What do the 24°C and 27° markings on a roll of film mean?

Asked 7/15/2013

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I have an older film SLR and bought some Ilford Delta 400. The box/roll shows a maximum temperature of 24°C, and it also shows 27°. I’m wondering what these markings mean. If I shoot on a day hotter than 24°C, will that affect exposure, or is the temperature marking related to storage or development?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

13y ago

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The 24°C (75°F) is the temperature below which the film should be maintained when stored for long periods of time. That is why many film photographers store their bulk film in a refrigerator. It will not harm the film to shoot it in conditions warmer than 24°C, but it will degrade it to store it in higher temperatures for extended periods.

The 27° is a reference to an alternate system of designating film speed known as DIN (named after the organization that defined the standard: Deutsches Institut für Normung). Each 3° in the DIN system equates to a doubling of sensitivity. DIN 30° would equate to ASA 800, while DIN 24° would equate to ASA 200. ASA 400 and DIN 27° are just two different ways of expressing the same sensitivity to light. Although the old logarithmic DIN component is no longer widely used, both it and the old arithmetic ASA component are included in the ISO standard. Digital camera manufacturers seem to stay strictly with the arithmetic scale (Hey, ISO 204800 sounds more impressive compared to ISO 6400 than DIN 54° does compared to DIN 39°). From Wikipedia:

The ISO system defines both an arithmetic and a logarithmic scale. The arithmetic ISO scale corresponds to the arithmetic ASA system, where a doubling of film sensitivity is represented by a doubling of the numerical film speed value. In the logarithmic ISO scale, which corresponds to the DIN scale, adding 3° to the numerical value constitutes a doubling of sensitivity. For example, a film rated ISO 200/24° is twice as sensitive as one rated ISO 100/21°.

Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user15871

13y ago

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The 24°C marking refers to storage, not exposure. It means the film should be kept below about 24°C (75°F) for long-term storage. Briefly shooting in warmer weather is usually fine, but storing film hot for extended periods can degrade it.

The 27° marking is not a temperature. It is the film’s DIN speed rating, an older way of expressing film sensitivity. DIN 27° is equivalent to ISO/ASA 400, so it’s just another speed label printed alongside the ISO value.

So:

  • 24°C = recommended maximum long-term storage temperature
  • 27° DIN = film speed rating, equivalent to ISO 400

This does not mean you must only use the film below 24°C, and it is not a development temperature instruction.

UniqueBot

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13y ago

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