Thoughts on 10yo frozen Tri-X

[philipus]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Hi everyone

 

I have the opportunity to buy my favourite bw film, Tri-X, in quite a large quantity. The potential problem is that it is 10 years out of date. However, the seller, whom I trust, has stored it frozen at -16C.

 

I have never bought out of date film before. Would such old film, though frozen, be problematic in terms of image quality or any other respect?

 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts

Philip

[andybarton]

If it's been frozen for its entire life, it should be fine.

 

Can you try one roll before committing yourself?

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[philipus]

Thanks for the quick reply Andy. I might be able to try it - I'll check with the seller.

cheers

philip

[joeswe]

Philip,

you say Tri-X is your "favourite bw film", so why not do it a favour and buy fresh stock and support Tri-X and its manufacturer in these difficult times?

This is the only way to help secure that your favourite film will still be available down the road, not only for you, but for all of us who like to use it. I know it can be tempting to save a few bucks, but if we all start shooting out of date stock, traffic surveillance film or cine stock scraps to save a few dimes, than I fear that out of date stock, traffic surveillance film and cine stock scraps are the only choices we will be left with sooner than later. Just some food for thought ...

[Guido]

I'm not a proponent of letting old things go to waste just for the sake of buying new stuff.

 

I'd put that old stock to good use if its condition permits.

[earleygallery]

I wouldn't hesitate to buy the film given the way it's been stored but shoot a test roll and process as normal to see if it may need any dev time adjustment (unlikely I'd say).

 

Obviously continue to freeze the unused rolls.

[philipus]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Thanks for your replies.

 

A question - is there a risk that the film gets defrosted during the 1-day (but could be 2-days if I'm unlucky) shipping to me? I'll of course ask the seller to pack it properly, and I'll freeze it directly I get it, but I'm wondering if there's any risk to the film due to the shipping.

[earleygallery]

Thanks for your replies.

 

A question - is there a risk that the film gets defrosted during the 1-day (but could be 2-days if I'm unlucky) shipping to me? I'll of course ask the seller to pack it properly, and I'll freeze it directly I get it, but I'm wondering if there's any risk to the film due to the shipping.

 

No, it's not like frozen food!

[chris_livsey]

Kodak provide data on this:

 

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/consumer/products/techInfo/e30/e30.pdf

 

They make it, they should know

[spydrxx]

My experience has been "always beware", but I frequently use cartridges I make from bulk rolls of Tri-X and Plus-X which are 8-10 yrs outdated, with no problems. When I got the rolls (in factory sealed metal containers), I put them in the freezer immediately, and after several years put them in my bulk loaders, which stay sealed in a plastic bag in my fridge. I hope you're getting a good deal on yours, I certainly did on mine.

[AlanG]

The general issue with b/w film in storage over time is increased fog. If you can process a sample piece of unexposed film and its base remains pretty clear, you should be ok. But how quickly will you use up this large quantity?

[joeswe]

I'm not a proponent of letting old things go to waste just for the sake of buying new stuff.

 

I'd put that old stock to good use if its condition permits.

 

Beleive me, nor am I. My home is full of furniture, dishes, books and technical stuff that I bought used. But I thought I made it clear that in this particular case its not "just for the sake of buying new stuff". It's for the sake of keeping a manufacturer alive that is on the brink of death and that all Tri-X shooters depend upon. Just my two EUR cts.

[gsgary]

This is 26 years out of date and no idea how it was stored, developed in Rodinal, if the price is right i wouldn't hesitate

 

[chris_livsey]

FP4 Not PLUS

Introduced 1968 as 125 ASA discontinued in 1990 for the Plus version. So a minimum of 24 years old. I "inherited" a roll in an IXMOO cassette. Beutler which adds little or no fog. I estimated between 1and 1/2 stops loss of speed.

 

Apple Blossom

 

[philipus]

Thank you very much for these examples, very inspiring indeed.

 

I normally develop in HC-110 but given the age of the film should I consider another developer?

[chris_livsey]

I would stick to what you know. If foggy you can add 5ml of 1% Benztriazole per 500ml it helps but does not cure.

[otto.f]

You could ask the seller when he put it in the freezer, if that was after the expiration date you might be inclined to pay less but anyway, I would do it.

[Hugh 38]

About two months ago I shot two rolls of Ilford Pan F dated 1998/9 , developed in Ilford ID11 and it was fine .I had kept the film in the fridge .

[nikau]

I'm just using the last of a bunch of HP5 Plus that went into the freezer in 1994. Not a single problem.

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[250swb]

I was on the Ilford factory tour recently and the 'use by' dates came up in the Q&A session.

 

As I recall even if film is unrefrigerated Ilford say under normal conditions (not in the glove box of a hot car in the tropic's) film should last fifteen years beyond the sell by date before anybody should worry. The date is so dealers can turn around their stock efficiently. So a roll in the desk drawer isn't going off, neither is the roll in your least loved camera, unless you really hate it...

 

I don't like the idea of unused film regularly going in and out of the fridge at the end of a days shooting simply because the idea of expansion and contraction comes into my mind. And I've never re-refrigerated sheet film because I worry about condensation forming inside the open packet, but new and sealed it lives in the fridge.

 

So if Kodak have the same high standards as Ilford (which they will) long term storage is safe under any normal conditions, but with a fridge it is extended indefinitely.

 

Steve

Edited December 7, 2013 by 250swb