Life span of C-41 film?

[Nick_3536]

With B&W film I can pickup a box and know the best before date will be far into the future. Put it in the freezer and it'll last even longer. I'd like to try some C-41 sheet film [4x5] but I don't expect to use very much very quickly. What sort of lifespan can I expect? Assuming freezer storage. The 10 sheet boxes are too small but the 50 sheet boxes will take me awhile to use up.

[Brian Kennedy]

I don't know if it helps, but I have a box of NPL that expired 12/02 but has been kept refrigerated. I shot a few sheets about a month ago and it looks perfectly fine. That's my only experience with outdated sheet film. But I've also shot 2-year outdated 35mm film (stored cold) with no ill effects, so I didn't expect any problems with the NPL. If you keep it in the freezer, I'd expect an even longer shelf life, perhaps several years.

[Ed Eubanks]

Brian is generally correct about cold storage of C-41 film. However, some color films should NOT be stored in the freezer, although I do not know confidently which ones. You can be confident that it will keep fine for a few years refridgerated. Once it is brought out, though, you should have it processed fairly soon; I had some film that I took out of the fridge for a few weeks while I was moving, and the color when bad on much of it.

[Steve Baggett]

I've "frozen" the following C-41 films and used them (after thawing a couple of hours) without any problems or substantial changes in color (based on my Colorline 7000 analyzer), some of it over year out of date: 160VC (4x5), NPS160 (4x5), Reala (35mm and 120), Agfa Optima 100 (4x5). I still have about 20 sheets of the Optima left (no longer made) that is nearly 2 years out of date and the whites and grays on it still analyze within 3cc of the first sheets from the box. Freezing film brings the chemical degradation of the emulsion to a near halt, as this is a "chemical" change. Eventually, however, the natural "background radiation" will slowly "fog" them film regardless of storage. But, this would take years. I load up my 4x5 film holders and keep them in my freezer, inside sealed anti-static bags, and then remove a few about 2 hours before I use them (letting them thaw without opening the bags, to prevent condensation). I've never had any problems.

[Nick_3536]

Sounds like I'll be okay. Thanks

[Philippe Gauthier]

It depends on the speed - the faster the film, the more easily it will be fogged by cosmic rays. In general, ISO 100 print film should be fine in the 4-5 years after its expiration date if it's been kept frozn all the time. For ISO 400, assume 2-3 years. If you are willing to tolerate some minor fog and color change (easily corrected), double these times.

Some people reported using print film successfully after 12, 15 and even 20 years; there usually was some color cast and some fog, but not enough to make the film completely unusable. I wouldn't use film that old for serious jobs, however.

Apart from Polaroid material, I'm not aware of any film that shouldn't go in the freezer.

[Nick Morris]

Several months back I bought some 8x10 Vericolor with a 1989 expiration date thinking it would have significant color shift and lost contrast, and I could "experiment" with it. I bought 50 sheets (5/10 sheet boxes) for $5.00 plus shipping on ebay. I shot 4 sheets, rated at 50 (manufacture's rating 100), and had it processed normally, with contact sheets made, no color correction. Looked great. Some color correction for some of the shots was needed, but not much. Go figure! I put the rest in the refrigerator. I don't know how it was stored before I got it, but it seemed to hold up.