Are you guys stockpiling or using your film constantly?

[rayonline_nz]

Just a curious question. Some of you might have a small stash of film. Are they continually being used or ...? Mine are just a few years expired stored in freezer but comes a time when I have to start shooting more. I have about 45 rolls in total.

Not a question about the film specifically so I have placed it under misc.

 

[jonasfj]

I usually order my film from B&H and then about 5 each of what I want at the moment. As soon as stock is running low, I order again.

High-runners such as Ektar, Fuji Pro 400H, Portra 400 and TMAX 100/400 last max 3 months.

Film that I use less, may be in the freezer for up to a year. Right now I have some Velvia, Tri-X, XP-2 Super, Portra 800 with lower turn-around.

I think you can store film in the freezer for years after expiry without worrying about ageing or decay.

Cheers,

Jonas

 

[Ricardo Miranda]

I use only film, so it is always fresh.
I use mainly B&W bulk rolls, 1 per month and only have 1 in the loader and one spare.
Consider that a 30.5m bulk roll is about 18 rolls and I use about 5-6 per week.
I don't put film in the fridge or freezer even because there's no space left for it.
Film decays even in a freezer.
I buy film every month.
Right now I have 1 Kentmere 400 in the loader and 1 Fomapan 400 in a drawer.
Also in the drawer are 8 rolls of 120 Fomapan 400 for use in my Zeiss folding cameras.

 

[removed account4]

using, but using film i stockpiled since the 90s.
none of it is frozen, i have never found the need
to keep film frozen or chilled &c and personally
i think it is a myth / conspiracy
propogated by the liberal media and conservative film companies
suggesting film has to be frozen to last.
YMMV

 

[sepiareverb]

I have some films in vast quantities, others only a little. I shoot regularly, less this past year due to $work commitments. I store in a under-counter type fridge that will fit an 11x14 film box.

HP5+ I now store in my car.

 

[Cholentpot]

I buy in bulk expired off of Ebay, roll it and then store in the freezer. There are rolls in there that I have that are valuable and I have no clue when of if I'll use them. Ektar 25 comes to mind. I started using up all my stock of Ferrania as they say they are coming back online. I have a handful of Plus-X that I'm saving for something nice. Otherwise it's a bunch of expired Tmax 100/400, Vision3 500T and Ecktachrome.

 

[DWThomas]

I try not to maintain massive stocks, but my usage quantities vary wildly and I can't walk into the local drugstore and buy more. So I have had some on hand for as much as three years or so. I generally target keeping it in date. In the Philadelphia 'burbs, I can usally get more from B&H in two days, but I don't rely on that. (And then there's that expired in 1988 bulk roll of 135 Panatomic-X ... )

I do have a few rolls of aging color film around that I just sort of gave up on, as I would never do enough to be worth getting into my own processing, and the local "pro" shop takes a way long time to turn it around. I've pretty much concentrated on B&W for film work. (And yes, ever the pragmatic, I also use "other technology.")

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

I had a stash of 120 roll film and 4x5 sheet film until a few weeks ago. I sold it all because I've been unable to use it, so it went to people who can. It wasn't a huge stash... maybe 200 rolls and 600 sheets. Maybe one day soon I'll try again.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I keep a stock pile of discontinued films [examples: Kodak UltraColor 135 and 120, Kodak Tri-X 320 120, Kodak Plus-X 120] and a stock pile of current films. I use both sets of films, but I can only replenish the latter group.

 

[Wallendo]

I stockpiled some EliteChrome 100 when it was discontinued. In retrospect, I probably should have just switched to Fuji at the time as I had just started shooting transparency film again. My goal is to finish shooting the rolls I have this year and only go with fresh slide film after that. As it is, I tend to buy new Fuji film for trips and other special occasions.

I also stockpiled a modest amount of Arista Premium 400, but it is about gone.

Going forward, unless I get a good deal on some bulk rolls of B&W film, I will probably just keep a few rolls of films I routinely use on hand. With Amazon and B&H, I can get new film in 2-3 days.

 

[Alan9940]

Like Sirius Glass, I have a stockpile of discontinued films and a reasonable selection of current films that I use all the time. All kept frozen until use; then, I remove from freezer at least 24 hours before I intend to use it.

 

[paul ron]

just know how much i use so i order fresh when i get to my low limit of 25 rolls.

my refrigerator hold food not film.

 

[mooseontheloose]

I do have a stockpile, of both fresh and expired/discontinued films. Even though film is available here, the local stores do not always have a lot of stock on hand. Just before my European vacation this year I wanted to pick up some Tri-X or HP5+ in 120 and was only able to score 10 rolls from one of the stores - the other (larger) store was completely out of stock of 400 speed B&W film. (I'd like to hope that means people are buying lots and they can't keep up, but based on the last 2.5 years here in Kyoto I have a feeling it has more to do with keeping film stocks in store as minimal as possible). In any case, to avoid situations like that, I tend to buy extra film to have it on hand when I need it. That said, what I need to do now is shoot what I have - I am starting to run out of room in my dedicated film/paper fridge.

 

[Moopheus]

In 35mm, I have a few long rolls in the freezer. For 4x5, a few boxes. But 120 I order 10-20 rolls at a time. It just takes up too much room in larger quantities. And there's not much cost savings to buy in bulk.

 

[Vaughn]

Both. Right now I feel more secure with boxes of various 11x14 film, 8x10 film and 120 film in the fridge or my cool room. When my boys visit they tell me I have more film than food in the fridge.

 

[Leigh B]

I shoot 35mm, 120, 4x5, 5x7, and 8x10.
ACROS in the three smaller formats, Ilford FP4+ in the two larger ones.

