cboysen Loc: Homewood, IL

In addition to digital cameras, I'd like to try my hand at film cameras again. In the past, I used to store new spools of 35 mm film in the freezer until I was ready to use them, and, if I remember correctly, I could save them like this for months, even years, and the film would later develop fine. Does this method of saving/freezing film still work, or has it been replaced by some other newer better method? Thanks for your input.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

I don't store such a large quantity on hand. Just several rolls in a zip lock freezer back, but in the fridge.

Darkroom317 Loc: Mishawaka, IN

For short term storage of color and B&W I would suggest the fridge. The freezer should be used for long term storage or delicate emulsions such as high ISO film and Infrared film

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I used to use the freezer, but was informed some time ago that just the refrigerator would work. I now have more film in my fridge than food.
--Bob

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Keeping it in the refrigerator is fine. It won't change much if you keep it below 55°F.

Three decades ago, I worked for a huge portrait photography company as an audiovisual producer. I had a habit of buying 300-roll cases of Ektachrome in 20-roll bricks, so all rolls would have the same emulsion number, and my slides would all match in color and density. We kept them in the same warehouse walk-in cooler with a truckload of Vericolor III long roll films... The temperature was a steady 50°F.

Kodak used to sell its professional color negative films (Vericolor, then Portra) at the peak of freshness, with the admonition to keep them cooled below 55°F until a few hours before use, and to process them promptly after that. At the rate our lab customers used it, it was always fresh!

The biggest issues with film aging are loss of speed, heat fog, and background radiation fog. Keeping films in a refrigerator can slow all but background radiation fog (cosmic rays penetrate almost anything). Still, I never liked to keep any film more than a few years beyond its expiration date.

I know there are stories of people finding 20-year old exposed film, getting it processed, and the images are "fine", but I wouldn't chance that! If it's exposed, get it souped right away!

David Kay Loc: Arlington Heights IL

Somewhat correct.

Film stored in the fridge extends the expiration date.
Frozen film locks the expiration date. An example would be, if you put film in the freezer on June 1, and the expiration date is July 1. When you remove the film from the freezer you have 30 days till it would reach its new expiration date.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

David, thanks for that information.

I almost always use B&W film. If I do shoot color, it's purchased very close to the day of the work. So, I rarely need to store color.

I just used a roll that supposedly expired in 2009. It worked quite well. Found it in the fridge and thought, hmmm, I should use this before the more recently purchased stuff.
--Bob

P.S. Update
Just ran across this document.
http://www.kodak.com/global/en/consumer/products/techInfo/e30/e30.pdf

Leitz Loc: Solms

Nothing has changed. 30° in a new freezer is the same as 30° in an old freezer.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Wow. That piece is over 11 years old. I was still running the digital departments of a lab when it came out... Our Kodak TSR at the time sent me a copy of it!

Many of the materials mentioned are no longer manufactured by Kodak.

cboysen Loc: Homewood, IL

Thank you all for your helpful and detailed answers to my question! I really appreciate your help.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Same same.

What you knew about film is still relevant.

Freezer = years.

Fridge = not sure but quite a while.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

I hadn't given much thought, but am beginning to wonder if bringing home that case of Plus-X Pan and storing in in the refrigerator had anything to do with my wife leaving. I told her it took up no more room than her first husband's beer ration, but she looked at the food I'd thrown away and made an obscene gesture. Of course, it might have also had something to do with not scraping the discarded food off the plates and saving the plates, etc.

GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

My new refrigerator give me a metric or Ameriacan choice. I guess it would have to be broken to reach 30 degrees C. LoL

William Royer Loc: Kansas

Slightly OT, but I always wondered how during film days photographers in harsh conditions (such as National Geographic or reporters in Vietnam) kept their film from deteriorating during extended time in the field.

billwassmann Loc: Emerson, NJ

I still keep some in a small freezer in what was a darkroom (in the good ol' days).