Should I put my film in the freezer? (2024)

Should I put my film in the freezer?

If you are not intending to use any film within 3 months, freeze it. If you buy film and use it within say a week to a fortnight, it will keep anywhere, including the camera pack or the fridge. Freezing does not stop film from degrading over the long term, it only retards the process.

Do I need to refrigerate my film?

Most photographers already know this tip, but keeping and storing your photographic film at refrigerator temperatures (13°C /50°F or lower) keeps it fresh and significantly increases the lifespan of the film.

What temp should film be stored at?

Based on NARA 1571, the ideal temperature for storing modern, polyester black and white films is 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Black and white acetate-base film (generally pre-1970) should be kept at 35 degrees Fahrenheit.

How long will frozen film last?

It is safest to assume a film should be used within one year of being removed from a freezer. One caveat: Even frozen films do not last forever. Background radiation does eventually fog films, and freezing does not slow or prevent this.

Can I load film straight from the fridge?

It is worth noting that if you're storing films in the fridge make sure you allow them to come back up to room temperature before loading or shooting. This reduces the risk of the backing plastic cracking or warping. The one exception to this rule would be Kodak Pro Image.

Can film get too cold?

In the cold, film becomes extra fragile. If you've ever tried to load film right after pulling it out of the freezer, you know how brittle it can get.

How long can film last unrefrigerated?

Consumer grade, black and white and low ISO films can survive at room temperature for several years without any noticeable degradation at all. Hell, leave them in your boiling hot car for a couple weeks. Even professional color and high speed films will perform perfectly after months at normal room temperature.

What does expired film look like?

The silver halides in the films' emulsion degrade and lose their sensitivity. As a result, colors will lose their vibrancy, and contrasts will fade and grain increases. Eventually, expired film becomes foggy and unusable.

How long does undeveloped film last?

Film should really be developed within a year of being exposed. After 2 years to 5 years, it might get a little grainy, and the colors might shift/fade a little bit.

Is it better to freeze or refrigerate film?

Storing it in the fridge will preserve the film for a lot longer than if it was left at room temperature. Saving your film for a date longer than 6 months away? Consider using the freezer to preserve your film for longer. Don't use your film immediately after taking it out of the fridge or freezer.

Does cold temperature ruin film?

Film at low temperatures can become very brittle and can make handling the film dangerous. Cold air also has very low humidity, which can only make the film more susceptible to damage. The same can occur with print photographs, photo negatives, and slides.

Can temperature ruin film?

As suspected, heat does have an effect, and below is an example of a test we did. Film can be in the heat without being ruined, but long periods of exposure will greatly affect it.

Can you use 20 year expired film?

There's a rule that states that a film loses one stop of its speed after a decade of expiry. So, if you're lucky to own a film with 10-20 years of expiry, apply this rule. At every 10 years, overexpose by one stop. If it's ISO 400, after 10 years will be ISO 200.

Is expired film still good?

Disadvantages to Using Expired Film

Storage conditions can impact your photographic results significantly, usually affecting color film more so than black-and-white film. Expired film can result in fogging across the image, depending on how you process the film.

Can you put cold film in camera?

Always load your film inside at room temperature to keep out the moisture and cold. If the film goes lower than 13°C (55°F), your photos can come out looking all chilly.

Can 35mm film get too cold?

Cold is not such a problem, indeed storing film in the fridge is normal practice. storing film in the fridge is normal practice. The OP noted temperatures down to -30F (-35C). That's going to make film brittle, so I wouldn't try advancing the film when it's that cold.

Should I keep my 35mm film in the fridge?

If you can't freeze your film storing it in the fridge is the next best thing. Although it does not completely stop film deterioration, it slows it down considerably and allows the film to keep past its expiry date. In a fridge, your film will last at least three years past its expiry date.

How long should you let film dry?

For drying, the best setting is a moist, dust-free room, ideally a bathroom or on the inside of your shower while the air is reasonably humid. Hang your negatives one by one across the room. Usually, it takes somewhere between two and five hours for your negatives to dry. Once your film is dry, you're done.

Is it bad to leave film in a cold car?

Should be fine. In the old days of film cameras we used to keep film in the refrigerator. Keeping it cool won't hurt it, but heat will. Also never let it go through an x-ray (airport).

How long can unused film sit in a camera?

It depends on the film, but in most cases, years. The big exception is Ilford Pan F, which has big problems with latent image retention. Ilford recommends processing within three months of the first shot, others say you shouldn't wait more than two weeks.

Should I push expired film?

You can also push, but that will add to the contrast, and sometimes expired film has weird color shifts, so the extra contrast might not be the look you're going for. Definitely DO NOT pull - pulling is very rarely needed (pulling is if you outrageously overexposed and you pull the film out of the developing early).

How long can 35mm film be stored?

Depends. If it is stored in cool dry conditions you have at least a few years before you TYPICALLY see any fogging. Put it in a freezer and you're good for a decade. Film is like milk.

Can you use 10 year expired film?

Shooting Expired Black And White Film

Over time it will fog, and this will give you a denser neg and cut down on the contrast. If you have black and white film that's 10 years out of date, you're probably fine to shoot it at box speed.

Why is film so expensive?

The environmental costs continue to rise, especially around chemicals, which have a direct impact on the cost to manufacture film. The direct production costs are increasing because the cost of inputs is rising, including paper, chemicals, labor, etc. The cost of logistics continues to go up.

Does 35mm film get ruined in airport security?

In the past, older models of X-ray scanners were even more damaging to film, particularly high ISO films. However, most current machines used for carry-on luggage scanning use a very mild dose of X-rays that is unlikely to cause any damage to your film if it's under 800 ISO.

Is it OK to touch undeveloped film?

touching the back of the film, which is natural to do when loading reels, should not be a problem. touching the emulsion may cause fingerprints if you have really sweaty fingers.

