Loaded Film Holders

[Joe Forks]

I store all my film in the freezer, but should I store my loaded film holders in the freezer too? Sometimes I don't know how long it will be before I get out to shoot again. So far I haven't had any problems, but I'm wondering where you all store your loaded film holders?

Forks

[Vick Vickery]

I have no personal experience on this, but I would fear some consendation issues such as you can have loading frozen film into holders before it comes up to room temperature. Better just shoot it after you load it!

[Joe Forks]

That's what I was thinking. Time to shirk my responsibilities and go shoot about 60 sheets of film! :)

I was also thinking that could make parts of the holders brittle over time, being frozen and unfrozen. I have NOT done this,
I was just checking here first.

Forks

[Leonard Evens]

I've had negative film, b/w and color, in film holders for months at a time without any obvious adverse effect. It is possible that transparency film might show some effects if kept at room temperature for extended period of time. I've never tried frrezing film holders, so I won't try to give you advice about it.

[Michael Gordon]

I store loaded holders in the fridge without any consequences. Unopened boxes of film are stored in the freezer.

[Kevin Crisp]

I do what Michael does. The holders are in zip lock bags, and I let them get to room temperature before I open the bag. I also load up my Grafmatics, put them in zip lock bags, and have never had a problem with the conventional holders or the Grafmatics. I can use B&W film for years after the expiration date this way; if it sits at room temperature in the darkroom (80F plus in summer) the film will fog much sooner.

[Joe Forks]

The Fridge sounds like the best idea. My wife isn't gonna like it :)

Thanks for the answers.

Forks

[Michael Gordon]

The Fridge sounds like the best idea. My wife isn't gonna like it :)

Get your own mini-fridge just for your film. Your wife will like it :)

[Eric Woodbury]

The thing that can get you is cold holders and film in high humidity. Putting the holder in plastic bags will help some. Let everything warm up before you take the holder from the bag. You don't want condensation on your film.

If you freeze them or just film, either use a NON defrosting freezer or keep the film away from the coils. The defrost cycle involving heating the coils to melt the ice.

[Capocheny]

"The Fridge sounds like the best idea. My wife isn't gonna like it :)"

Joe,

Just take your wife out for her meals.. then you won't necessarily have to have any food in the fridge! :)

In all seriousness, I store my loaded holders in a large Zip-lock freezer bag and keep them in the humidity-controlled, crisper bin of the fridge. And, I always allow them a few hours to acclimate to room temperature before removing them from the plastic bag. As a result... no condensation issues! :)

Usually, I'll do the above if I'm not going to be using them for a longer time frame... and, if the room temperature is warmer than usual.

However, since the room is usually on the cooler side, I've never experienced any adverse effects in regards to my B&W and color negative films. With regard to color transparency... I normally load the holders just before using them. So, storage isn't an issue. :)

As for freezing film... I'll do this ONLY if I know that I'm not going to be using the film in the following six months. The longest I've ever kept film in a holder in the freezer (again, in a Zip-lock bag) has been 7 days. Again, I give them LOTS of time to return to room temperature before using.

Cheers

[Norm Buchanan]

I am wondering about how careful I need to be in the other direction - heat. I am completely paranoid about keeping my transparency film below 70 degrees, but it can be a severe pain. If I leave my photo-backpack with some sheets/rolls of Velvia in the trunk of my car for a couple of hours on a hot day will the film degrade noticibly? I guess a better way to phrase this is, what can I get away with when it comes to film and heat? I realize that it should be stored cool, and I store mine in the fridge (in zip-lock bags under the cheese compartment;);).

Norm

[Ron Marshall]

When I was travelling I kept exposed Fuji Astia for several months unrefrigerated in 95 degree weather with no ill effects. That was 35mm, but 4x5 should not differ.