Is expired film stored in freezer still good?

[badbluesman]

I have two boxes of 5x7 T-MAX 400 film that were part of a special order placed in 2002. The expiration date on the boxes was 2005. These boxes are unopened and have been stored in a freezer ever since I received the film. Before I received my share of the order it may have been sitting somewhere for a week or two. Also I had to move it from one freezer to another on one occasion. On another occasion, I took it on a winter shooting trip for one week and did not use the boxes in question (afterward I put them back in the freezer). So the film has only been out of the freezer for perhaps two-to-three weeks total.

Does anyone out there have experience shooting expired film that has been stored in a freezer? Obviously I will test it before shooting anything important. But it would be helpful to hear any relevant experiences. Thanks in advance.

[dsphotog]

I've used B&W film frozen A LOT longer past date, no problem.

[Lachlan 717]

The big risk is with colour film and colour shifts once passed expiry date.

Within reason, B&W should be fine for quite a while if frozen, especially if it is still in a sealed foil envelope.

I'd just test one on a "typical" shot (typical such as landscape if you do landscapes, building if you do Architecture, a person if portraits are your thing) and see the result.

[jennym]

I have used a lot of outdated transparency film without any problems to date. I usually check a couple of sheets before committing to a big trip. I don't have any experience with outdated B&W film though.

Good luck!

Jenny

[rfesk]

I am sure you are fine. I have film from the same production run.
The worst that happens is that fog increases slightly but I wouldn't even expect that at this point.

[SamReeves]

I've used ancient color neg and transperency film that has been frozen for a long time. No color shifts on my end. Defrost your film and enjoy it!

[Andrew O'Neill]

Yup. No worries that I can tell. I'm still using some b/w film that expired in 2000.

[Kuzano]

I'm still using frozen film.. color and B/W from the 90's. No problems. In fact, as mentioned before, the problem with expiration date on film not frozen is color shift, whereas I have always understood B/W maintains fairly well, as long as not cooked.

[D. Bryant]

I'm still using frozen film..

I usually let mine thaw!

Don Bryant

[Arne Croell]

For b/w film the main theoretical effects of age are loss of film speed, reduced contrast, and a higher base fog. The former two can easily be remedied by a little testing and adjusting your EI and development time. Having said that, I have used TMX that was 8 years past its date that had NOT been frozen parallel to fresh film and developed them together. No difference between the two.
Higher speed films are affected a bit more, but in your case I would start to check and adjust maybe around the year 2025..