlasticSpanner]

You had film in your freezer for 10 years? What happened? Did you forget about it? Was it hidden under some frozen peas?

 

[LaFoto]

My sister usually buys her film in bulk loads and stores all of it in the fridge. Not freezer, as far as I know, but fridge, even while the expiratory date has not yet come. She swears by it.

I have used expired film and never noticed any difference... and if your frozen film only expired in May and we are now in December I am sure it would not even have shown any signs of wear (how so? ) if it had been in a regular shelf somewhere.

And by the way: welcome to ThePhotoForum, or "THEPhotoForum", as Matty-Bass puts it (which I can only underline ).

 

[Matty-Bass]

is there a particular reason to store film in the fridge?

 

[ThomThomsk]

This is all just regurgitated web knowledge, so your mileage may vary. The most common advice you see is to double wrap film in zip lock bags before putting them in the freezer, because although the low temperature will prevent the film from deteriorating chemically, freezers are also very dry environments and you don't want to lose moisture over the years. Whatever level of moisture is there, it's there for a reason, and you want to keep it there.

MattyBass, chemical reactions work more slowly at low temperatures. If you get the temperature low enough they stop completely. What tends to happen to film over a long period is that they become less sensitive due to the emulsion undergoing a very slow reaction (oxidation? not sure...). The cold makes that happen much more slowly.

I've seen quite a few stories about cameras bought on eBay with films in them from the mid-60s and before that developed OK. Really old unused film stock can be exposed, but depending on how it was kept the speed could be a fraction of what it says on the box.

 

[BernieSC]

I have also used film that was years out of date because i use to buy film in bulk that was outdated and I have never used a roll that was years outdated i kept in the freezer that was bad. ThomThom explained it, putting film in the freezer slows down or stops degradation, kinda like meat, fish, etc.... If the film you used only went out of date in may of 05 that basically is not even out of date as far as I am concerned if you kept it in the freezer. Always keep film in the fridge or freezer you can use it anytime you want in most cases.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

What tends to happen to film over a long period is that they become less sensitive due to the emulsion undergoing a very slow reaction (oxidation? not sure...). The cold makes that happen much more slowly.

The film speed (ISO) decreases - and over quite a short period of time. It happens relatively quickly at room temperature and even faster if you get the film warmer.
Refrigerating slows it down somewhat, but it still happens.
Freezing it slows it right down.
What actually happens in the film is quite complex and can only really be explained at the atomic level so I won't.
All you need to know is that film speed decreases and base level fog increases as if the film had been exposed to light.
This eventually causes a problem in B&W, the result being thin, grainy, flat negs and it gets worse until the film becomes unusable.
In colour film there are 3 emulsion layers. These all change at varying rates and affect the way the film responds to colour. It becomes unusable very quickly.
The problem is far more noticeable in professional films.
'Amateur' films are formulated slightly differently so that they are more stable and so less susceptible to change at room temperature.

 

[santino]

thanks hertz, didn't know about the professional film thingy :thumbsup:

 

[santino]

btw. what about slide film? does it faster expire than negative film? (or is it just the same but the only difference is, that the people from the lab can modify your prints by enlarging them - in case of negatives).

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Not entirely sure. I think it expires a little faster because the colour casts are obvious and can't be filtered out.
There comes a point with negatives when you get crossed curves and you can't filter. Happens with tranny, too.
The highlights go magenta and the shadows go cyan. If you filter for one you enhance the other.

 

[wsa111]

Thanks for all the replies.

This reinforces my confidence in using older film if stored in a cold environment for a length of time.

I plan to take a cruise later this year & for the past 2 years have taken my D70. But this time I think I will take my F5 mainly because of the super fast focus ability, but the better quality I get from close up shots I get with people.

The digital is much less expensive & easier to download to a computer, but I sure like the bullet quick focusing & being able to use my fisheye lenses to the fullest. As far as I'm concerned modern film is not dead yet.

Thanks again for your expertise. William:thumbup: :hail: