I buy fresh film and immediately freeze the film unless I am going to immediately use it or packing for a trip.
Film storage
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I have film that is over 20 years old in my freezer, from the freezer of a studio, in its standard packaging.
No issues.
I do the same with croissants that I buy in bulk from Costco.
Generally croissants fresh will taste better than film, however croissants dry out in the freeze while film which is sealed does not.
You are supposed to bag them up, not tip them in loose. Same goes for Costco muffins. Mr Ziplock is your friend!
Exactly! Get rid of as much air as possible. Then when needed, leave out for about 10 minutes, then bake at 375 for 5. Super crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside!
I do the same with film in ziplocks. Remove the air, bag them up into flat parcels and into a Tupperware container.
My wife, however, is getting a bit cheesed off with losing a complete upper shelf in one of our fridges. I keep telling her that we have 800 litres of fridge freezer and that MUST be enough for two people!!
My wife, however, is getting a bit cheesed off with losing a complete upper shelf in one of our fridges. I keep telling her that we have 800 litres of fridge freezer and that MUST be enough for two people!!
Refreezing film is not a problem if you do well after thawing it. The risk is freezing any condensation that may have formed - very little risk if you wait a few days. I have a food vacuum sealer that I've used on most of the film I've frozen. Sheet film is not retail packed in a sealed bag, anymore (I'm pretty sure it all used to be), just a black plastic bag with the end folded over. I doubt much moisture can get through that and the cardboard, though.
Freezing exposed film is pointless, unless you're trying to keep the film for decades before processing. The main reason to freeze film is to avoid loss of speed and, once film is exposed, speed loss is not a concern. No greater amount of age fog will be on a roll of film at kept room temperature after 5 years. If you're not developing your film by then, you should probably put it in a storage locker for someone else to find....
Freezing exposed film is pointless, unless you're trying to keep the film for decades before processing. The main reason to freeze film is to avoid loss of speed and, once film is exposed, speed loss is not a concern. No greater amount of age fog will be on a roll of film at kept room temperature after 5 years. If you're not developing your film by then, you should probably put it in a storage locker for someone else to find....
Seriously people you need to shoot more 
I don't bother freezing 35mm, it gets used within 6 months of purchse at most. I do freeze 4x5 though, as I shoot a lot less. I do freeze/unfreeze/refreeze film, it is not meat, you can refreeze it however many times you want. Just put it in a ziploc and that's that, never had a problem.
I don't bother freezing 35mm, it gets used within 6 months of purchse at most. I do freeze 4x5 though, as I shoot a lot less. I do freeze/unfreeze/refreeze film, it is not meat, you can refreeze it however many times you want. Just put it in a ziploc and that's that, never had a problem.
My wife says it's never enough.
Seriously people you need to shoot more
I keep discontinued films longer than six months. Otherwise I would not have Kodak UltraColor 135 & 120, Kodak VividColor 135, 120 & 4"x5", Kodak Plus-X 120, Kodak HIE 135, Konica 750 120, ... Feel free to burn through your discontinued films but I choose to use them wisely.
Seriously people you need to shoot more
I buy a cr@p tonne of it when I get it at a good price, or it's recently become available, because the prices always go up and often - Fuji C200, Lomo 800 etc - availability disappears for months.
I shoot a lot of film, and my freezer is also full, because I do not want to ever run into a no film available issue.
I buy a cr@p tonne of it when I get it at a good price, or it's recently become available, because the prices always go up and often - Fuji C200, Lomo 800 etc - availability disappears for months.
I shoot a lot of film, and my freezer is also full, because I do not want to ever run into a no film available issue.
Won't you run out and buy up all the just announced discontinued films in the Greater Los Angeles area to keep the discontinued film from the hoarders, like I do?
When i buy film, each box gets a label with the buy month and the month it was put into deep freeze. (Usually the same)
I immediately put them into the freezer at about -23°C, especially color film. With the labels i know exactly how "fresh" the film was when stored and i use the oldest first.
Film that will be used within the next days/weeks is transferred to the fridge.
The sheet film boxes are in ziploc bags so that no condensation forms in the box or film itself when removing them from the freezer or in case of an power outage, that the film stays dry if the bags are not sealed anymore.
Fuji seals the sheets in two 10pcs foil bags and so, boxes with unopened bags inside can theoretically be put in the freezer as they are, but i prefer the bags for all sheet films.
Kodak also has a metalized paper bag that looks to be sealed but Ilford uses an open black plastic bag just like the photo paper.
