Film Pack lifetime?

[jibanes]

How long can I store some fp-100c and fp-3000b, and at which temperature would it store best?

Thank you

 

[StoneNYC]

Never put in the freezer, fridge is the best. Freezing will ruin the developer.

Longevity? I don't have an answer for that.


~Stone

The Noteworthy Ones - Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1 / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic

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[jibanes]

So 10 or 20 years in a fridge (around 8 degrees) is fine?

 

[Marc B.]

8 degrees Celsius = 46.4 degrees Fahrenheit...Sure!
10 years might be hitting the outer limits. 20 years...who knows?

One problem is the Cellophane(?) construction of the chemical/developer pods.
These developer pods don't seem to be totally air proof. At least...not the old Polaroid pods!
Over the long-term...the chemicals within the pods can dry out and/or harden.
Don't stack the boxes of pack film. Store the boxes standing on end, (like books in a bookshelf).

The Fuji instant pack film is great stuff, though. When Fuji instant film was allowed in North America
following Polaroid's re-organization bankruptcy in 2001(?), I thought that Fuji was a better product.

The last Polaroid pack film was produced at or before their liquidation bankruptcy in 2008(?).
That's going on 5 years now. Most images I see from those shooting old Polaroid film...today,
their images show a lot of color shift, and/or incomplete developer spread due to dried out pods.

Today, unless shooters of Polaroids bought their film new...five years ago,
they have no idea how the film has been stored. It's quite the 'crap shoot.'

Marc

 

[jibanes]

Do you think the black and white can be stored longer than color?

 

[nickrapak]

Based on my experience, the black and white lasts longer than color. I've used Polaroid 107 (which begat 667, which FP-300B is a clone of) from 1971, and while it was obviously expired, the chemicals still spread. It seems like the dyes in the color films eventually break down to where they don't transfer from the negative to the paper, causing a loss of the positive, or a strange orange-colored positive. This might not be the case with Fuji, but it hasn't been in the US long enough for me to test that.

Another advantage with the Fuji films that might increase longevity is the fact that they are packed in all-foil bags. Older Polaroid films were packed in foil-lined paper, which was slightly porous and allowed moisture to slowly escape. Fuji films are packaged in plastic-lined foil, which might lead to more moisture retention.

When all is said and done, I figure you can get at least 10 years out of the color film, and 20 from the black and white.

 

[xya]

my personal experience is different. no problem with fuji fp-100c expired since 7 years. fresh colors, no problems with the spreading of chemicals. same thing with fp-100b, nice tones, but a bit messy with the chemicals on the peeled off side (exp. 06). but some problems with fp-3000b, sometimes tiny white dots on the photos and sometimes too much develloper liquid, rollers very dirty after each pack of film. I tried exp. 07 and 08 film in different cameras, so it's not a mere question of rollers or batch. all stored in a fridge.