B+W film left in hot car - will it be OK?

[michael_phlin_jahapne]

I was wondering if it is important to refridgerate B&W film? I've

left my 4x5 film in the back seat of my car by mistake. Will the

pictures still come out? Thanks

[ralph_barker]

Will they come out? Not if you also spilled glue on the box. (lol)

 

Seriously, Michael, you may have some fogging, but that depends on how much heat the film was exposed to, and for how long a period. If you're able to develop a single sheet, try shooting a test, or just developing the sheet normally, along with the same type of film not exposed to the heat.

 

Refrigeration naturally helps if you're going to keep the film for long periods of time - well past the "expirattion" date. Freezing is even better, essentially reducing the fogging to that caused by cosmic rays. But a reasonably cool, dry storage place is generally OK if you use the film by the marked date.

[john_cook1]

Color goes crazy when you heat it up. B&W doesn't seem to mind short blasts.

 

Many moons ago, I read that the film expiration date is predicated upon storage at 75 degrees. The lower the storage temperature (below that) the longer it will last, the warmer it is stored the sooner it will begin to fog. Freezing is best for long-term storage, but let it warm to room temperature before opening to avoid condensation.

[tim_curry]

Michael,

 

I've been out in the heat a bit lately to take advantage of the rains which are finally here. Some of the film I have in my pack has gone through more than a few heating & cooling cycles during the course of hiking and shooting over vacation. Some sits in the camera with sunlight heating it in the holder for a while before the shot. At this point, I'm not seeing any fog or problems compared to shooting in the winter. This has been the Efke 25, so I can't speak for a "fast" film like Tri-x or HP5.

 

I was very concerned about it when I came home one day and opened the pack in my living room to get the exposed film and take it to the darkroom for unloading. Everything in the pack was HOT (well over 38c or 100f). Not too hot to touch, but hot enough to be a real concern. My pack is black and does soak up a lot of heat in the sun. I've had several sheets of Velvia in there for 6 months and it was going through the heating and cooling for longer than the B&W. Finally got around to using the Velvia on a cactus in bloom, it is fine also. I know color is more prone to problems with color-shift from heating, but I think there may be more concern about heating than is necessary.

 

I have some Tri-x in 8X10 from 1968 that had been sitting on a shelf for unknown temperature cycles (its acting like it sat in the sun for a few years with lots of cosmic rays running merrily along for the duration). This stuff is very dense now. I'm still trying to get enough contrast out of it to make a good print. Having to run it at asa 100, process at 85f in PMK and run up the times to nearly 18 minutes to get enough contrast for decent highlights. This stuff is so fogged that an unexposed sheet takes nearly 4 times as much light to get a nice dense black as my "normal" films. Unexposed, it looks like a normal sky density.

 

I use a freezer for long term storage, fridge for shorter term and the pack for daily use. So far, no trouble from the heat other than the normal increase in beer consumption for "heat compensation."

 

tim, tucson

[charles_boyer1]

Call me AR, but I have lately taken to putting packs of the freezer packs that some folks use for "re-usable ice" for their coolers into my back pack with a rubber band binding it to my film. That goes into a Ziploc to prevent any condesation from getting all over the photo gear.

 

Over the top? Maybe. But it does keep the film cool for some time and it also makes a nice little cooler for my back, which truly appreciates it on longer hikes.

[michael_chini]

Short periods of exposure to strong heat for both color film and b&w will do absolutely nothing (a few hours). Pro shooters around the world (including in some very hot climates) do not even think about this. Keep shooting and don't even worry about it. You'd have to leave film inside a baking car under direct sunlight for a very long time for it to damage your film. Storing film (color and b&w) in a fridge over long periods of time (multiple years) is however, a good idea.

[lbi115l]

When I bought my 8x10 (eariler this year), the guy said he'd throw in a few boxes of film. It ended up being a partial box of TMY and TMX, and a full of TMY. He said he found them in the back of a cabinet in his studio. They all expired in 1991 or 1993 and aparrently weren't refridgerated, but they were free, so I tried them. They're fine. I've been starting to see a visibly higher level of base fog if the sheets are left in the heat for a week or so, but the ones that stay in the fridge are fine.

[john_kasaian1]

FWIW, in the summertime, where I live(in Fresno), it gets a trifle warm. I've had good luck keeping my loaded holders in an Igloo cooler(no ice!) It does a good job of keeping the temperature on an even keel. It also dosen't look like photo gear is on board(a couple of wraps of duct tape and a few decals help with the illusion) which I hope puts off the thieves. Good luck!

[tom_christiansen]

Hi,

 

I wouldn't worry about it. A lot of people seem to think that expired film or heated film will sink through the fridge and cause ground water contamination. This is pretty far from the truth... One fact seem to remain: Color film is affected more adversely than B&W film.

 

My approach is to keep the film with me at all times. If I'm comfortable, so is the film. For longish term storage I throw the film into a plastic tub (with lid) in the fridge. For longer term storage, I toss it in the freezer.

 

Exposed film should be processed promptly. Personally, I put the exposed rolls in a zip-lock bag in the fridge until I have collected enough to bother running them by the lab.

 

Regarding coolers: One thing that I would strongly advise against is the use of ice in the coolers. I tried it once and ended up with wet film. I had packed the film in zip-lock bags. In the bottom of the cooler I placed a block of ice (still in the bag). I placed the opening on the bags away from the ice. The setup kept the film cool, but somehow the water got into the zip-lock bags - I have no idea how!! Thankfully, the film was 120/220 roll film in sealed foil packages and 35mm film in cans. The film was not harmed in the process - but with sheet film it would have been a disaster.