I try to keep a small stock of each in the freezer, like ~20 rolls of 35mm and 120.

Currently 200 4x5 ACROS sheets in the freezer and another 100 awaiting pickup at the post office.

- Leigh

 

[Bill Burk]

Sounds like a good amount of film to keep on hand... just enough.

I used to buy my fresh film from the local camera store, 4-5 rolls at a time. I don't even bother to refrigerate it. Now that Kaufmann's in San Mateo has closed, I think I'll be going to Glass Key on lower Haight more often. I like to pick up sheet film boxes in pairs. So I'll pick up a couple boxes of 4x5 TMY-2, put one in the freezer, and keep one open box in the darkroom for loading.

There's a tiny stash of Panatomic-X in the freezer and I'm not afraid to use it...

 

[hdeyong]

I buy it as I need it, 10-20 rolls (35mm) at a time. I keep it in 2 narrow containers at the back of the fridge, so it just takes up the room that those little forgotten jars of odd things usually take up until you throw them out 6 months later. Plus, I keep about 3 rolls in the egg tray in the fridge door because the black containers set the beige eggs off beautifully.......

 

[LAG]

Excuse me

... Some of you might have a small stash of film. Are they continually being used or ...?

I always have a minimal amount of film/paper for all, when I get to that point (using), I fill out. So, always both

..., ... personally i think it is a myth / conspiracy propogated by the liberal media and conservative film companies suggesting film has to be frozen to last. YMMV

Very funny!

... I keep about 3 rolls in the egg tray in the fridge door because the black containers set the beige eggs off beautifully.......

Thank you for making me laugh! (Mine have moved to another ... "flat")

 

[M Carter]

I do have 2 rolls of EPJ in my freezer. That was a holy-grail film to me, never found anything quite like it for fashion, beauty, and jewelry. Not at all an "accurate" film (seeing how I liked it pushed 3 stops or so) but an amazing, glorious interpretive film. Had such a special place in my heart.

 

[removed account4]

Very funny!

dude, its no joke !
while i know others who
say they can tell between shelf stored film
and stuff that was frozen or kept cold i am
guessing it is like a former colleague of mine
who INSISTED he could tell the differnce between
a file made print and a film made print, and he couldn't ...
im happy people are happy freezing and keeping their film cold
it gives them the piece of mind that they are doing something proactive
in their storage, and helping with their photography ...
i've noticed no difference between fresh new film, film that was cold before i used it
and stuff i just had in a bag on the floor in the corner of the room.
==
i must admit though, i never used to buy more than i could shoot in a few weeks or a month's time
but then i nearly ran out of $$ so i bought a bunch of film, i still have and use some of this purchase
( in 1993 ) and it has sat in a lucite "film" box on a shelf in my studio and in a storage bag in a former
studio that reached 100 degrees some days in the hot summer months ( kiln of a brick building, no air conditioning ) ..
then i got a deal on some 5x7 film from a friend
i couldn't pass up " a few boxes for 20$ ) it turned out it was 20 100 sheet boxes
and then a couple of apug friends had bunches of 120 film i had to buy ... none of it cold stored ..
im not worried about it .. i am sure if i had a densitometer i'd be freaking out though.
not sure if all that fog was my coffee/vit c developer or background noise ...
after i click "save changes" i'm going to keep an eye out for people who might want to bump me off
since i am blowing the lid off of this whole thing ... ( i don't keep batteries in my refrigerator either )
like a politician said a few years back " to get at the suger lobby you have to go behind the corn lobby"
maybe "to get to the cold film thing, you have to go behind the cold battery thing

almost forgot

YMMV

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

I shoot 35mm and 120 predominantly, and some 5x7.

I keep 25-50 rolls of b&w on hand, of each type, and buy 5x7 as I use it.
I keep 5-10 rolls of C-41 Portra 400 in both formats on hand, along with miscellaneous slide film for cross processing.

As the stash gets below the lower range I replenish with more. I guess I do both to answer the question, even though I never have massive amounts of film available.

 

[LAG]

dude, its no joke !

No joke? (I must admit I had doubts), then could you expand a little that personal thought with us, please?

Thanks in advance

 

[removed account4]

No joke? (I must admit I had doubts), then could you expand a little that personal thought with us, please?

Thanks in advance

my personal experience dictates what i go by for my personal work. i have used a variety of films from europe, the uk, america and asia
and none had trouble when just stored in a drawer or shelf. some is 20+ years old, some was tmz (3200) i have read
was going to be all fog blacks were INK. i'm not looking for an argument ( i know that is 2 doors down on the left )
and as i said, i don't seem to have any troubles caused by "cosmic rays" or film left in a bag in a lived-in room, or on a studio shelf...
i also use sunny 16 whenever i can with every film/paper i shoot and would rather know my materials, and know them well
and how to use them to do what i want to do, than to be tied down to acquisitions of electronic devices to test my "stuff"
and spending $$ on extra appliances and electricity

im extremely happy others do this stuff, it makes them happy ....
but i have absolutely no interest in it ...

best ..

YMMV

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I maintain a certain inventory level for my own peace of mind, but I shoot through it and replenish when I get below a certain level. I'll agree with John to a certain degree when it comes to cold storage - I have some Ilford FP4+ that is about a decade old, not stored in a fridge or anything special. It still works just fine. I have noticed with color film though that, especially the faster films (400 speed and higher) it does not age well, and definitely drops off in film speed and in color accuracy/saturation/etc when it gets older, fridge or no fridge. And it does worse not cold stored than cold stored. But for b/w film, ten years past expiration doesn't seem to have too much effect.