on the care of 35mm film: freezing/thawing...

[deantaylor]

<p>hello<br /><br />We have some Ilford (as wel as some Ektar 100) we'd like to stow in the freezer, but wanted to check with the pros regarding the proper procedure--specifically, avoiding ice crystals, condensation, etc., forming on the film.<br /><br />Do you wrap the film in freezer paper? <br /><br />Also, when you are ready to use, do you transition to the fridge, or simply place on a countertop to stabilize before use?<br /><br />thank you...<br /><br />Dean</p>

[bgelfand]

<p>I just put the unopened boxes of 35mm film, with the film in the plastic containers, in the freezer. I do have all the boxes in a plastic grocery bag just to keep everything together so a box of film does not become "lost".</p>

<p>The night before I need the film I take it out and leave it on the kitchen counter. I put it in my camera bag, the next morning. I have never had any problems with 35mm film.</p>

<p>But, our refrigerator/freezer is self-defrosting, and we open it only once or twice a day to get food. We do not have frost on anything in the freezer.</p>

[Colin O]

<p>Put the film in the freezer in the (unopened) packaging it came in.</p><p>There's no need to transition to a refrigerator when defrosting, but you do need to wait until it has fully returned to room temperature before opening.</p><p>There's some info on this from Kodak here:<br>

<a href="http://www.kodak.com/global/en/consumer/products/techInfo/e30/e30.pdf">

Storage and Care of KODAK Photographic Materials</a></p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>On the rare occasion that I've frozen film I've left it in its original packaging and put it inside a ziploc bag. When it came out I let it set at room temperature for a day before opening it, but no transition to the fridge.<br /><br />Personally, I'm not a big fan of freezing film unless it's something that's being discontinued and you're not going to be able to buy it in the future. Otherwise I only buy what I'm going to use in a reasonable period and then buy more fresh film later. B&W can easily go five years without refrigeration or freezing.<br /><br />In the past, professionals would figure out the precise color balance and filtration needed on a large batch of film and then freeze the rest so it wouldn't change, but most of the people who did that shoot digital today. </p>