Is there a "Film for Dummies"?

asrafferty · Jul 13, 2008

If you have no patience with idiot spouses who have freezers full of film, no idea what it is, and the need to sort "the good" from "the bad" and "the ugly," please stop reading now... also, I'll ask the mods to put this where it belongs if not here.

I'm starting to sort through all Ted's film in preparation for selling it, and wonder if there is some "master" reference somewhere that can help me figure out expiration dates and whether the fact that all of this has been kept refrigerated (yes, he had an entire freezer and a refrigerator dedicated to film) somehow mitigates those dates, so that the film is still usable.

It's an eclectic collection of Kodak color rolls and sheets, Fuji color same thing, some "no-name" B&W sheets... names I recognize like Provia, Velvia, TMax100, sheets of 4x5, 5x7, 13x18, and expiration dates from as early as '01 all the way to next year! I haven't even finished going through the rolls yet.

So, I'm looking for "Film for Dummies," if such a thing exists. Anyone? Thanks for any help you can offer.

Amy

Pinholemaster · Jul 13, 2008

Amy, doesn't sound like you are a dummy.

Simply make up a list of film type, format size, expiration date, and quantity.

The shooters who want to buy this film will know what they want.

Most film manufacturers have lists of the film they sell, with descriptions of the films characteristics, on-line. I suggest simply going to Fuji's and Kodak's web site to start learning.

asrafferty · Jul 13, 2008

Thank you... of course, I'll start with the manufacturers' websites and see what I can learn... I'm just trying to reconcile the expiration dates on the boxes with the fact that Ted still had them!

Mike Kennedy · Jul 13, 2008

Maybe if you listed all the film available,adding dates where applicable,and let fellow APUGers figure out it's usability? You've already mentioned that the film has been frozen.
I am sure that other members will have better advice but it's the only thing I could come up with.

Mike

Mike Kennedy · Jul 13, 2008

Just as I expected....................better advice posted even before I could run my spell check.

asrafferty · Jul 13, 2008

Thanks, Mike... I don't want Sean and the mods to think I'm trying to sell stuff anyplace but the Classifieds, where it belongs and will go when I have a better understanding of what's there. Sort of a Catch-22, but I appreciate your advice, thanks!

Vonder · Jul 13, 2008

Please don't post any Kodachrome 25 in the classifieds here. Please instead send me a private email. Nobody here likes Kodachrome 25, so it wouldn't sell. Kodachrome 25 is hard to type, so please just don't even post it. I am trully concerned for your health and wouldn't want carpal tunnel to be the result. So let's just keep any of THAT stuff between us, okay?

jp80874 · Jul 13, 2008

asrafferty said:
whether the fact that all of this has been kept refrigerated (yes, he had an entire freezer and a refrigerator dedicated to film) somehow mitigates those dates, so that the film is still usable.
Amy

What may not have come across in the previous answers is that freezing or cooling the film does extend the life, in some cases by years. If he stored printing papers the same way they may also be usable long after the expiration date.

Ted helped a whole lot of people in person and online. I am sure many of us would like to return the same with good information to you.

John Powers

mabman · Jul 13, 2008

Just FYI, "cold stored" is a very good thing from a usability standpoint (there should be little-to-no time/temp-related degredation of the film), but in my experience doesn't really increase selling price. To give you some idea on what to expect for pricing, I bought a fair bit of expired 35mm and 120 format films last year. As a general rule, if the expiry date was 2005 or before, on average I paid US$1-1.50 per roll (35mm or 120, the brand/type/speed didn't matter). For expiry dates in 2006-2007, US$2 per roll (I bought them in the latter part of the year). It's all still perfectly usable, it's just that the perceived value drops signficantly if it's expired, even if properly stored.

There are a few exceptions for rare "cult" films that are no longer in production, and I have no idea what expired large-format film (or photo paper) is worth - you might have to search eBay's completed auctions for a better idea of what the market is doing these days. ("Cult" films would be things like Kodachrome 25 in any format or any Kodachrome in formats larger than 35mm or old Kodak film such as Panatomic-X or Verichrome or Verichrome Pan. I'm sure there are some I'm missing here as well, but anything currently produced doesn't usually fall into this category.)

