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Thread: Store film in car trunk

  1. #1

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    Store film in car trunk

    Hi everyone,

    These days, I put the film and paper in my car trunk and the weather is usually -15C outside and increasing to -40C in Jan... This store is good or bad??? I don't know. Everyone who know, please share your ideas.


  2. #2
    Unwitting Thread Killer Ari's Avatar
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    Re: Store film in car trunk

    I like to keep film cool, not cold. The fridge is good for that, plus it maintains a low humidity.
    I don't know where you live, but we have cold and humid (wet) winters here. I wouldn't want to leave film and paper at the mercy of the weather.

  3. #3

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    Re: Store film in car trunk

    If the temperatures in your car trunk stay that cold, your film will stay in very good shape. However, if you park your car in the sun, and if the temperature in your trunk goes way up, your film storage may not be as optimal as it might seem. I don't know the specifics of what happens in the trunk, but car interior passenger compartments with lots of glass warm considerably in strong sunlight.

  4. #4
    jp's Avatar
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    Re: Store film in car trunk

    Outdoors probably has lots of serious temperature fluctuation, which can't be good for most things. Rodents could get it too.

    A full freezer will have very very small fluctuations in temp (which creates the big freezer burn crystals because the temp change is so slow)

    I just keep film in the fridge. If you're looking for cheap/free winter film/paper storage, a rodent free unheated garage would be my choice. B&W paper doesn't seem to go bad quick enough for me to need to refrigerate that; I don't have paper more than 1-2 years old.

  5. #5

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    Re: Store film in car trunk

    How much film and paper are you talking about? Small amounts should be easy enough to store indoors. Large quantities are too expensive to leave in a trunk. You could easily have hundreds of dollars of materials in there.

  6. #6
    Barry Kirsten's Avatar
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    Re: Store film in car trunk

    What about the fogging effect of vapors from fuel, plastics and adhesives used in car manufacture that may be present in the car trunk? These are less likely to be a problem at low temperatures, but worth considering IMO. (I'm amazed at the chemicals which affect film/paper - even common things like coffee, some medicines!)

    Baz.

  7. #7
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    Re: Store film in car trunk

    I 'stored' a 35mm camera in my truck glove box all year, including a sweltering Dallas summer where car temperatures hit over 140F. I just developed it last week; I don't have any desitometer numbers for you but the pictures came out fine. Tri-X 400.
    Science is what we understand well enough to explain to a computer. Art is everything else we do.
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  8. #8
    Cordless Bungee Jumper Sirius Glass's Avatar
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    Re: Store film in car trunk

    There are two problems with storing a camera in a car with high temperatures:
    a) It can mess up the film.
    b) Over time the grease and oils in the lens can migrate to the iris and shutter. The result will me getting the lens CLAed.

    Steve
    Nothing beats a great piece of glass!

    I leave the digital work for the urologists and proctologists.

  9. #9
    ARS KC2UU
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    Re: Store film in car trunk

    Quote Originally Posted by kissssss View Post
    Hi everyone,

    These days, I put the film and paper in my car trunk and the weather is usually -15C outside and increasing to -40C in Jan... This store is good or bad??? I don't know. Everyone who know, please share your ideas.

    I think you mean decreasing... i.e., going from -15C to -40C.

    Anyway -40 is where the two curves Fahrenheit and Celsius cross... so -40C = -40F. That's pretty cold, relatively speaking.

    I can't make any comments about photo paper... I've never owned any. But I've not heard of any films being damaged by long term exposure to very low temperatures. To the contrary, it is usually beneficial to keep film as cold as possible during long term storage. And some films, i.e., Kodak Infrareds, I've been told were shipped originally on dry ice which is -109F (-78C).

    I keep factory sealed packages of purchased film in a freezer at -5F (-20C) until I open them for use... then any remainder I keep in a separate refrigerator at +34F (+1C) in zip-lock bags until used up. Then I go for more from my separate freezer.

    But I take the extra precaution of sealing (the already factory sealed) packages inside vacuum-pack food storage bags. I bought one of the food-sealing units for this purpose but I don't use the vacuum function to suck out the air... only the sealing function after squeezing out as much of the air that I can by hand.

    But as other posters mentioned, the conditions in your car trunk may not be optimal or very stable for safe storage. You didn't mention how long you plan to keep these materials in the trunk or where you live. The trunk temperature is likely to vary quite a bit during sunlight hours.

    If you must keep film and paper in the trunk for extended periods, perhaps get one of the high-end coolers like the Yetti. Put the film and paper inside the Yetti and keep that in the trunk. Yetti's are almost invulnerable to animals and they are so well insulated that temperature and humidity fluctuations will scarcely affect its interior temperature.

    I see my post is rather long... but some thoughts that could help. If you live where these temperatures are common you have my respect... and I'm betting you get some beautiful winter photos.

    Cheers. Bob G.
    All natural images are analog. But the retina converts them to digital on their way to the brain.

  10. #10

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    Re: Store film in car trunk

    Quote Originally Posted by rguinter View Post
    I think you mean decreasing... i.e., going from -15C to -40C.

    ...

    Cheers. Bob G.
    Not necessarily. -40° is bigger (greater) cold than -15°...
    The temperature is surly OK. But paper is hygroscopic so it would be wise to keep it in a dry, if cold, sealed box.

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