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Allen Minor

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--I just ordered some professional film. My questions are: Why is it recommended to be refrigerated? How long should you wait to use it after taking it out of refrigeration? Also, I assume you should re-refrigerate it after shooting while waiting to have it developed. Thanks in advance.

Allen Minor
 
hardsuit said:
Allen Minor wrote:
--I just ordered some professional film. My questions are: Why is
it recommended to be refrigerated? How long should you wait to use
it after taking it out of refrigeration? Also, I assume you should
re-refrigerate it after shooting while waiting to have it
developed. Thanks in advance.
Allen Minor
Click to expand...
hi, Allen. pro films need to be kept cold, for they are shipped mature.
that means that the film is near the expiration date .
they are also severly affected by temperature changes.
best to be stored cold and dry, moisture = mold on film , yuck.
you must shoot at room temp for best result. process right away.
no refrigeration need after shooting, keep cool/ dry. develop promptly.
press films have very stable stats. no refrigeration needed.
consumer films shipped green, inmature, so that its not so important
to keep cold unless in hott country, then keep in cooler bag.
consumer films most stable of all, little effect warm, cold.

--
' lets see what's out there.....engage'
 
They recommend keeping it cool because it is shipped "ripe", which means it is at it's optimum. Pros insist on color accuracy from roll to roll and batch to batch, and this is the way it is done. I have shot pro film in the desert, without any refrigeration for 2 weeks and not seen any problems. It should be kept cool, if possible, but on a short term basis, nothing to worry about. Usually 1-2 hours warm-up is enough for 35mm, but leave it in it's plastic container, you do not want any condensation to form. I have held a roll in my hand, rotating it often, and been able to warm one up in 15 minutes. Dry climates pose less risk than humid. I usually try to keep all my film cool when I can, either before or after exposure. Again, I have found that a week or two makes little difference for what I do.
Allen Minor said:
--I just ordered some professional film. My questions are: Why is
it recommended to be refrigerated? How long should you wait to use
it after taking it out of refrigeration? Also, I assume you should
re-refrigerate it after shooting while waiting to have it
developed. Thanks in advance.

Allen Minor
Click to expand...
 
Hi Allen,

Short-n-sweet:

1) Wait one hour after taking it out of refrigeration to use it.

2) Do NOT refrigerate it after you've used it!

Cheerio!
 
--

My experience is that once I get the film in my hands, I don't worry about storage...except to keep it consistent and moderate...so I just keep it in the room downstairs. I would not refrigerate it because you will have to worry about condensation if you use it too soon after removing it from the refrigerator. It's not worth your concern, really. Worry more about the expiration date than storage.

Jim DeLuco
DeLuco Photography
http://www.delucophoto.com
 
Just like any other product, film ripens and gets to a point where all color layers are in harmony with each other. At a point just before it gets there, the companies ship the film. The shipping is not frozen or cooled at all but they simply estimate the time this film is at normal room temperature and a formula tells them how much more the film matures untill it goes into the fridge at the supplier. At that point it is pretty much ready for use. The Pro films are somewhat different compared to amateur film in that there are preservatives built into amateur film that allows it to be warm at a long time without drastic color changes. The problem with amateur film is that it takes longer to mature in storage. Of course, in the pro film we care that many batches of film give consistent speed and color. Even though this may all be true, it is more important for transparency film because the film undergoes no further color corrections in processing. The film you load is the results you get. Negative film is printed and color corrected and nobody knows if there was a difference in the emulsion worth mentioning. I keep my films cool in the fridge and never in the freezer. I am always ready to use that film but I use it fast enough (wweks only) that freezing is not required. If you buy a large batch of film, like some press packs with 50 rolls, it may be better to freeze them. Let them warm up as recommended or you'll get condensation on the film as it unrolls and hits the moist air in the camera.

Never store the films in the camera bag that is parked in the sun. Never let your (black) cameras sit in the sun either because they make for a wonderful oven for your soon to be fried film.

Now for the practical side of things, I've not seen any storage problems with films for at least 30 years no matter what people did with it. Films are a lot better than ever!
Rinus
 
Janeen Sanders said:
2) Do NOT refrigerate it after you've used it!
Click to expand...
Kodak recommends that you freeze the film if processing is not immediately possible. The latent image is not affected by temperature but the color balance of the layers will deteriorate at a steady pace before and after exposure. Exposure does not stop the ripening.

Remember that all this is more important in hot and humid areas of this globe. Best to store exposed film in the cannister to prevent humidity changes. The problem is with 120 film which is the reason I travel with ziplock freezer bags to seal in that good flav..r eh color.
Rinus
 
Rinus said:
enough (wweks only) that freezing is not required. If you buy a
large batch of film, like some press packs with 50 rolls, it may be
better to freeze them.
Click to expand...
permit me to correct you. Never freeze, freezing film will cause reticulation.

Gaetan J.
 
Rinus said:
Member said:
2) Do NOT refrigerate it after you've used it!
Click to expand...
Kodak recommends that you freeze the film if processing is not
immediately possible. The latent image is not affected by
temperature but the color balance of the layers will deteriorate at
a steady pace before and after exposure. Exposure does not stop the
ripening.
Remember that all this is more important in hot and humid areas of
this globe. Best to store exposed film in the cannister to prevent
humidity changes. The problem is with 120 film which is the reason
I travel with ziplock freezer bags to seal in that good flav..r eh
color.
Rinus
Click to expand...
from :

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/e190/e190.shtml

"Store unexposed film at 21°C (70°F) or lower in the original sealed package. For extended periods, store film at 13°C (55°F) to preserve consistency. "

"Process film as soon as possible after exposure. Protect negatives from strong light, and store them in a cool, dry place. For long-term storage, keep negatives at a temperature between 2°C (35°F) and 13°C (55°F) and at a relative humidity between 30 and 35 percent. "

This mean over freezing point

Gaetan J.

--
never assume ...
 
Hi,

Must have been a long day of shooting! I just hope you didn't also try to load the ear of corn into the camera while the 220 film was roasting!

LOL

Stan
Jim DeLuco said:
Rinus said:
The problem is with 120 film which is the reason
I travel with ziplock freezer bags to seal in that good flav..r eh
color.
Rinus
Click to expand...
--
I used to do this until I accidentally grilled a propack of Portra
220 film, mistaking it for an ear of corn. This was the last time
I used the Hibachi at night.

Jim DeLuco
DeLuco Photography
http://www.delucophoto.com
Click to expand...
--
Amateur Photographer
Professional Electronics Development Engineer
 
Yes I have heard them all but storing in the original package does little for a 120/220 spool. It is very hard to seal those wrappers back to the original form. Freezing is not required but it gives added protection if the wait is very long! Sealing against freezer burn is important. There is also a little known thing about Kodak, the various branches have different recommendations so I go by what they said 25 years ago. I am sure nothing has changed and I rather err on the side of caution.
Rinus
 
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