How do I properly cold-store film in a refrigerator or freezer?

Minolta93

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Hi everyone,

I recently stocked up on film. I won't be shooting all of it very soon, so I want to keep it cold-stored. I have almost 50 rolls of 35mm film on hand now, whereas in the past I've had at most fewer than a dozen. So now, it seems more important that I cold store my film. Previously, I've kept 3-packs of consumer film in a ziploc bag in the fridge if I wasn't planning on using it for a while.

What are the best methods for cold storing larger quantities of film? I want to protect my film from condensation when I pull it out of the fridge or freezer as well. My most important bunch of film is 20 rolls of Velvia. I'd like to keep those in the freezer for the most part, and I also would rather keep them all in the original packaging as much as possible.
 

Paul Howell

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When I froze film I used food vacuum sealing unit to remove as much air as I could. I popped the top of the plastic film can to make sure all of the air was removed. I don't know how much air was left, had to be very little. It seemed to work and I did keep rolls of PlusX 35mm and 120 for a few years after expatriation date.
 

Samu

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Most of the films are quite well sealed in their packages. 35 mm film is in canisters, and many other types of film are sealed in wrappers, that are air tight. In case of unopened packages, condensation of water is unlikely to cause any issues.
 

xkaes

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For LONG storage, use the freezer.

I've got Agfa APX 25, Kodak Ektar 25, Konica Impresa 50, Kodak 2475 Recording film, Royal-X Pan, and even HIE IR -- IN THE FREEZER. Most are in plastic bags. The IR & high speed stuff I put in lead-lined bags.

I unfreeze the stuff as needed.
 
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Minolta93

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Should I bag film individually or will a single large plastic ziploc bag be okay? I would assume using multiple smaller bags would be better so that I could take out smaller portions from the freezer at one time.
 

Kino

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I tend to bag each type in one bag, breaking-out a few in a smaller bag for easy access. When I want to use it, I pull the smaller bag and let it come to room temp before opening.

Have been thinking I may start making "Go bags" with roll of color and b&w negative and maybe a roll of slide film in each. I always seem to have the "wrong" type of film when I go out, so having a handy bag with a selection of film types on hand might not be a bad idea.

Just grab and go.
 

MattKing

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Don't store the film under anything that could melt and leak liquid if the power fails.
Something like a flat, Tupperware type container can help protect the film and any packaging from impact damage, and give you a place to put your constantly updated inventory - something that may be as important as the packaging.
Manual defrost may be advisable.
 

Disconnekt

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I put mine in quart sized double zipper freezer bags, theres enough room in those to put ~14 rolls of 35mm film. I do have different bags filled with certain film stocks/types/similiar film speeds. For example, I have a bag filled with all my 35mm tungsten film, so I know if Im gonna go out during late evening/at night/before the crack of dawn I can just take that bag not really worried about grabbing "the wrong type of film" when putting in a new roll of film to shoot
 

BAC1967

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I put opened film and paper in the refrigerator in sealed bags. If it's still sealed in the original packaging I freeze it. when I take it out I let it warm up before opening to prevent condensation.
 

reddesert

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Put it in a sealed plastic bag.

Condensation doesn't really occur inside the refrigerator or freezer (unless you spill water into the bag or something). Condensation occurs when you bring a cold surface into a warm humid environment. So what you should be careful of is: when you are ready to use the film, take it out and let it warm up to close to room temperature before opening the bag/package.
 

Ivo Stunga

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You could also defrost more gradually - from frezer right into the top shelf of a fridge (warmest, usually nearing 10°C) for a night, then shooting.
FWIW - when buying locally, I pick film right out of the fridge and either in bag or camera it goes - summer or winter. No condensation problems to report as of now.
 
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Andrew O'Neill

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All films are kept in ziplock bags, which are then placed in clear plastic cases, meant for storing small prints (got it on Amazon). These cases are then stacked in the fridge and freezer.
 

Ten301

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I keep my film in the freezer, in ziplock freezer bags. The freezer is set at its coldest setting, which is a consistent -15F according to the freezer thermometer I keep in the freezer. No chemical changes will occur with film at these temperatures, but temperature cannot stop background gamma radiation, nor can lead film bags. It will take many years-decades-for any practical radiation fogging to show on films 200 ISO and below. Color emulsions will show the effects more than black and white. However, films 400 ISO and will start to show the cumulative effects of gamma radiation in about a decade no matter how deeply frozen, and faster films even sooner. Just a personal observation, but I’ve found that Fuji films seem to be much more resistant to the effects of gamma fogging than Kodak. Why, I have no idea.

