How long can film be kept unexposed for?

film_guy · Mar 16, 2007

I have done midroll rewind on a roll of HP5+, a roll of Tri-X, some chromogenics and also a roll of Superia 800 film, and these are rolls of 36 exposures but I don't see myself finish using them until much later. So I'm just wondering is it okay for the rest of the unexposed film? What about keeping a whole roll in a camera (and out of the sunlight)?

Andy K · Mar 16, 2007

Put the rolls in a ziplock bag and put the bag in your fridge. They will easily keep long enough until you use them again.

Woolliscroft · Mar 16, 2007

I recently found a forgotten 120 back for my Mamy RB67 in a box which had never been unpacked from when we moved into this house in the mid 1990s. It had a half shot roll of Tech-pan in it. I finished the roll and deved it, more in hope than expectation, and everything came out fine.

David.

steven_e007 · Mar 16, 2007

I found a film at the back of a drawer a few years ago. It was one of those hideous 126 cartridge things for an instamatic camera.

I couldn't remember where it was from or what was on it (I never used such a camera myself).

After the pictures came back I realised what it was all about. A previous girlfriend owned the camera and took it to a party. She drank too much and I took some pictures of her making a fool of herself.

Somehow the film, which was in my trouser pocket, 'mysteriously' got sent through a hot cotton wash in the washing machine. When I discovered it, it was full of suds! I thought I'd thrown it in the bin but somehow it found it's way into the back of this drawer where it sat for nearly 10 years...

When I looked at the pictures they were just the same as they always were from these cameras (rubbish!) but none the worse for washing and storing for 10 yrs!

Steve

Christopher Walrath · Mar 16, 2007

If using the ziploc/fridge technique, also include a silica gel dessicant bag with the film and when taking it out, let it warm up for several hours in the sealed bag before opening to avoid undue condensation.

copake_ham · Mar 16, 2007

I think we here often get almost dilettantish about film; thinking it's a fragile media (like some kind of a digital sensor).

In fact, this film stuff has been going to wars and disaster scenes and many other places where all hell breaks out for over a 150 years. It has gone to the arctic regions and the tropics and brought back evidence of being there! It's been to the Moon and plunged into the deepest, coldest oceans too.

Heck, I read posts about guys buying some old camera on eBay or wherever and finding it still loaded with a partially-exposed roll of film from decades ago. As often or more as not it develops to a reasonable image.

Yes, I store my unexposed film in the freezer (because you're "supposed to do that") and I develop the exposed stuff as soon as possible. But truth be told, it's damn tough stuff and should be respected for that!

film_guy · Mar 17, 2007

Is there any difference in storing partially exposed rolls of B&W or C-41 color or chromogenics, as in the quality of the negative won't be compromised?

Drew B. · Mar 17, 2007

My wife and I found two rolls of exposed 35mm film in a kitchen drawer. We processed them and found wonderful images of my grown up kids as children back in the 80's. Yes, film is tough.

htmlguru4242 · Mar 19, 2007

Film is rather tough, as people have mentioned.

I've had perfect results with Tri-X that's been sitting around for a year or two, and haven't noticed too much of a difference on color stuff that's a few years old. You shouldn't have an issue.

Hell, I shot some of the best stuff that I've ever taken on a roll of Panatomic-X that expired in the 1970s, and was sitting in a hot attic.

The oldest color film I've processed was from summer 1993 (processed it last year around this time), and it looked fine. I've processed black and white film (not shot by me) that's much, much older, and it came out.

So, unless "much later" is more than a few years from now, there's no reason to worry at all.

How long can film be kept unexposed for?

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