How to store 4x5" while shooting in Snow

[Constantin]

Hi members of the forum,
I just thought I'd go straight to the point with the title and the post. I'm planning to go on a rather big field trip with my 4x5 Large Format and shoot some Kodak Ektar film, as well as some black and white. I only have two film holders, which means 4 shots at a time, and I will most likely need to use a changing bag to swap films so I can take more.

So my question is:
How can I make sure when I take them out to take the shot, or to swap the film in the changing bag, that I don't get condensation on the film from the drastic change of temperature from inside the bag to outside in the cold snowy weather?

I'm thinking firstly to use sandwich zip-bags to store the holders in when not using them, but is that going to make a difference when quickly taking them from considerably warm to cold, to warm again?

Thanks again!
-Constantin

PS: Hope this is the right section of the forum to post this kind of question.

[Two23]

Warm to cold, no problem. Cold to warm can cause condensation. Keep the holders in a sealed bag and take them inside. Let them warm up slowly over several hours.


Kent in SD

[David Karp]

Keep the film in a bag too. I also put my backpack with the camera and lenses in a big garbage bag and seal it before it goes inside.

It will also be a lot easier if you can get your hands on some more film holders. You can never have enough of them! :-)

[Mark Woods]

Keep all the gear in the cold. You won't have lens condensation problems, nor other condensation issues.

[Mark Woods]

And load your film outside. The exposed sheets can go inside, no problem.

[ic-racer]

I only have two film holders.

You will have a difficult time because of that.

[Peter Collins]

You will be frustrated going out with just 2 film holders. That's just 4 shots. You will spend too much time managing film and holders each day. The good advice here from fellow forum contributors is to get more of them.

[xkaes]

Whether you have two holders or two hundred, you still have the same question/problem. The best advise -- already given -- is to keep the film & gear as close to the same temperature as possible -- and as close to the temperature they will be used in. If you are camping, it's a non-issue. Condensation is not just a possible issue for film. It can happen just as easily to a ground glass, lenses, loupe, eyeglasses, etc. Higher humidity makes it worse/more likely. Out here in the West, the Winter humidity is often under 10% so it's not a big deal except going from a 70 degree house to a -10 degree outdoors. But in that case, the lenses and films are not the only things that have to deal with SHOCK!

[Fred L]

Just to clarify. Will you be using the bag outside or inside ? Also to add to other repliers, I suggest getting a few more holders, as I'm not sure we can ever have too many holders ;) Don't need to take them all out but you can use some then when they're exposed, let them warm up slowly, while using the other holders. etc etc. rinse and repeat.

[Luis-F-S]

Buy more film holders! They're cheap!

[LabRat]

Static is an issue when operating a holder in very cold (bone dry) conditions... Remove slides very slowly...

A big issue is when there is a moisture content in the emulsion that becomes uneven during excessive drying/or re-hydrating that can create uneven tensions on the film that can buckle the film into OOF points on the focal plane... (I can imagine if a film had excessive moisture indoors, it can freeze the film into more than a flat sheet...) Allowing the films a gradual in or out cycle into the environment will help, and leaving it in a stable (shooting environment state should help...

4X5 holders are only a few bucks each used, and many are out there... Having at least 4-12 will save you from getting in the bag when you should be shooting, and more ideal to load in your normal locale, than out in the hinterlands (with your fingers numb from cold)... ;-)

Stay Warm!!!

Steve K

[Luis-F-S]

4 to 12 holders? Gee I bet I have at least 150 4x5, 50 5x7, 29 8x10 and 11 11x14 holders!

[Mark Woods]

Share!!

[Fred L]

haha. there's a thread on 8x10 Large Format Photographers group's FB page talking about this exact topic of numbers of holders ;) I think, based on replies so far, your stash would win lolol

[Jim Andrada]

A couple of 6 sheet grafmatics might be a good idea, but I don't know how they work in really cold weather. Neither cold weather nor humidity are big issues in Tucson (although there were a few 14 degree nights a couple of years back.)

[xkaes]

A couple of 6 sheet grafmatics might be a good idea, but I don't know how they work in really cold weather. Neither cold weather nor humidity are big issues in Tucson (although there were a few 14 degree nights a couple of years back.)

Last time I was camping in the Superstition Wilderness, we got 1/2 FOOT of snow during the night. Luckily I was there, and got rare shots of snow on the Saguaros and cliffs! Needless to say, it was cold -- with 100% humidity.

[Jim Andrada]

Well there IS a ski run about 50 minutes (and 7000 vertical feet) from my house.

[xkaes]

Well there IS a ski run about 50 minutes (and 7000 vertical feet) from my house.

There certainly used to be -- Mt Lemmon. I thought the whole area around Summerhaven burned down in a forest fire a few years ago -- a la the Thomas fire in California (still burning). The ski areas in Colorado are already getting nervous due to global warming, but how can you make snow when there is no water or freezing temperatures? The Forest Service estimates that half of the Lodgepole pine trees in the Colorado Rockies are already dead due in part to pine beetle which are normally killed off in the frigid winter months. And a trip to the Arizona-Sonora Desert museum shows photos of how the existing forest of saguaro cactuses are only about 25% of what they were 75 years ago. I'm glad I took pictures when I could.

[John Kasaian]

AFAIK Mt. Lemmon is still there, probably waiting for snow like us here in the Sierra.