Author Topic: BEST storage for Fujifilm FP-100C pack film? (Read 11980 times)

Aksarben · « **on:** April 28, 2016, 03:18:42 PM »

I know it's about gone, but with film you could just buy a lifetime supply and freeze it. I understand you can't freeze instant film, like pack film FP-100c and other like it, as well as Integrated film. So, what is the consensus of the best way to keep it for the very longest?

Wondering what would happen with an instant freeze in liquid Nitrogen....

Bryan · « **Reply #1 on:** April 28, 2016, 03:27:56 PM »

I have read that freezing it will destroy it and I have read that it can be frozen. I don't freeze mine I keep it in the refrigerator. I just shot some a few weeks ago that was stored in the refrigerator that expired in 2014 and it still works as good as new. Give it about 30 minutes to warm up to room temperature before you use it.

White Flowers by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

Chalky · « **Reply #2 on:** April 28, 2016, 03:55:35 PM »

yeah fridge not freeze... I shot some expired 2007 last week and it was perfect, this stuff lasts years and doesn't shift like the polaroid stuff does (which is good or bad depending on your outlook!)

Aksarben · « **Reply #3 on:** April 28, 2016, 04:46:25 PM »

Quote from: Chalky on April 28, 2016, 03:55:35 PM

yeah fridge not freeze... I shot some expired 2007 last week and it was perfect, this stuff lasts years and doesn't shift like the polaroid stuff does (which is good or bad depending on your outlook!)

Good to know about the longevity and lack of color shift.

It would be interesting experiment to Cryopreservation freeze it and hold frozen for a week and test. If it can stand 1 week, it probably could stand years frozen. God forbid a power outage though that defrosts everything in the freezer. Frost free freezer would definitely be a no-no as it's ability to keep out frost is to periodically unfreeze and re-freeze

hookstrapped · « **Reply #4 on:** April 28, 2016, 05:19:27 PM »

I think freezing might rupture the chemical pods

jharr · « **Reply #5 on:** April 28, 2016, 05:24:44 PM »

Quote from: hookstrapped on April 28, 2016, 05:19:27 PM

I think freezing might rupture the chemical pods

Flash freezing with liquid Nitrogen doesn't allow as much expansion. The crystals that form are very small. It would also depend on the water content vs. other solvents. Interesting thought experiment, but it seems a very expensive way to store something that isn't very valuable.

Aksarben · « **Reply #6 on:** April 28, 2016, 08:16:43 PM »

I think once they were dipped and well frozen in nitrogen, one could transfer to a normal freezer, so the cost of leaving in Nitrogen would not be a concern.

Other thought. Under refrigeration, who has kept and used with success, the oldest Fujifilm? Chalky had some from 2007 with good success. Any others out there 9+ years or better stored?

Chalky · « **Reply #7 on:** April 28, 2016, 08:37:29 PM »

oldest fuji is 2007 which was literally perfect.

oldest polaroid is 1984 which wasnt perfect but I loved it!

Aksarben · « **Reply #8 on:** April 28, 2016, 08:47:05 PM »

You used 32 year old Polaroid pack film and it still worked??? Wow!

I'm near 63 (June) and if I could keep enough Fujifilm FP-100C refrigerated for say 10 years past it's "use by" date, that would be 2027 in which case I would be 73 at that time. Perhaps get enough pack film for the rest of my life, furthest out dated, and keep it cold for future.

I have one B&W Fujifilm and today the price for the same on eBay is around $40.00 'WHEW' !!

I have a Polaroid 320 (paid about 5.00 for it) and a Polaroid 450 that I have built an adapter chord for shooting with my Vivitar 283 flash. That seems to take pretty nice pictures. If I manage to stock up enough Fujifilm it might be worth it then to look for something like the 180 or other camera for shooting. Right now, it's kind of hard to justify that cost for the pittance of film I currently own.

limr · « **Reply #9 on:** April 29, 2016, 12:39:00 AM »

Definitely in the fridge for me. My stash is meager compared to some of y'all's, but I still have enough to make me seriously consider getting a small dedicated film fridge. I officially have more film than food in my crisper drawers!

tkmedia · « **Reply #10 on:** April 29, 2016, 03:01:43 AM »

I have FP100C from 2004 works almost zero issues but the goop is messier. Oldest spreadable one i have is polaroid 107C from 1996.

