Where do you keep your films? Fridge, freezer or room

[Mondo1]

Thanks for all the kind replies to a novice member who posted for the first time here.... I learnt a lot from everyone's response ... made me stay connected to the community ... and on the topic itself: I think I should start using freezer for old films or things that I want to preserve for very long time ....cheers

 

[MattKing]

I realize sarcasm does come through the internet well.

I believe you might be missing something here.
He says sarcastically

 

[eli griggs]

I prefer the freezer and refrigerator, but also use a zippered to isolation bag from, Harris Teeter, for keeping film cool.

While I will add cold packs, some soft some hard plastic, about four - six, when leaving home, but if I keep film in the bag longer term, I'll leave the soft cold bags in the bag, because it appears the will keep the temperature cool in the house, by several degrees.

I have a mini fridge in my darkroom but I usually use the main chest freezer and refrigerator for storage.

 

[rcphoto]

I believe you might be missing something here.
He says sarcastically

I'm going to let it ride. With a bit of sarcasm in mind, it makes sense.

 

[Melvin J Bramley]

All my 120 film is in a lead lined bag.
It was in the freezer until bulk buying fish and meat 'froze me out.
I also have , due to some estate sale purchases, three bulk film loaders with HP5 , Delta 400 and Kodak Tri X that really should be better stored; best I can do at the moment is a cooler dark place!!
I also have a bulk roll of Kodak TMax 100 that fits in the overloaded freezer.
I would be interested to know just how well the lead lined bags protect film for long term storage?

 

[Pieter12]

I only shoot B&W and I keep all my film in a cooler or cooler bags in a closet. Never had an issue.

 

[Trask]

Several years ago I bought a small upright freezer and put it in the basement to hold most of my film, then COVID arrived so half the space went to frozen food (to reduce shopping trips). So now I keep all my bulk film cans in the freezer, along with most of the color materials; the rest of my stash is in an insulated wine cellar that the house's original owner installed in the basement, where the temperature is around 55F during winter and only up to around 64F in northern Virginia's hot summers. Things seem OK so far.

 

[michaelelliottphotog]

All 35mm and 120 film I'm not using within 3 months in the freezer in its foil wrapper/canister (my wife hates me cause I have taken up 1 full shelf with colour film and a half shelf with bulk rolls and HIE/TP). Then, a few rolls in the fridge based on the time of year.

I have one or two rolls kicking about in bags that I didn't get to use on the day I defrosted them that will get used shortly, it's not worth putting them back.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

in a dedicated fridge. I'll take out what I'll need within a few dysdays.

 

[Agulliver]

I would be interested to know just how well the lead lined bags protect film for long term storage?

I fail to see their significance unless we're talking storage over several decades.

 

[lamerko]

I had stopped doing film photography for quite a long time, but last year I came back. At the same time, I decided to do an expired film project and started buying film stock. For this purpose, I bought a small freezer set at -21 degrees Celsius. I must have gone overboard, because I filled the freezer completely, and also took up a large part of the home refrigerator.
I keep most of my film stocks below -19/-21 degrees, others at "normal" temperature, 4-5 degrees. All films are in ziplock envelopes, with much of it actually cinema film stock - Kodak Vision, Fuji Eterna, ORWO, Agfa. Another part is bulk boxes of 50, 30, 17, 10 and 5 meters. I guess they additionally keep moisture out. Much of the 135 and 120 film is at 4-5 degrees, ready to be adapted relatively quickly to room temperature if needed.

 

[MattKing]

I would be interested to know just how well the lead lined bags protect film for long term storage?

They probably don't add any more protection than a non-lead lined bag.
Unless you live in an X-Ray clinic or, perhaps, right near the runway of a military airbase.

 

[Sirius Glass]

They probably don't add any more protection than a non-lead lined bag.
Unless you live in an X-Ray clinic or, perhaps, right near the runway of a military airbase.

Or the Nevada nuclear test ground.

 

[Pieter12]

Or the Nevada nuclear test ground.

Does Radon affect photographic film?

 

[Sirius Glass]

Does Radon affect photographic film?

I do not know for sure, but suspect so.

 

[BradS]

Whatever I'm gonna use is carried in the camera bag and the rest is stored in the vegetable/fruit drawers in the fridge.

 

[Melvin J Bramley]

They probably don't add any more protection than a non-lead lined bag.
Unless you live in an X-Ray clinic or, perhaps, right near the runway of a military airbase.

Seems to me that UV is the killer of long term stored film?

 

[Melvin J Bramley]

Whatever I'm gonna use is carried in the camera bag and the rest is stored in the vegetable/fruit drawers in the fridge.

You must have an understanding wife!
I shudder to think what my wife would say to two or three bulk loaders sitting next to the carrots!
My stock of FB paper!; forget it.

 

[Pieter12]

I watched the film Jay Myself the other night. For those unfamiliar with it, it is basically the story of the photographer Jay Maisel and his career--but mostly about move out of the 6-story, 30,000 sq-ft bank building he occupied for 50 years in the Bowery part of Manhattan. He is a hoarder, collecting anything that might make an interesting photo at some point. It took 35 moving vans to empty the place out. But to stay on topic, at one point he opened a large cupboard filled with bricks of 35mm Kodachrome. No refrigeration. I'm sure when he was shooting film he went through it fast enough not to worry. But the stash he was looking at had expired in 1974, and he more or less said good riddance, this is going in the trash--not because it was expired as much as he certainly didn't seem like he missed shooting film any more.

 

[MattKing]

Seems to me that UV is the killer of long term stored film?

You may mean cosmic rays, if you are referring to outside factors.
UV is bad for displayed prints though.

 

[BradS]

You must have an understanding wife!
I shudder to think what my wife would say to two or three bulk loaders sitting next to the carrots!
My stock of FB paper!; forget it.

I'm a bachelor.
I keep the paper in the wine fridge....and sometimes, I eat my toast before cleaning up the crumbs.
Life is good!

 

[BrianShaw]

I fail to see their significance unless we're talking storage over several decades.

Or storage in airplanes and spaceships.

 

[MTGseattle]

I have one of those "fancy" 12v or 120v coolers whose intended home was my truck. It was still sitting in my basement, so for now it is the film fridge.

 

[Edgy01]

Freezer. I have some items from 1975 in there. Rare stuff.

 

[eli griggs]

Or storage in airplanes and spaceships.

How did/does NASA protect photographicfilms?