"Deep freeze" for storing film ... and suggestions?

<p>Hello.</p>

<p>I've been looking online for a true "deep freezer" for storing film. I want something colder than a traditional freezer (I assume the colder I store the film, the longer it will last -- background radiation not withstanding). All the ads online at major retailers simply transcribe my web search into traditional freezers. Isn't there truly "deep" freezers or have I always had a mistaken assumption?</p>

<p>If there are colder freezer options, can someone suggest make and model? I'm getting nowhere on the Internet.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>The typical residental freezer is set to maintain temperature at around -16degC. Look to <a href="http://www.thermoscientific.com/wps/portal/ts/products/detail?navigationId=L10476&categoryId=87213&productId=13002877">lab grade freezers</a> for colder temperatures. -30degC is not unusual. Some will go down to -80degC.</p>

<p>RobertLees suggestion seem a good place to start.<br>

I was just wondering (assuming that you have no specialist requirements?) why you feel the need for something colder than a domestic freezer?<br>

I use a mix of refrigerator or normal chest freezer for all my films, and routinely use films four or five years old with no apparent deterioration from fresh. I've recently also used up some 15-year-old Kodachrome, which had certainly been kept at room temperature for some of the time, with no ill effects. I think that manufacturers allow a great deal of safety margin in setting expiry dates.<br>

I would think that a specialist freezer must use a significantly higher amount of electricity. And I believe that certain films do not respond well to freezing (e.g. the old Ektar 25). Also that the benefit of freezing for fast films might be negated by higher sensitivity to background radiation, and maybe their lower stability than slow films?</p>

<p>www.coleparmer.com have quite a number of low temp freezers, some down to -86C, at some very high prices</p>

<p>Robert and Bob ... thank you, I'll check out those sites.</p>

<p>Richard ... you bring up a good point and one worth validating with the PN community: is a colder freezer useful in postponing the aging of film? I have been led to believe so but all my evidence is subjective or could be a manifestation of my aging memory. I thought I remembered reading in a Kodak publication somewhere (online, I'd be challenged to find it) that for long term film preservation, storage at a temp lower than a typical domestic freezer is useful. This point is buoyed by many statements I read on eBay (I know, it's eBay!) where people claimed to store their Kodachrome at crazy-low temps. I bought some of this film and it was perfect.</p>

<p>So, hearsay and anecdotal evidence conspire to tell me "colder is better". I'd happily consider other realities if people want to pipe in ...</p>

<p>And I know the cumulative effect of background radiation will conspire to raise the fog on any film, simply given time. I've never heard of a practical way to defeat that.</p>

<p>Thank for the continuing dialogue. </p>

<p>Keep in mind that in the factory produced film is in the fridge too but the optimum temperature for keeping film cool is around -10C. Much colder doesn't affect the film but is costing much more energy for cooling. So you can buy a regular frreezer (-16 till - 18C ) and put the temperature back to -10C.<br>

All previous Agfa film products were stored on this temperature.</p>

<p>I agree with Robert. In general colder is better, but a conventional home freezer (0 F or -18 C) will keep low speed film for 25 years or more with no evident chemical degradation. How much longer do you need to keep it? </p>

<p>There are some Kodak recommendations on:-<br>

<a href="http://motion.kodak.com/motion/uploadedFiles/US_plugins_acrobat_en_motion_newsletters_filmEss_12_Storage_and_Handling.pdf">http://motion.kodak.com/motion/uploadedFiles/US_plugins_acrobat_en_motion_newsletters_filmEss_12_Storage_and_Handling.pdf</a><br>

Basically, somewhere around zero Fahrenheit, -18 Centigrade, seems to be all that is needed, even for critical professional movie work.<br>

My personal view is that a domestic freezer is all that is really needed...it enables me to keep a reasonable stock of a selection of favorite films, which I can normally use within a year or two of their date, while benefiting from bulk savings. I can't actually see any purpose in going to the expense of a special freezer with high running costs, just to keep film indefinitely. In the end, it's made to be used and enjoyed.</p>

<p>Plus, ISO 400 and higher speed films are going to get base fog from cosmic rays no matter what you do. No, you cannot afford enough lead to shield the film.</p>

 

<p>Thanks. This has been helpful. The PDF that Richard E posted a link to was the document I was mentioning earlier. </p>

<p>Having read this thread and re-read the Kodak doc, I'll stick to my traditional freezer and let the film and fish sticks coexist. </p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>A major factor is the period of conservation, which wasn't mentioned. As John mentions, gamma rays (I think those are the type of cosmic radiation) will affect many films in long storage (Kodak was once rumored to use an abandoned underground mine site for the long term strorage of some film material and to reduce or eliminate the cosmic radiation effects). I like the idea of constant low temperature conditions, to avoid the possibility of condensation occuring on film surfaces under variable temperature conditions.</p>