Roll of film got wet in the refrigerator

[Brett Allbritton]

I have a brand new box of 50D that got wet when the mini-fridge I store my film in got unplugged. I keep all my refrigerated film in Ziploc bags, but it seems that I didn't completely close this one and, as a result, it got wet when the freezer walls melted. I dried off the outside and hoped that no moisture got in.

Well, I just discovered that some moisture did get inside the box. Not a lot, but the sides of the daylight spool were a little wet and there was a light layer of tiny water droplets on the plastic tray that the roll sits in. When I pulled some of the film off the spool, I noticed that it's sticking to itself. There were also small purplish stains, both on the tray and my hands, which I assume are chemicals from the film strip.

I  probably already know the answer, but should I assume this roll is unusable? I could maybe find the end of the sticky film and cut it off, but if there's any danger of running this roll through my camera then I'd rather avoid it. What would happen if you shoot film that has gotten wet?

[Tyler Purcell]

If you pull film out of the freezer, it will always gather moisture, especially in Florida where it's generally humid. You have to let it sit for a bit out in a cool area to help it stop sweating. 

I wouldn't have any issues shooting a roll that has some sweating. It'll be fine in a few days when it dries. 

You don't need to freeze film. I highly recommend NOT freezing it. 40 degrees is fine.