I've haven't been diligently reading these forums the past several months and just yesterday I caught word of Astia Quickloads getting discontinued. Even though I only use Astia for maybe 1 out of 10 shots, this was disconcerting to say the least. The past few years I've been steeling myself for this moment.

So I anxiously searched around the forum some more to see if any of my other film was affected. In 4x5, I use 160S QL (60%), 400NC (30%), and Astia QL (10%). In 8x10, I use 160S and 400NC equally. Slowly, one by one, I started to learn that every film format that I use is basically discontinued or no longer available in the U.S.

I know this is just the precursor, but to me, yesterday, it really felt like The Film Apocalypse. I had that sinking feeling at first, which turned to determination. Funny, when I began LF a couple years ago I knew this time would come and I always believed that I could roll with it, adapt, and use whatever film was available. But I've come to love and rely on 400NC and 160S QL!

So I jumped online and ordered a huge shipment of film and now I realize I don't have the freezer space to store it all and I don't know the best way to store it if I did. In the past, I've always just ordered film as needed and stored in the fridge!

I've got several questions about how you store your film for maximum longevity.

1) Do you do anything special when placing the film in the freezer? I put the film, in unopened boxes, in Ziploc bags. Any other tips?

2) Is there any problem with thawing the film and then refreezing? Or once thawed, should I transfer the film to the fridge?

3) Has anyone run into issues with condensation or defrosting?

4) Any suggestions on freezers or types of freezer? Upright vs. Chest?

5) How long can I expect the film to last if properly stored? I've read ranges of 6-10 years. What kind of degradation in the film can I expect if frozen for 6 years? How long can I freeze color negative film without any noticeable effects?

6) How cold should the freezer be? Will colder temperatures lead to less degradation over time?

7) Any idea how many 10 sheet boxes of 8x10 I can fit per cubic foot? 20 sheet QL boxes per cubic foot?

Thanks for any tips you can offer!

Side-questions: Anyone know where I can get 8x10 160S? Also, ironically, I learned of Astia QL's demise because I was searching the forums to see if anyone knew where to get 8x10 Astia! I was thinking of trying it out in 8x10 since everyone talks about how beautiful an 8x10 transparency is against a light box. Anyone know where I can get 8x10 Astia? If not, how does everyone find E100G?