Best of luck - looking forward to seeing if there's anything interesting in 35mm or 120

asrafferty · Jul 13, 2008

jp80874 said:
Ted helped a whole lot of people in person and online. I am sure many of us would like to return the same with good information to you.

John Powers

Thanks, John... especially for the note about papers... he has TONS in his studio, and that inventory will get done next. Thanks also for the kind words... I'm a pretty fast learner, and nothing will happen til I'm sure of what I'm doing. Certainly I'll try to offer these things first to those who've helped with the "good info" I need... thanks!

asrafferty · Jul 13, 2008

mabman said:
Just FYI

Thank you so much! This is very helpful! I'll put a list in "Classifieds" as soon as I have it all together.

rwyoung · Jul 13, 2008

Film for Dummies

asrafferty said:
If you have no patience with idiot spouses who have freezers full of film, no idea what it is, and the need to sort "the good" from "the bad" and "the ugly," please stop reading now... also, I'll ask the mods to put this where it belongs if not here.

I'm starting to sort through all Ted's film in preparation for selling it,
Amy

Amy -

I think here at "Dummies who want film" , i.e. APUG is a wonderful way to deal with the inventory.

And I hope that the flood of memories that come with cleaning and sorting through all these things are more good than bad.

asrafferty · Jul 13, 2008

rwyoung said:
Amy -

I think here at "Dummies who want film" , i.e. APUG is a wonderful way to deal with the inventory.

And I hope that the flood of memories that come with cleaning and sorting through all these things are more good than bad.

Thank you... even months later there's a bit of horror at the thought of letting anything out of his studio... but it's only a reflex, and there's nothing more important than getting his things where they will be used and loved.

And, of course, I'm not losing a mountain of film; I'm gaining a freezer.

Sal Santamaura · Jul 13, 2008

Amy, let's start with a disclaimer: I'm not likely to be interested in any of it. That out of the way, what you should know about cold-storage of film is "speed counts." Lower temperatures retard chemical aging, but there's a certain amount of background cosmic radiation that fogs film over time regardless. The higher an outdated film's ISO speed rating, the more fog possible.

So, if you find Agfapan APX 25 or Kodachrome 25 that's been in a freezer since purchased fresh, it will likely be good as new. And, since both of those are prized, discontinued products, they'll command high prices. Conversely, something like Delta 3200 or TMAX 3200, both of which are still sold, will probably exhibit a fair amount of fog if much past date, and therefore might not fetch as much. I've heard that Kodak stores its TMAX 3200 in an abandoned salt mine while awaiting distribution, since many thousands of feet of earth is the only way to shield from cosmic radiation -- lead doesn't work.

All the above must be tempered with an understanding that the market seems to value certain discontinued emulsions highly almost regardless of condition. For example, I'd reverse my "not interested" position if you found any quantity of 120 or 4x5 Panatomic X.

Sorry you have to do this. It would be much better if the original purchaser got to use that film, but I don't know any way to change things, so please stay as strong as you've appeared to be thus far.

Best regards.

asrafferty · Jul 13, 2008

Thank you, Sal! There are several rolls marked "120", but I have yet to get the list together... all Kodak and Fuji. I've just written Sean asking about the cost of a subscription to APUG so I can put that list in the Classified section when it's together (I wasn't able to find the cost anywhere in the info on subscribing, but I'm sure it's here somewhere!).

df cardwell · Jul 13, 2008

Even OLD film, long out of date, which has lost speed, is still very useful.

I shoot LOTS of Royal Pan, a Kodak 400 film, that went out of date in 1995. It had not been kept cold in the store,
and I bought it (yes, cheaply) after it was out of date. It has a useful speed of 50, requires normal processing, is not troubled by fog, and makes exquisite pictures if I do my part. It still agrees with the old Kodak curve, it is just slower.

So you can count - in the worst case - that the freezer and fridge hold useful stuff for the pickiest of photographers.

asrafferty · Jul 13, 2008

Thank you... glad to know it and will get this together and posted soon.

Is there a "Film for Dummies"?

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