How much film do you store at once?

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Just a quick question for you all really, how much film do you tend to stock at any one time?

I’ve been doing some research into various different films etc and I’m looking at buying quite a bit so that I have plenty in stock and also hopefully always have something for every occasion. The benefits also being that you can sometimes get it slightly cheaper buying in bulk, plus you save delivery costs etc so it seems more economical that way. Some of my favourite films don’t always seem to be available too so keeping them in stock may help me ride out any supply issues.

My current stock is stored in the fridge to keep it fresh even though it’s also before it’s expiration date currently; however I’d also read that storing it in the freezer can help keep it fresh pretty much indefinitely which if true would be beneficial if I was planning on buying a fair whack of it in one go! Part of me is saying that it makes sense this way, another part of me is saying that I’m giving in to film GAS and I’d be best just buying it as I need it :LOL:

So I was hoping for your thoughts on the matter and to see how you all go about it :D
 
I probably have well over 300 rolls of 35mm and 120 film(I haven't included bulk roll film or 5x4). Most of mine is freezer stored with some 35mm and 120 in the fridge so I have some to hand.
Some of my 35mm film is quite out of date, but I mostly have no issues.
Buy it in bulk when you can afford to.
 
I got booted out of the freezer last year which prompted a selling off of stuff I'd never use and the purchase of a mini fridge which holds the film I'm storing and my chocolate stash.

These days, I tend to buy film when it's on some sort of discount. I got 2 bulk rolls of Tri-X during the last sale I spotted and a bulk roll of Eastman 5222 (Double X). Today, I'm kinda happy about what films I like and what I don't which means if I see the stuff I like on discount, I'll buy & store, but I don't buy films I don't like, even if the price is good.

For B&W I always have HP5 in, but don't need to "store" it because I use quite a bit of it (and it's readily available at reasonable prices). Tri-X I love, but it's too pricey at the standard rate, hence 1 bulk roll in the freezer (Mrs H doesn't know about it) and one bulk roll already decanted into cans (1/2 in fridge, 1/2 on the shelf). I'll generally keep some Ortho 80 and Delta 100 for the odd occasion we have some light, but the fridge is stocked with Konica 750 or Kodak HIE which I'll buy whenever I see an unnoticed auction. I also store my Washi films in there, because due to scarcity, I buy when available, then fridge store. When I see the Maco Eagle film available, I'll probably pick up another bulk roll, because I really quite like it.

Colour-wise, I tend to shoot that in the summer so much of that is in the fridge. Colour Plus and Gold are my favourites, but I keep some Portra 160 in 120 for the autumn. I have an odd roll of Lomo 800, Metropolis, and a few other bits and bats. The freezer got a bit silly because I'd buy anything if it was cheap, but getting kicked out was probably a good thing as I got rid of stuff I was storing for storing's sake.

tl;dr - If I like the film and will shoot it, I buy when it's cheap and store as best I can. If it's limited availability, I buy when I can and store. But if it's readily available, I just buy when I need it.

After shooting lots of different film, I've come to learn what I like. And whilst it's tempting to grab something because it's cheap, I'd end up wasting it because I wasn't that keen on the look I was getting.
 
I have just over 20 rolls of film. It is stored in a cupboard in our home office and some of it is four years past its use-by date but is still as good as new.
 
Thanks the comments, you’re already making me feel better about buying and keeping a decent stock.

I guess it’s also raised some questions that I need to answer for myself too; I think I need some more experimentation at the moment. I’ve mostly stuck to certain films and not really ventured too far away from them, so I have a small scope of what I do and don’t like. I really like shooting Portra and Superia for colour but it seems to be in low supply in 400 at the moment in 35mm, so this ties in nicely with some of the comments above about getting it while I can, then once I’m starting to run low keep an eye on the market to see when I get top back up again.

B+W is a different ball game as I’ve only ever shot XP2 in 35mm with a roll or two of Neopan in 120. I have my first rolls of HP5 and a roll of Fomapan chilling in the fridge waiting to be shot.

I think I’ll do some shopping a get a roll or so of anything I like the look of and try for myself, then if I like it get some more and store it so I have it available for when I want it. I just felt a little daft keeping loads in the fridge. I do have a dedicated bit that I can get a decent amount in, probably around 25 rolls in boxes but more just in canisters. I dare say I could make more room without too much trouble, and I could find a quiet corner in the freezer too for longer term stuff.
 
Thanks the comments, you’re already making me feel better about buying and keeping a decent stock.

I guess it’s also raised some questions that I need to answer for myself too; I think I need some more experimentation at the moment. I’ve mostly stuck to certain films and not really ventured too far away from them, so I have a small scope of what I do and don’t like. I really like shooting Portra and Superia for colour but it seems to be in low supply in 400 at the moment in 35mm, so this ties in nicely with some of the comments above about getting it while I can, then once I’m starting to run low keep an eye on the market to see when I get top back up again.

