Fuji Film Canisters -- Expiration Date

I just received an order of Fuji NPH and other film from Adorama.

Normally I order "imported" film (not intended for US markets), but,

having read here of potential risks with imported film, I decided to

order the slightly more expensive "USA" NPH. The NPH shipped to me,

however, has been removed from its boxes. This means (1) I cannot

tell if it is "USA" film and (2) more important, I do not know the

expiration date of the film. Setting aside the potentially devious

act by Adorama, here's my question: is there some way to tell from

the markings on the NPH canister whether it is "USA" film and what

the expiration date is?

A lot of times Fuji film can be ordered in 20 roll boxes at great savings. If you order less than 20 rolls they just take the rolls out of the bulk box and ship them. The film inside is packaged only in the plastic cans. The date is on the outside of the bulk box. No markings on the canisters. So...............you don't know the expiration date or the entended country of sale.

I bought some NPH a couple or weeks ago at my local camera store and had the same problem. The guy who help me also owns the store and said that they have had a hard time getting individual rolls of NPH recently and was given a good deal on 20 packs so that's what he bought instead to keep a supply on hand. I use this store all the time so I had no qualms about buying it this way.

 

Actually, isn't NPH being replaced? Maybe that's part of the reason it's in short supply. I thought I remembered reading it was being replaced but everything was the same except the new name and packaging.

My NPH from B&H comes the same way. You have to rely on the reputation of the seller not to push on you expired product. I, for one, tend never to worry.

When I've tried a new film, I usually buy just a few rolls and have gotten shipments like this from B&H. They've always thrown a note in the bag saying what the expiration date is, and possibly the lot number - can't remember. In any case, you're going on trust with your supplier because it obviously would be easy to write any date that they want.

 

B&H and Adorama go through so much film that I can't imagine it's a problem. Most places sell their short date and expired film on special anyway.

I ordered last summer Fuji Astia from Adorama and the canisters were out of the carton box but in the plastic cylinder boxes, five items grouped in plastic bags each having a white rectangular paper sticked on it with a barcode and the Emulstion Number and Expiration Date. The latter two are important info to me, and they were there.

 

I doubt Adorama would sell soon-to-expire film without preventing the customer somehow, maybe on the website. But that's a matter of trust a brand and I don't recommend trusting anybody unless you talk to them on the phone somehow.

Check fujifilm.com for info of expired (older, prior) and current emulsion of NPH. Current emulsion NPH is:

<a href="http://www.fujifilm.com/JSP/fuji/epartners/bin/NPH400New.pdf">http://www.fujifilm.com/JSP/fuji/epartners/bin/NPH400New.pdf</a>

That is the finest detail I could find about the NPH canister, so that may tell you what each letter on the canister means.

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I think "USA" for a Fuji film really means only different carton packaging that's all, like the difference in the name between EOS Rebel and EOS 300, just the name.

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Because I couldn't find "NPH" and "imported" at Adorama, check their website about what non-USA means for them (their "gray market" for equipment). It's not that it's not a product for the USA market, it's more like the warranty.

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Also check the white sticker on the plastic bag you received, if any.

Finally, if you still don't get the expiration date, get the numbers written vertically on the "opening" where the film comes out of the canister. It's like I-15 6230921. The "I-15" is always one position for the letter (can be any capital letter) and the "15" can be one or two digits. The "6230921" is a six or seven digit number. Post this string somewhere on the net and ask people who has the same and what's their expiration date. In my short experience of using FujiFilm, this string is not unique in general, but you may find someone having purchased recently an NPH with this string and it risks having exactly the same expiration date.

 

This string is the only thing not documented anywhere, or at least I can't find it.

Sorry, sometimes instead of "I-15" there's an I15B, I think I saw that on canisters sold in Japan. Anyways, you get the idea...

While I can't help you with the current situation, I buy film from B&H.

 

When they sell individual rolls from a multipack, they put a sticker on the outside of each canister that has information, including the expiration date. My last order was an even multiple of 20, so I didn't get any odd rolls and can't recall what else is on the sticker. Might be a film lot #, too.

I wonder if they ship less popular films (such as Kodachrome 200 or Ektachrome 400x) to you in the box. I don't think certain types come in big 20-roll pro packs (at least I can't order them if they do), only bricks of the individual boxes. If so then it would make economic sense for them to have only the small boxes on hand, and ship that to the consumer without taking it out of it's packaging.

 

I for one like having the box-it lets me know what the film is at a glance without having to read small print or open the canister. I was a little puzzled when I ordered 5 rolls of Fujicolor Press 400 from B&H a while back and it came in a little plastic bag with a sticker identifying the film, quantity, expiration date, and a barcode (incidentially, all my film was cooked on that trip to D.C as a result of the multiple X-ray scanners it had to go through-they all looked brown when they came out. Not B&H's fault, though.). I prefer having the box on hand.

Sorry, it's me again. I have another idea. Expose one film, get the Emulsion Number from the film strip (see the fuji doc), post the number, film type NPZ and approx date of purchase either here or on some usenet and ask for people who have same what's the expiry date.

 

I think you could even send the Emulstion Number and QC code from the filmstrip straight to Fuji and they'd be able to tell you the expire date.

Chris, I would freeze all that I wasn't going to use right away,and not worry about it...Jim

Isn't ALL Fuji film imported? The term 'gray market' is a term invented by manufacturers who want to bleed the US consumer by selling at higher prices in the USA than in the rest of the world. The threat is that somehow anything else is 'dubious'.

B&H is the largest camera dealer in the world, with over 700 employees; and they buy film by the pallet. Their store has 3 levels of basements, and over 10,000 feet of overhead conveyors: I've never seen so much merchandise stuffed into such a small building!

 

I personally like to go there on "zoo day," which is any Sunday!