Aksarben · « **Reply #11 on:** April 29, 2016, 04:20:54 AM »

Just reading that it was 2003 that Fujifilm FP-100c was first primarily marketed to America. ref: http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Fujifilm_instant_photography
So really nothing older than say 2002 (Newly released color pack film) would be about the oldest one still available for shooting yet today. Film expiring in 8-2017 (which I have in crisper drawer) "should" then last to August of 2027 or so. (crossing fingers)

tkmedia · « **Reply #12 on:** April 29, 2016, 05:20:32 AM »

ha! Thats my article! I bought FP-100C in the mid 1990s. That film has been available in Japan since the mid 1980s. Older pre 2000 ones act more like Polaroid when expired giving degraded colours.

Aksarben · « **Reply #13 on:** April 30, 2016, 10:58:18 PM »

Well, you did a great job TK !! It would have not taken much for Fujifilm in the earlier days to have made film for the EK-4 and other Kodak instant print cameras. Perhaps they saw no future in it as the company was sued, lost and did not want to interfere with the ongoing ending of Kodak instant cameras and film.

lharby · « **Reply #14 on:** May 03, 2016, 10:37:11 AM »

Nate Weiss/Option8 posted not long ago on a Facebook group, pictures from 16 year old polaroid that had not been cold stored that were OK. I mean they did have colour cast, but I guess that means that refrigerated it should last as least as long as that and maybe FP100 has better longevity.

Here is the post actually: https://www.facebook.com/ blank/posts/1106039989417533

the url keeps getting rewritten, he is Instant-Options on FB (remove the dash)

So it means if you have film now store it for nearly 20 years and hopefully by then someone will have figured out how to manufacture it.

pearcie · « **Reply #15 on:** May 03, 2016, 01:46:53 PM »

Hi
The Figital Revolution are doing some tests as we speak...
Here https://figitalrevolution.com/2016/03/01/freezing-fuji-fp-100c-instant-film/
gary

Aksarben · « **Reply #16 on:** May 04, 2016, 02:55:45 AM »

Quote from: pearcie on May 03, 2016, 08:46:53 AM<blockquote>Hi
The Figital Revolution are doing some tests as we speak...
Here https://figitalrevolution.com/2016/03/01/freezing-fuji-fp-100c-instant-film/
gary

</blockquote>

Thanks Gary. Interesting link!! I saw he waited about 3 days in the freezer with no ill effects, 10 perfect shots. Doing the second pack a year later. My opinion is that if it works for 3 days, then 30 days, 300 days or 3000 days would be the same, no difference. Once something is frozen time stands still on it for a very very long time.

Perhaps this cooling allowed all the molecules to compact and align right and then the further drop into the freezing temps didn't have that much of an effect. I would always SUGGEST if one does this to use a standard non-defroster type freezer. That one above your refrigerator would not be my "go to" source for a freezer, and for my film, 120, 35mm, they reside in our chest freezer.

Francois · « **Reply #17 on:** May 04, 2016, 02:13:37 PM »

This experiment does say one thing: the reagent doesn't contain any water. If it was the case, the pods would have burst of their contents would have been affected.

Aksarben · « **Reply #18 on:** May 04, 2016, 02:22:19 PM »

One thing about the frozen film.... stacking vertical? I seem to remember being told/read that you should lay the film flat, "horizontal" not vertical. I would think once that film is totally frozen would not make any difference how it was stored after that, vertical, horizontal, sideways, upside down as everything would be at a standstill (no way for chemicals to move about or re-position)

Indofunk · « **Reply #19 on:** May 04, 2016, 03:35:03 PM »

I don't know about packfilm chemicals, but I do know that all fluids, no matter how cold or viscous, DO diffuse slowly over time. For packfilm goop at 0F, that may mean over a cosmic scale, but it does happen

I store my instant film in the fridge. Vertically $:-\$

Bryan · « **Reply #20 on:** May 04, 2016, 03:36:36 PM »

Do the chemicals in the pods actually freeze solid in the freezer? If they don't that may be why they don't get damaged in the freezer.

Aksarben · « **Reply #21 on:** May 08, 2016, 01:12:26 AM »

Eating a Klondike Ice Cream Bar and thinking...hmmm this ice cream is not solid, just stiff. Could it be the same with the Fujifilm FP-100c? I'm wondering... Think about it! You're a big company and want people to shoot up and use up the film you produce as fast as "they" can, and you do NOT want to give them any idea that they can buy a bunch and put them in the freezer for the next 2 decades, do you? Absolutely not!! No money in people buying something that can store that long. You want them to buy it and use it up near or soon after the "expiration" date so they can buy more.

