35mm film - From the fridge to the freezer?

TexasLangGenius · Mar 7, 2012

Hi everyone,

I'm getting a huge shipment of Ektachrome later this week, and I figure that I would throw all that in the freezer as soon as I got it, but what about all the Ektachrome and Velvia in 35mm that I already have in the fridge? They're all still in their original boxes and containers, so is it okay to move these all to the freezer, since I won't be able to shoot all of it by the expiry date? Will there be any moisture problems?

I'm freaking out, since I've heard of certain types of freezers possibly ruining film, and I'm saving a lot of my E-6 film for much later. I want that Ektachrome to last!

Thanks!

clayne · Mar 7, 2012

Freezer won't hurt the film at all. Just transfer it from fridge to freezer. ZERO ISSUES.

EASmithV · Mar 7, 2012

I freeze everything. No issues so far.

Steve Smith · Mar 7, 2012

TexasLangGenius said:
I've heard of certain types of freezers possibly ruining film

I'm not sure why a type of freezer would be harmful. The only variable is temperature and they don't vary too much.

Steve.

MattKing · Mar 7, 2012

The freezers that automatically defrost are not ideal for film.

Poisson Du Jour · Mar 7, 2012

Unexposed film can be frozen, deep frozen for however long you want to. Forget about cosmic rays, aliens and grandma's left over chooklotto pieces. The one point you need to take care with is preparing to use it: after deep freezing, allow one ideally two hours to bring the film to room temperature. Roll film is especially susceptible to damage and should be placed in a sealed bag after exposure and only refrigerated (not frozen).

benjiboy · Mar 7, 2012

MattKing said:
The freezers that automatically defrost are not ideal for film.

I'd never thought of that Matt, that's a good point.

Alan W · Mar 7, 2012

MattKing said:
The freezers that automatically defrost are not ideal for film.

Don't they all?

clayne · Mar 7, 2012

Best non-commercial freezers I've found for film are deep chest freezers.

BrianShaw · Mar 7, 2012

Homage to EASmithV

I refrigerate everything. No issues so far.

MattKing · Mar 8, 2012

Alan W said:
Don't they all?

No, many freezers are "manual" defrost only.

Steve Smith · Mar 8, 2012

MattKing said:
The freezers that automatically defrost are not ideal for film.

Why? What effect does it have on the film?

Steve.

MattKing · Mar 8, 2012

Steve Smith said:
Why? What effect does it have on the film?

Steve.

Steve:

They defrost automatically by periodically warming up the freezer and its contents.

And that isn't ideal for film.

clayne · Mar 8, 2012

MattKing said:
Steve:

They defrost automatically by periodically warming up the freezer and its contents.

And that isn't ideal for film.

Yep. However it's still better than leaving it at ambient where temp cycling will happen anyways. I also don't believe the defrost temp rises above standard refrigeration temperatures either.

In short, use a freezer, any freezer.

Steve Smith · Mar 8, 2012

MattKing said:
They defrost automatically by periodically warming up the freezer and its contents.

And that isn't ideal for film.

I'm sure it's not a real problem. If the defrost cycle is safe for stored food, film should be fine.

Steve.

BrianShaw · Mar 8, 2012

That has always been my guess too!

benjiboy · Mar 8, 2012

clayne said:
Best non-commercial freezers I've found for film are deep chest freezers.

I bought a big chest freezer that I have in my basement a couple of years ago to keep my film etc. in, and to stop my wife complaining about me taking up all the space in the fridge/freezer in our kitchen, but at some time you have to defrost freezers or the build up of ice makes the motor work so hard that it packs up, so you need to have a plan B for this eventuality.

Steve Smith · Mar 8, 2012

benjiboy said:
at some time you have to defrost freezers or the build up of ice makes the motor work so hard that it packs up, so you need to have a plan B for this eventuality.

How long does it take to de-frost a freezer? (I don't know as I can't remember ever doing it). Whatever length of time it is, it can't be detrimental to the film to allow it to warm up a bit then go cold again when the de-frost is finished.

And what are you supposed to do with food in a freezer at de-frosting time?

Steve.

ME Super · Mar 8, 2012

I've actually shadowed someone who worked on so-called frost-free freezers. The way they work is that there's a timer on a 10-12 hour cycle. Every 10-12 hours the freezer goes from "freeze" to "defrost." The fan that normally kicks on during the freeze cycle is turned off, and a wire heats up, melting off any frost that has accumulated on the freezer's refrigeration coils. After 15 minutes, the defrost cycle is over and the freezer goes back into freeze mode. There's enough time to get the frost off of the coils, but not enough to significantly warm up the freezer. Your frozen film should be fine - after all, your ice cream didn't melt, did it?

TexasLangGenius · Mar 8, 2012

Thanks for all your input, everyone. I can't find the manual for my fridge online (and I doubt my landlady has it), so I can't check to see if the freezer on top my fridge has a defrost cycle (there is NO room at all in my efficiency apartment to put a mini freezer). I have been worrying that if I put my E-6 35mm in the freezer, that a defrost cycle would get to it and ruin it. I also want to save the Fuji 64T I have in medium format until I can afford a really good medium format camera, but I know that 120 comes in its own foil.

I guess I'll just keep all of it in the fridge for now.

Steve Smith · Mar 8, 2012

TexasLangGenius said:
I have been worrying that if I put my E-6 35mm in the freezer, that a defrost cycle would get to it and ruin it.

Even if it warms up to room temperature and stays there for a week, it's not going to affect the film.

Steve.

anikin · Mar 8, 2012

Steve Smith said:
Even if it warms up to room temperature and stays there for a week, it's not going to affect the film.

Steve.

Unless of course you forget to wrap the film boxes into water proof pouches before putting them into the freezer. Guess how I know about that?

MattKing · Mar 8, 2012

Remember folks, my comment was that auto-defrost freezers are not ideal for film.

Ideal would be two manual defrost freezers, where each is less than half full (so you can transfer film from one to the other when you do a manual defrost every year or so).

But if your resources are stretched, an auto-defrost freezer is better than none, and definitely better than just using a refrigerator.

benjiboy · Mar 8, 2012

Steve Smith said:
How long does it take to de-frost a freezer? (I don't know as I can't remember ever doing it). Whatever length of time it is, it can't be detrimental to the film to allow it to warm up a bit then go cold again when the de-frost is finished.

And what are you supposed to do with food in a freezer at de-frosting time?

Steve.

It takes about twelve hours to defrost a large chest freezer and about eight a fridge freezer and about the same amount of time to get them down to temperature on full power when you switch them back on again, Before you defrost a freezer you use all the food in it, and buy more to replace it afterwards.

ME Super · Mar 8, 2012

We have an upright freezer in the basement at home. I can usually defrost it in 4 hours. I don't have a problem with stuff melting because I catch it when there's not a whole lot in it and I stick the stuff in coolers. Here's the secret to doing it in 4 hours that I learned from my mom before we got a frost-free refrigerator. Boil water on the stove. Once the water begins to boil, turn it off and put the pan in the freezer. This method works best with at least two pans of water. One is on the stove while the other is in the freezer. Rotate pans frequently. The steam melts the frost above it while the bottom of the pan melts the frost under it.

ME Super

35mm film - From the fridge to the freezer?

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