I used Velvia 50 with "expiry" date of 2011 last year and the results were perfect. 2021-05 Provia that was only refrigerated the last few months was also flawless. Even the
latent image on 2 sheets from autumn that were refrigerated (as a precaution because i knew they will be lying around for some time until processing) did not show any sign of deterioration.
So i conclude that at least the Fuji stuff is very bullet proof storage-wise.
Most of the roll film boxes are also in ziploc bags but as the films are sealed, it would not be necessary and in fact, the old boxes were stored without them for over a decade.
I just recently started using the bags because of the sheet film. (and i like the view of a freezer full of green boxes, so it would be a pity to lose them by melting water even if the films inside would be fine)
Edit: typo
I immediately put them into the freezer at about -23°C, especially color film. With the labels i know exactly how "fresh" the film was when stored and i use the oldest first.
Film that will be used within the next days/weeks is transferred to the fridge.
The sheet film boxes are in ziploc bags so that no condensation forms in the box or film itself when removing them from the freezer or in case of an power outage, that the film stays dry if the bags are not sealed anymore.
Fuji seals the sheets in two 10pcs foil bags and so, boxes with unopened bags inside can theoretically be put in the freezer as they are, but i prefer the bags for all sheet films.
Kodak also has a metalized paper bag that looks to be sealed but Ilford uses an open black plastic bag just like the photo paper.
I used Velvia 50 with "expiry" date of 2011 last year and the results were perfect. 2021-05 Provia that was only refrigerated the last few months was also flawless. Even the
latent image on 2 sheets from autumn that were refrigerated (as a precaution because i knew they will be lying around for some time until processing) did not show any sign of deterioration.
So i conclude that at least the Fuji stuff is very bullet proof storage-wise.
Most of the roll film boxes are also in ziploc bags but as the films are sealed, it would not be necessary and in fact, the old boxes were stored without them for over a decade.
I just recently started using the bags because of the sheet film. (and i like the view of a freezer full of green boxes, so it would be a pity to lose them by melting water even if the films inside would be fine
)Edit: typo
I've left Velvia 50 and Tmax film in my car's trunk through summer and winter, a little past the expiry date, with no noticeable effect. Some of it was exposed and some not.
Finally bought an impulse sealer and am using up a stash of 4mil plastic bags that I’ve had for ages. Bought a big enough one to handle sheet film and paper. I’m pretty happy with it so far and feel that it’s a nice step up from ziplock bags.
Roger
Roger
But you have to reseal a new bag every time you need a box of film. Aren't Ziplocks more convenient?
A lot of my film gets bagged in 4 packs so once they come out of the freezer I shoot them. Doing the the 10 roll bricks is more the exception that the rule. But quite truthfully the impulse sealer is easier than closing a ziplock bag. Helps than my wife seems ok with the impulse sealer living permanently on the table in our breakfast nook.
Roger
Roger
Yah, I don't get it. Freezer zip lock bags work great and are reusable, and you don't have that guillotine thing sitting there which musta cost some $.
MattKing
Moderator
Ziplocks for the fridge.
Sealed bags for the freezer.
I understand completely.
Sealed bags for the freezer.
I understand completely.
Ziplocks for me too.
My method is just one route to go. I like the 4mil plastic and I have a good supply, plus I can size the bags to my needs and the seal is definitely better than a ziplock bag. Lol, that being said I just received a 300 count box of 1 quart and a 200 count box of 1 gallon Ziplock freezer bags so I do find the useful. Now I just got notification from the View Camera Store that that are shipping my 7x17 FP4 film, and that will definitely go in the 4mill bags and with the impulse sealer. As far as cost my impulse sealer came from Uline and cost about $250 so yes a pricey but it’s a high quality unit and big enough to handle 16x20 paper.
Roger
If my refrigerated film is in a Kokak style can I'll put a can or two in my pants' front pockets when I go out for a shoot. Generally by the time its time to reload the film is up to my body temperature. This has worked well for many years, so far so good. Bulk film in the box with the sealed can goes straight into the freezer. I allow several days for it to come to room temperature before opening in the dark room.
Well now you can freeze your steaks if anyone can afford to buy meat anymore.
Well now you can freeze your steaks if anyone can afford to buy meat anymore.
We can only afford one steak at a time and that we split so I tend to cook it the same day I buy it. Now if l did spend so much on film and gear we could easily fill our freezer with steak.
Roger
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