I’ve found another fallacy to be that you have to let the film sit out of the freezer for 24-hours before using it. Do not open the container, but usually a few hours at room temperature is enough, or you can always put the film (still in the can) in a warm pocket if you’re in a hurry.
 

jmrochester

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Unusually low freezer temperatures for long term have the potential to cause crystallization of coupler dispersions in color negative films. This scenario is generally not tested by manufacturers, and I would suggest that any temperature below 0F doesn't accomplish much and may be detrimental. Less is more.
 
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reddesert

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Fuji carried out research into minimizing the effect of natural background radiation with age on high-speed films: eg Y. Nozawa, H. Ikoma, and M. Okano, 2002, JIST 46, 20, "Damage to High Speed Color Negative Films from Natural Background Radiation," https://library.imaging.org/admin/apis/public/api/ist/website/downloadArticle/jist/46/3/art00011

A film whose design this influenced was Superia 1600, mentioned in the article. Nevertheless, the radiation fog isn't something I really worry about for films of speed 400 and slower, as long as you keep them cold. I have had reasonable luck with old (20 years) 400 speed B&W film even if it has been in and out of the fridge, but less so with similarly old color negative film that spent a long time at room temp.
 

wiltw

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A very long time ago, Kodak's research showed that freezer storage helped to minimize color shifts in color emulsions, but nothing could address the issue of cosmic radiation passing thru the earth and fogging emulsions slowly.
 

reddesert

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wiltw said:
A very long time ago, Kodak's research showed that freezer storage helped to minimize color shifts in color emulsions, but nothing could address the issue of cosmic radiation passing thru the earth and fogging emulsions slowly.
Click to expand...

Did you read the paper I linked? It directly addresses your remark. Age-related fog can come from natural background radiation, of which cosmic radiation is only one part. The authors addressed the cosmic ray contribution by storing film in an underground low-radiation facility, in a box made of low-radiative-isotope-content lead. That had only somewhat less fog. According to the paper, what Fuji did to address fog was change the properties of the film emulsion, for example to offload more of the blue sensitivity into the sensitizing dye, and minimize the self-contamination by the emulsion ingredients. I attach here a paragraph from their conclusions. Those who want to see the characteristic curve figure 14 can read the paper linked above.

It is quite possible that Kodak took similar measures, I don't really know. This paper from Fuji authors is just what came up when searching for more information.

 

Sirius Glass

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Only freeze film that is still sealed in the factory packaging. If the packaging has been open the put the film in a ZipLock bag, push the air out and store in the refrigerator, not the freezer. I have been freezing my film since 2003.
 

snusmumriken

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For those like me who slipped up and did not store your film in sealed containers before freezing. You can take the film package out of the freezer and place it in an airtight container with a lot of silica gel to slowly warm up. It's obviously important that you re-activate the silica gel before doing this, e.g. by placing it in an oven at low temperature overnight.

I bought a 100ft roll of 35mm Double-X and immediately removed one shorter length from it for spooling into cassettes. The rest went into the freezer in a thick black plastic bag (as used by Ilford for printing paper), sealed with tape but not airtight. I have now taken several further lengths from it as described, and it has all worked out fine.
 

RezaLoghme

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What is the average temperature and climate where you/the film lives?
For how long do you want to store the film rolls?
How long have they been stored, and how, before you bought them?
Is there a probability of overestimating the overall problem?
 

lamerko

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No extreme insulation is needed. Ziplock bags are sufficient for larger packages. Probably the factory packaging - plastic containers for 135 and cellophane packages for 120 will be sufficient in most cases.
I always put my (rewound) 135 rolls in containers that I buy from laboratories very cheaply. I pack 120 in ziplock bags - they work well. Same with larger metal boxes. I have not had any problems so far.
However, some refrigerators can be a nuisance - they defrost and fill some compartments with water, which subsequently freezes...
 

Alan Edward Klein

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Sirius Glass said:
Only freeze film that is still sealed in the factory packaging. If the packaging has been open the put the film in a ZipLock bag, push the air out and store in the refrigerator, not the freezer. I have been freezing my film since 2003.
Click to expand...

How about adding a silica gel pack?
 
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