I keep my unexposed 120 film in the refrigerator until I'm ready to use it and I usually bring exposed film to the photo lab within a day or two after shooting. If I can't get to the photo lab for a few days is it okay to keep it in the fridge? I am worried that condensation might form on the film when I take it out.
Keeping Exposed Film in the Fridge
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There will be no condensation formed on the film if you have put the film in a vapour tight container. Any condensation will form on the outside of that container.
However, condensation might form on the film after putting the film into the fridge/freezer. To avoid this the film should have been kept in a not too humid climate before (ideal 50% RH). And that tight container should yield as few air valume (with vapour of water) as possible. If in spite of that a condensation should occur it would be at the container and not on the film itself. You also could add some desiccant to that container.
From a theoretical point of view it is advisible for real long storage to reduce the humidity in the emulsion before freezing to yield maximum longevity. For that the film should be kept in a very dry atmosphere before for some time. But as this will lead to some problems after taking the film out of the freezer again and thus would have to climatized again for some time to gain more humidity again this should be an issue not to bother with in practise.
Another issue is that a standard fridge or freezer yields very dry air (in spite of common belief). So aside from avoiding condensation on the film after taking it out due to access to humid air, that container from above also keeps a rather high RH inside the film container, rather than letting it dry out with effects hinted in that remark above on long term storage.
This whole matter is a bit (or can be made bit...) complex as it has many aspects.
However, condensation might form on the film after putting the film into the fridge/freezer. To avoid this the film should have been kept in a not too humid climate before (ideal 50% RH). And that tight container should yield as few air valume (with vapour of water) as possible. If in spite of that a condensation should occur it would be at the container and not on the film itself. You also could add some desiccant to that container.
From a theoretical point of view it is advisible for real long storage to reduce the humidity in the emulsion before freezing to yield maximum longevity. For that the film should be kept in a very dry atmosphere before for some time. But as this will lead to some problems after taking the film out of the freezer again and thus would have to climatized again for some time to gain more humidity again this should be an issue not to bother with in practise.
Another issue is that a standard fridge or freezer yields very dry air (in spite of common belief). So aside from avoiding condensation on the film after taking it out due to access to humid air, that container from above also keeps a rather high RH inside the film container, rather than letting it dry out with effects hinted in that remark above on long term storage.
This whole matter is a bit (or can be made bit...) complex as it has many aspects.
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I keep my unexposed and exposed 120 film (B&W, E6 and C41) in air-tight bags in my freezer for up to 6 months. I have seen no adverse effects and I have never had any problems with condensation ruining the film.
Thank you for the useful advice. I will keep it in mind when I can't get to the photo lab in a hurry.
If you're just going to be a few days, a cool (but unrefrigerated) place is just fine. There is no need to put the film in the refrigerator.
If you are going to be a few weeks, refrigeration as discussed above is more useful.
If you are going to be a few weeks, refrigeration as discussed above is more useful.
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