Fuji Quickload failures in cold weather?

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I'm asking a question rather than making a statement because I'm not sure if my experience is an anomaly.

Last December while shooting outside in cold, dry weather (0 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit) I experienced at least a 50% failure rate with Fuji Quickloads (Provia F). The film sheet would separate from the internal septum once the "dark slide" had been pulled, and the resulting separation prevented the dark slide from being reinserted (after the exposure was made), thereby ruining the shot. I've had no such problems in warmer weather with the same stock of film, but this week when the temperature dipped near 0 it happened again. The glue holding the sheet of film to the septum seemed to simply crack from the cold.

The film in question was from my stock of 40 or 50 boxes of Quickloads, pulled from two different emulsion batches bought at two different dealers (but in the same month; perhaps it was a bad month for the glue guys at Fujifilm?). I have not had the opportunity to try a newer emulsion batch because I still have a lot of the old stuff left. I did not try returning the film to the dealers because of stringent film return policies, significant elapsed time since purchase (though the film is not expired), and my uncertainty about which film I'd bought at which dealer (yes, I know, I should have recorded the emulsion batch number on the receipt, but how many of us do that?).

I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced similar failures in similarly cold weather. If not, I'll assume I simply got a bad batch and save the film to use in spring.

Thanks to all, with the blessings of the season....

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-- Micah (micahmarty@aol.com), December 27, 2001

Answers

Sounds just like what used to happen with Polaroid quick load type of film in cold weather. Few things more frustrating than being 400 feet up on the side of a sand dune with wind whipping sand in your face & the sun just starting to come up over the mountains and you go through an entire box of polaroid E-6 (Fujichrome) with all the film loads breaking off as you try to make exposures.

Guess some things never change.

-- Dan Smith (shooter@brigham.net), December 27, 2001.


Just a quick comment that I have not had any similar experiences and I frequentlyuse Quickloads in very cold weather. I do attempt to keep them somewhat warm in a coat pocket until I am ready to use them but other than that no special care.

If it doesn;t happen to you again I'd go with just bad luck. the only time I had one after another fail I called Fuji rather than the dealer and they sent me a new box. Worth a call in this instance.

-- Ted Harris (slberfuchs@aol.com), December 27, 2001.


Dan & Micah, In response to both of you, the Polaroid Procrome E-6 film was perforated on both ends of the sheet, same as the T-55, The Fugi, is not perforated, What was experienced on the fugi was a shrinkage of the adhesive that held the trailer and leader to the film. I've seen similar on the T-55 shot in winter around -20 degs. As for the Polaroid Procrome separation, I cant remember what happened with that film problem, as the product was run on the machine that i ran at that time. Sorry, senior moment.

Bill

-- Bill Jefferson (jefferw@together.net), December 27, 2001.


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