rpngirl

I've been storing my suitcase in the trunk of my car all winter, and just realized I have a bunch of unused film in my suitcase. It's been as low as -20 farenheit, so is the film ruined?

Mucky

Hi rpngirl,
Its possible that some of the colouring will be pretty poor, but I don't think they will be totally ruined.
Get one developed and see.

Good Luck

Muck

bob_brown

I put film in the freezer to prolong its life. I would worry about heat, not the cold.
How hot do you think the inside of your trunk might have gotten?

Randy

A good photo store will keep there film stored under refrigeration, so I would not worry. I have kept 35mm color slide film in a freezer for over a year with no problem. I would recommend thawing the film in your refrigerator to prevent the posibility of any dampness condensing on the the film. If the film was exposed to any high temperatures you could have some problems. You might take one roll and take some pictures to test it.

dan_woodlief

I agree with Bob. I would worry more about heat. In general, film can deteriorate over time if not developed, but supposedly cold slows down that process, and it is not like you took the shots a year ago. I might be more worried about temperature changes that occured during that time. Just take a roll or two to a lab and tell them what happened. They can test for you before you take all the film in for processing. It is hard to know, but my guess is that your film is not so bad.

dan_woodlief

Sorry. I mis-read your post. You were talking about unused film. In that case as well, heat and temperature changes would be an issue, but cold in itself shouldn't be a problem at all. I keep most of my film in the frig before use. Test and see. If you have doubts, just don't use on an important trip or at a major family event. You could set it aside for general shooting.