Ilford Pan F storage

I found a roll of Ilford Pan F I put in a bag last year (120 if it matters) and forgot about. Is it still usable?

Archimedes the Dog said:

I found a roll of Ilford Pan F I put in a bag last year (120 if it matters) and forgot about. Is it still usable?

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Unless you left the bag on the dashboard of your car parked in Death Valley, why not?

My understanding of Pan F based on what others here have said is that, once exposed, the latent image on the film doesn't last as long as on other films so once you expose it then process the film as soon as possible. However I have seen nothing that suggests an unexposed Pan F doesn't have the same longevity as other films.

If it did then retailers would presumably be advised to sell the film within a relatively short time and I have heard nothing that suggests that Ilford gives that advice to its retailers in comparison with its other films

pentaxuser

Thanks, not familiar with it's properties. I know delta 3200 keeps poorly, so I wanted to be sure.

I have used plenty of short or outdated PanF with no problems, but as the others have said...do process it promptly after exposure. The poor latent image keeping is the reason that the edge numbering if often very faint on this film.

By "usable", it sounds like it's not yet exposed. If so, it should be totally fine as the film keeps quite nicely in its unexposed state. It's only latent images that can have relatively poor life on this film.

polyglot said:

If so, it should be totally fine as the film keeps quite nicely in its unexposed state. It's only latent images that can have relatively poor life on this film.

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What if it is frozen after exposure? Does this simply slow the degradation of the latent image?

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I've used pan f that was over 10 years old with no problem, very slight loss of speed was all. Slow film - slow to fog. Unless abused.

rbultman said:

What if it is frozen after exposure? Does this simply slow the degradation of the latent image?

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Don't know, sorry. I imagine it would, but freezing opened film is risky in terms of getting condensation on it.

I still have Pan F (Pan F+?) motion picture stock. If it is exposed at an EI of 25 and if development is extended by about 50% the results are still good.

Dear Archimedes The Dog,

Firstly you do not state what date the film expires ?

If its in date it should be fine, if its out of date it should also be fine provided it has been stored in normal conditions ( a cool dark place not exceeding 20 degrees ) or has not been exposed to higher temperatures or humidity for excessive periods of time.

You mention DELTA 3200 ( keeps poorly ) no it does not, it is incredibly stable, its a CCG ( Controlled Crystal Growth ) type emulsion, although faster films do tend to deteriorate quicker than slower films DELTA 3200 has a very stable profile : All emulsions from KODAK / FUJI and ILFORD are incredibly stable prior to exposure, they have to be pretty abused to show deterioration before the expirey date on the film.

PAN F + Latent image performance, PAN F + is a conventional emulsion and latent image stability is a factor with ALL films : See our full product information sheet on PAN F + on our website, ALL films ( and papers come to that ) should be processed promptly after exposure and PAN F + no longer than 3 months from the date it was exposed.

Storing EXPOSED Films in controlled conditions.

After exposing films they should be stored in the same way as unexposed films in a cool, dry environment not exceeding 20 Degrees.

Whilst refrigerating or freezing UNexposed films will certainly help extend their life and performance ( providing they are protected from frost / moisture etc - lots of threads re this on APUG ) refridgerating or freezing post exposure I would not recommend, although it probably would not do them any harm as long as you allowed 24 hours for them to regulate and get up to room temperature before processing them.

Its far better to have a protocol or discipline that you process films promptly after exposure.

Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology limited.

I think I posted this once before but I tested some long-stored PanF+ vs new and found only the slightest difference (imperceptible to my eyes). I was doing some initial sorting out runs with WD2D+ and thought I'd solve 2 things at once. Here's an old graph of the densities (likely from about 2005):

craigclu said:

I think I posted this once before but I tested some long-stored PanF+ vs new and found only the slightest difference (imperceptible to my eyes). I was doing some initial sorting out runs with WD2D+ and thought I'd solve 2 things at once. Here's an old graph of the densities (likely from about 2005):

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That lines up with what I found as well. I even tested some frozen Pan-F (non +). That compared very well to the newer version. I honestly had a hard time seeing what the "+" added, it's always been an excellent film for me.

Simon R Galley said:

Dear Archimedes The Dog,

Firstly you do not state what date the film expires ?

If its in date it should be fine, if its out of date it should also be fine provided it has been stored in normal conditions ( a cool dark place not exceeding 20 degrees ) or has not been exposed to higher temperatures or humidity for excessive periods of time.

Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology limited.

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Thanks, Simon. It expires in 2015. I should be fine. I also thank you for the info about 3200, I had read somewhere that it was less stable when stored at room temperature, I appreciate the clarification.