fridged films

[refinder]

when i take my beer out of the fridge, the bottle fogs up, then a film of water forms, then the water drips down.

when you take a roll out of the fridge, what happens? what is the correct procedure of using a fridged film?

- refinder

 

[Dave Parker]

When I remove film from the freezer, I let it sit at room temp for 15-30 minutes before use so it can equalize to the surrounding temps, I also store all of my film in ziplock bags so to cut down on condensation on the photo materials.

R.

 

[PhotoJim]

Take the film out of the fridge in its sealed container (the film canister or the foil package, or a ziploc bag if it's sheet film). Let it warm to ambient temperature (1-2 hours). Use it normally.

I store my film in ziploc bags even if it's already sealed. It's better organized that way and I have insurance if the factory packaging isn't airtight.

 

[Dave Parker]

1-2 hours? I have never noticed I need to let it sit that long before using and have been shooting for a living for over 25 years now, film actually warms up to amibient temps pretty quick, and depending on the humidity level can be used in less time, I was shooting SE Asia a few years ago, and it took quite a while to disipate the moisture on the ziplock bags..

R.

 

[refinder]

thanks a lot for the replies guys!

when taking the film out of the fridge, condensation on the film itself will happen, and what the warming up does is to let this condensation dissipate, did i get this right?
(i'm imagining that original film packages are not air-tight-and-sealed-in-vacuum.)

condensation will not hurt the film and the image capturing, but will hurt the camera, correct?

what is the general practice with 100' bulk rolls? load a few rolls and stick the bulk loader back to the fridge?

sorry for asking so many naive newbie questions.

- refinder

 

[Kevin Caulfield]

Yes, that's pretty much it. The water will not harm the film itself, but could definitely harm most cameras.
With bulk rolls, just load what you need (after allowing warming time) and then re-refrigerate.

 

[Gerald Koch]

With bulk rolls or rolls in loaders I usually let them sit overnight to come to room temperature. If I need to use film quickly I take the plastic container or wrapped film out of the box and put it unopened in my pocket. Body heat warms the film up quickly and I am able to open it and load the camera in 30 minutes.

Everything in my freezer is stored in zip lock bags. Moisture condensing on film can cause problems. I have had the film stick to itself. Also experienced water stains and mottling.

 

[George Papantoniou]

I put them in the microwave oven, "defrost program" for half an hour...

(Sorry, I had to say this tasteless joke. Don't try this at home.)

 

[srs5694]

I put them in the microwave oven, "defrost program" for half an hour...

(Sorry, I had to say this tasteless joke. Don't try this at home.)

Just out of curiosity, what would happen to film that's microwaved? (Assume the film is in plastic cannisters, so no protection from being wrapped in metal.) Is pictorial film at all sensitive to microwave frequencies, or would it have no effect other than the effect of the heating itself (which would presumably ruin the film, given enough microwave time).

 

[George Papantoniou]

I don't know what would happen to the silver salts, but I am sure the animal gelatin would suffer a lot...

 

[DBP]

I suspect the wavelength is too long to affect normal film, though IR film might be close. I've never heard of any issues with reconnaissance aircraft, and that film is around microwaves (radar) all the time.

 

[Max Power]

And an equally useful tip, and only slightly OT, if you bring a camera in from the cold, slip it into a Ziplock before bringing it into a warm place.

Kent

 

[refinder]

thanks for all the useful tips guys! i didn't know the zip lock bag trick before, and my films at one time smelled cheese. my girl said "daddy you have cheesy films!" no, just kidding, that's my friend. he doesn't care about anything.

Gerald, would proper warming up be sufficient to eliminate the possible condensation problems you mentioned? anything else i need to do/watch for other than zip lock bags and microwave? ehrr, i mean, proper warming up?

Max, i thought you were going to say use underwater camera in winter! thanks for the tip! since i'm a only a hobbyist, i sometimes stick the camera under my coat in winter, and only take it out when taking pictures. maybe this is doing more harm than good? doh!

what to do, what to do... the spell checker said i should change "ehrr" to "euro"!

- refinder

 

[srs5694]

i sometimes stick the camera under my coat in winter, and only take it out when taking pictures. maybe this is doing more harm than good?

FWIW, most or all of the manuals for Soviet and Russian cameras that I've read advise doing precisely this. Given that the Russians understand cold, I'd be inclined to accept that this is a good practice, at least in very cold conditions.

 

[Gerald Koch]

Yes, it's important that the film come up to room temperature before the container or wrapper is opened. This will prevent condensation and any possible moisture damage. Somewhere on the Kodak website there are warmup time recommendations for refrigerated and frozen products.