B+W is a different ball game as I’ve only ever shot XP2 in 35mm with a roll or two of Neopan in 120. I have my first rolls of HP5 and a roll of Fomapan chilling in the fridge waiting to be shot.

I think I’ll do some shopping a get a roll or so of anything I like the look of and try for myself, then if I like it get some more and store it so I have it available for when I want it. I just felt a little daft keeping loads in the fridge. I do have a dedicated bit that I can get a decent amount in, probably around 25 rolls in boxes but more just in canisters. I dare say I could make more room without too much trouble, and I could find a quiet corner in the freezer too for longer term stuff.
You can never have too much film
If there is anything you fancy trying give me a shout and I’d be happy to send you a selection. One thing I am not short of is film :LOL:
 
You can never have too much film

I’ve decided this will be the quote I show my wife when the film arrives in the post :LOL:

Thank you also for the very kind offer too, I think I would be more comfortable buying my own than using up your precious stock though :) Half the fun for me is the research and hunting it down too! I’m also lucky to be in a position to afford some experimentation, as I’m a tight sod that doesn’t spend money except on photography! :LOL:
 
I’ve decided this will be the quote I show my wife when the film arrives in the post :LOL:

Thank you also for the very kind offer too, I think I would be more comfortable buying my own than using up your precious stock though :) Half the fun for me is the research and hunting it down too! I’m also lucky to be in a position to afford some experimentation, as I’m a tight sod that doesn’t spend money except on photography! :LOL:
No problem... only my sheet film is precious .
I have so much choice in 35mm I wouldn’t miss any rolls
 
I only really keep a stock of sheet film these days (about 250 sheets of 8x10, 150 sheets of 4x5) and I top up my 120 and 35mm as I need to.
 
Why not put some up for sale? I'm sure I could find space for a few extra rolls. I'll just remove some unnecessary food from the freezer :ROFLMAO:
Never been bothered with the whole selling stuff, so much hassle to write it all down and put the dates on and how it's been stored , that's a whole lot of effort for the amount of film I have... I normally just give stuff away :LOL:
 
I have more stock than usual in the Film Fridge and in the freezer, probably in the order or 200 rolls of MF and 150 rolls of 35mm. This is down the the pandemic and not being able to travel for more than a year, I have moved on another 100 rolls through selling sites. I am hoping to resume travelling later in the year and the stock will drop sharply!
 
Well I'm not getting through a lot of film over the last year, and probably likewise until next year due to work. However I have about 30 rolls in a beer fridge in the garage/workshop, a mix of Portra/Ektar and Colorplus and for B&W a mix of FP4 and HP5 plus one Pan F, all a mix of 120 and 35mm. I eventually will need to get some 5x4 B&W to experiment with, as I have a Patent Etui vintage camera that uses a non-standard size sheet film that is just a tad smaller than 5x4, I want to try that out. I don't like to have too much in hand as I just can't predict how much I'll be doing, but thinking ahead right at this moment, I'm realising that it might be a good idea to stock up before retirement!
 
Me ....Me ....Me ....Me ....Me ....Me ....Me ....Me .... :wave:
I'm happy to send you some Paul... what are you looking for, 35mm, 120, colour, B&W, film with/without remjet. Or, tell me what you definitely don't want.
Just send me a PM if you want and I'll see what I can do.
 
Used to depend on how soon we were likely to be going on holiday (or what events were on the relatively near horizon) and how good special offers were around. At most, I reckon I had 20 or so rolls in the freezer.
 
At the moment, I can't access the darkroom fridge (too much stuff piled in front of the door temporarily), but from what I can recall the salad drawer is full of 120 FP4 and PanF, and possibly some 35mm Velvia; the rest has at least

10x8 2 boxes of FP4, 1 box CHS100
5X7 2 or 3 boxes FP4, 2 or 3 boxes CHS100
13x18 FP4 and Fomapan100 (not sure how many, 5x7/13x18 is my favorite format)
5x4 at least a 50 sheet box of Adox 25 ISO film (or thereabouts in speed), plus FP4. There may also be some Fomapan 100.

I can't recall what's in the door compartments.

I have a recent photo somewhere of the fridge interior.

Just remembered there's a bag of slightly out of date film retrieved from a failed freezer a few years back; just the usual Kodachrome (2 cassettes), GAF 500 and similar. About 30 or so cassettes I think. It's years since I used 35mm seriously. There might even be a Polaroid 35mm slide film tucked in there.

I haven't bought any film since some 5x7 last week...
 
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Thanks guys :D you’re making me feel better about storing plenty in advance :LOL: it’s a good insight into how other people do it, and I guess with the cold storing and potential for supply problems for some stuff it makes sense to have it for when it’s needed.

Just need to start a basket on analogue wonderland I think :D
 
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I recently counted the sheet film stocks that I have in the fridge ( 10x8, 5x7 and 5x4)..... iirc it calculated to being able to shoot one sheet every single day for the next two years ( or was it three years , I forget ! )..... either way I have sufficient for the time being and the majority of it is still in date. :)
 
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