Can you develop film after 3 years?

For example, extreme heat can significantly affect the lifespan of film, while cold can help it stay longer. Many experts agree film is OK for up to two or three years, although it's best to get film developed as soon as possible—often within six months—so you don't sacrifice the quality of the final product.

Can I develop film at Walgreens?

Walgreens can process 110 film. We can also process APS film.

Where should I store undeveloped film?

Yep, that's right – keeping film cool has been known to preserve film's freshness and longevity. If you're not shooting your rolls right away, pop it in the fridge until it's time to use them. Make sure they are in a sealed ziplock bag to prevent accidents or add silica packets to prevent moisture buildup.

How long does film last in storage?

Unused rolls of film typically have an expiration date of 2 years from the date they were made. However, don't throw out your expired film stock yet. Just because the old film is beyond the expiry date doesn't mean you can't still use it.

Should you refrigerate before freezing?

Cool foods to refrigerator temperature before bagging them for your freezer. It is OK to refrigerate foods while they're still warm. LOOSELY cover food upon refrigeration. This allows heat to escape and protects the food from accidental contamination from other foods during cooling.

Is it bad to keep film in the car?

Keep the temperature low.

You can store Kodak color films, at temperatures up to 70/ 21°. However, you must keep all films away from places where they are subject to excessive heat, such as a car parked in the sun, or an attic during the summer.

Does heat ruin undeveloped film?

After exposure, proper care in processing and in storing or displaying the negative, slide, transparency, or print helps to preserve the long-term usefulness of the image. Unprocessed photographic films and papers are perishable products that can be damaged by high temperatures and high relative humidities.

Is film still flammable?

Nitrate film is flammable and there is risk in keeping nitrate film. A nitrate fire is very dangerous, but nitrate film itself is not imminently dangerous if not given the conditions in which to burn.

How much light will ruin film?

Negative that hasn't been developed, but has been exposed or not, will be altered or ruined if exposed to direct light for more than a small fraction of a second.

Can I use 50 year old film?

Some films may last years, maybe decades past their intended use-by date, as long as they're carefully stored. Heat and radiation will eventually turn film into a fogged mess. And even with that degradation, expired film can be used to take good images.

Can 25 year old film be developed?

Yes. Old film doesn't go bad all at once – colors shift, contrast fades away, and fog builds up. Old film (~10+ years past the process date) will have faded, skewing towards magenta.

Can you use 40 year old film?

You sure can! Instead of overexposing the film, you can push it in development, and especially with extremely old film, you may want to use a combination of overexposure and push processing.

Does unopened film expire?

Most negative and movie films have an expiration date. This is typically about two years after the month of manufacture, which is actually a “best if used by” date. The older the film, the more unpredictable it will be in terms of quality. Another crucial factor that determines the outcome is how film is stored.

Can old 35mm film still be developed?

Yes, 35mm can still be developed- through magical chemical processes using processing machines, or in some cases by hand in developing tanks we can still enjoy the thrills of film photography! You need to find a photo lab or business that offers 'film developing' or 'film processing' with the option of 35mm film.

Is 110 film still available?

The only new 110 film available on the market is currently produced by Austrian analogue photography company, Lomography.

Can cold damage cameras?

How Cold is too Cold for my Camera? Most cameras today are cold-proof and can function up to 32 degrees F, or 0 degrees C. Some cameras also have freeze-proof certifications and specialized weather-sealed bodies, like those made of magnesium-alloy, to make them handle the cold weather better.

How cold is too cold for camera?

Most cameras are cold proof to a certain point (usually 32°F), with the batteries often being the culprit of improper functioning; however, there are certain cameras featuring freeze-proof certifications, deeming them more apt to handle extremely cold climates.

Can you use film camera in snow?

The extreme cold can totally kill your battery, the wet snow might make your camera start to act up due to moisture, going from extreme cold to warmer temps indoors will fog up the best of lenses/viewfinders, and worst yet, that bright, bright snow can throw off your meter and cause your scans to come back underexposed ...

What happens if you put cling film in the freezer?

It sounds odd but there's actually a scientific reason for it - the cold temperature changes the molecular structure of the plastic, which removes the static and 'stickiness'.

How long does 35mm film last in fridge?

If you can't freeze your film storing it in the fridge is the next best thing. Although it does not completely stop film deterioration, it slows it down considerably and allows the film to keep past its expiry date. In a fridge, your film will last at least three years past its expiry date.

Is it OK to put plastic in the freezer?

Do not freeze. Only put plastics in the freezer if they have a freezer-safe label. Freezer temperatures can cause plastics to deteriorate, which increases the leaching of chemicals into the food when you take containers out of the freezer to thaw or reheat.

Does plastic break in the freezer?

Water expands when frozen and the pressure this creates is sometimes enough to crack plastic, especially those that are brittle at temperatures below freezing. Room can be left in containers to account for this expansion but it is not always able to prevent damage to a container.

Is it bad to put plastic in the freezer?

Plastic food and beverage containers may be used safely in the freezer, microwave, dishwasher or a combination of all three when these uses are labeled on the package,” a spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Does undeveloped film go bad?

If stored optimally in sealed canisters at low humidity and with minimal viewing, film reels can last as long as 70 years. If the unexposed film was stored in a freezer, chances are you can use it and get decent results.

What is the shelf life of undeveloped film?

Unused rolls of film typically have an expiration date of 2 years from the date they were made. However, don't throw out your expired film stock yet. Just because the old film is beyond the expiry date doesn't mean you can't still use it.

Is it bad to leave film in a camera?

Practically, you'll be fine leaving a roll in the camera unless you're planning to put it down for a decade or two. It depends on the film, but in most cases, years.