The "photographers" already knew about the regular 35mm , 120, 220, 4X5 etc films being able to be frozen and the only hindrance there to longevity was gamma radiation that would eventually fog the film, hence fast speed film did and does not last as long in the freezer as say something in the 50, 100, 125 ASA range.

I for one am going to have to try this idea. If it works, you have film for the next 20-30 years.

moominsean · « **Reply #22 on:** May 09, 2016, 01:12:12 PM »

I keep most of my Polaroid in the fridge, except for three cases that I have under my bed. Honestly, the stuff under the bed hasn't gotten any worse with time. Some of the Polaroid is slowly getting worse, particularly the Type 80s, regardless of where I store it. Fuji film seems to last a loooong time without any ill effects. I used to buy FP-100 expired because it was like half the price and looked exactly the same. I always kinda hoped it would expire a bit.

Kai-san · « **Reply #23 on:** May 09, 2016, 01:38:14 PM »

Quote from: moominsean on May 09, 2016, 01:12:12 PM

I keep most of my Polaroid in the fridge, except for three cases that I have under my bed. Honestly, the stuff under the bed hasn't gotten any worse with time. Some of the Polaroid is slowly getting worse, particularly the Type 80s, regardless of where I store it. Fuji film seems to last a loooong time without any ill effects. I used to buy FP-100 expired because it was like half the price and looked exactly the same. I always kinda hoped it would expire a bit.

Moominsean makes a good point here, I have never seen an FP-100c shot with strange colours and other defects. Maybe I should put one pack on top of the fridge or somewhere hot to see if it is possible to get something weird?

Aksarben · « **Reply #24 on:** May 12, 2016, 01:59:31 AM »

Quote from: Kai-san on May 09, 2016, 01:38:14 PM

Quote from: moominsean on May 09, 2016, 01:12:12 PM
I keep most of my Polaroid in the fridge, except for three cases that I have under my bed. Honestly, the stuff under the bed hasn't gotten any worse with time. Some of the Polaroid is slowly getting worse, particularly the Type 80s, regardless of where I store it. Fuji film seems to last a loooong time without any ill effects. I used to buy FP-100 expired because it was like half the price and looked exactly the same. I always kinda hoped it would expire a bit.

Moominsean makes a good point here, I have never seen an FP-100c shot with strange colours and other defects. Maybe I should put one pack on top of the fridge or somewhere hot to see if it is possible to get something weird?

I bet if you put it in the microwave for about 10 seconds you might see something weird.

Indofunk · « **Reply #25 on:** May 12, 2016, 02:08:01 AM »

I know what I'm going to do tomorrow.

jojonas~ · « **Reply #26 on:** May 12, 2016, 12:27:04 PM »

Quote from: Indofunk on May 12, 2016, 02:08:01 AM

I know what I'm going to do tomorrow.

looking forward to this

also reminds me, wasn't there someone making "photos" by putting firecrackers on polaroid film?

Kai-san · « **Reply #27 on:** May 12, 2016, 01:26:39 PM »

Quote from: Indofunk on May 12, 2016, 02:08:01 AM

I know what I'm going to do tomorrow.

In this case I think it would be more interesting to see a video of what happened in the micro!

Aksarben · « **Reply #28 on:** May 12, 2016, 09:22:19 PM »

Gives new meaning to the contrast being crisp!

moominsean · « **Reply #29 on:** May 14, 2016, 04:27:44 AM »

I did some Polaroid microwaving eight years ago...

Fuji is more plastic-y so might melt or just burst into flames...

Aksarben · « **Reply #30 on:** May 14, 2016, 03:50:11 PM »

A Picasso! Work of art!

Indofunk · « **Reply #31 on:** May 15, 2016, 01:41:50 AM »

Full disclosure: I in fact did NOT try my own hand at Fuji microwaving

I'll trust moominsean's Polaroid example as proof of concept

gothamtomato · « **Reply #32 on:** May 16, 2016, 04:21:36 PM »

I have a pretty large stash of Polaroid still, and I don't have room for all of it in my fridge, so what I do is just keep my apartment cool all the time (which is easy when you live in a studio apartment). And I keep everything laying flat.

Aksarben · « **Reply #33 on:** May 29, 2016, 04:25:56 PM »

I froze a box of film that expired 4/16 on May 10 and took it out of the freezer and into the refrigerator to slowly warm up. I took it out the next morning and put it in a just arrived Polaroid 180 camera. First picture I took, of my Daughter turned out fantastic. You can see (I think) the first images at this Facebook page link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1592094074374814/