Velvia Storage

[more photography]

Hi

How do you store your film and under what temperature, how long will the film last for and how long would you take out before use, and can you re-refrigerate any un-use film.

Also can you freeze your film ?

What are the pros and Cons, please.

[Aender Brepsom]

I keep my Velvias in the deep freezer at -18 degrees Celsius.

That way, you can keep them for many years.

I take them out at least 24 hours before I intend to use them.

I have put them back into the freezer without any problem.

Pro: you can store them for years past the expiry date
Con: you need to convince your wife that some boxes of Velvia in the freezer are more important than food (or get an extra freezer just for your film, if you want to store large quantities)

[more photography]

I keep my Velvias in the deep freezer at -18 degrees Celsius.

That way, you can keep them for many years.



Thanks Aender

Can you also do the same for instant film, black and white and 120 roll fim.

We have a reasonable size freezer, whilst it is always full, not sure of what, I think I can manage to claim one compartment for film storage.

[Aender Brepsom]

I have never used instant film, but currently have B&W and Velvia (120) and Velvia Quickloads in the freezer.

[Vlad Soare]

Preserving the film itself is one thing, but instant film also contains the chemicals needed for development. These chemicals have a limited life no matter what you do. Freezing them could even do more harm than good.
I wouldn't freeze instant film.

[Alan Davenport]

Freezing instant film is a big no-no. The chemical packets might burst when frozen, ruining the film, and possibly making a big mess in your camera or even the freezer.

I'm reasonably certain that any non-instant films can safely be kept in the freezer.

[Drew Wiley]

I have a large freezer for film and paper. High-speed films won't keep, but something
like Velvia should be OK for about a decade frozen. Be sure to wrap the film box well
in tight plastic bags.

[Nathan Potter]

I had a technician mistakenly put polaroid Type 55 in a deep freeze some years ago. As a result some of the chemistry packets leaked when brought up to room temperature - maybe about 20% of them IIRC. I tossed them all so don't really know if the good ones would have still functioned normally. Maybe someone can sacrifice a few to see how useable they are after freezing.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.