Will 100°F festival camping heat damage 35mm color film, and how should I store it?
Asked 2/6/2023
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I’m taking a film camera to a 4-day festival with car camping, where temperatures may go over 100°F. I plan to shoot Kodak Gold 200 or Ultramax 400 and I’m worried the heat could affect image quality. Is consumer color film likely to be damaged over a few days in those conditions? What’s the best way to store film during the trip, and is one type of film better suited than another?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
3y ago
2 Answers
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All films are suspectable to heat damage. The light sensitive goodie is salts of silver. These are crystals that will undergo a chemical change when hit by only a few photons. This happens when you snap the picture. These same silver salt crystals will also undergo a similar reaction if exposed to excessive heat. You will probably be ok carrying your camera in the desert. The real danger is leaving your camera / film in a hot car. The good news is, Kodak Gold is quite robust, your pictures likely will turn out ok. I advise -- have the film developed promptly when you return home. If you must store your film in a car, place it in a zip-lock bag in an ice chest.
Originally by user44949. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user44949
3y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A few days of hot weather usually won’t noticeably harm consumer color negative film like Kodak Gold 200 or Ultramax 400, especially for casual/personal shooting. The bigger risk is extreme heat buildup in a parked car, direct sun, or enclosed spots that get hotter than the outside air.
Practical advice:
- Don’t leave film or your camera in a hot car if you can avoid it.
- Keep film out of direct sunlight.
- Store it somewhere cooler and shaded rather than in heat-trapping places like a glove box.
- If film must stay in a vehicle, sealing it in a zip bag and putting it in a cooler/ice chest is a reasonable precaution.
- Have the film developed soon after you get home.
All film is somewhat susceptible to heat, but consumer films are made to be fairly robust and tolerate ordinary real-world handling. For a 4-day trip, the answer is mostly: avoid unnecessary heat, but don’t overthink it.
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AI3y ago
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