How long can you let it sit after exposing but before developing? Online I see everything from "you should develop within a few days of exposure" to "you can leave it up till its expiry date no problem". I asked a local camera shop and they said 6-10 months before you start to see degradation depending on the film. Who's telling the truth? I don't remember ever worrying about this back when I was using disposable cameras for everything.
>>4520311Sooner the better, but it don't really matter unless you need roll to roll consistency. I had a roll of slide film exposed for maybe 5 years or longer and I developed it recently. Only minor color shift.
>>4520311Because it depends on ambient temperature and film stock. Once exposed, the film is less stable because the grains are unevenly activated. You should develop it as soon as possible. Now if you freeze it it could be fine years later. If it's out and you live in Thailand, it will start to shift in a matter of weeks. Just keep it cold and develop it when you can, it'll be fine.
>>4520311Back in 2014 I bought a film that was expired in 2009, and i used it inbetween 2018 and 2023 because I left my camera at home as I started moving abroad. My home country is tropical, so this is a factor too, and I kept my camera in a bag in my cupboard. Got it developed and scanned by my local shop sometime on 2023, but their scan was always kinda shitty. I ended up buying a scanner sometime in 2025, though by that time i think the film has deteriorated even more and I stupidly kept it not so clean.I dont find that much difference inbetween the shots i took on 2018 and 2023, although as explained other parameters could be at play.Picrel is shot in 2018
>>4520365>I dont find that much difference inbetween the shots i took on 2018 and 2023Maybe worth mentioning degradation speed is logarithmic with time. I bought a roll of portra 400 in a shop that was not air conditioned during a 33°c+ heatwave and it was already too degraded for the result to be professional. But i'm sure it could have stayed in the shop for months and I would still have had a clear image, only fogged and color shifted.
>>4520365looks like the streets from eyes wide shut. shame it's so disheveled.
>>4520311I have a few rolls from 2003-2007, I'll let you know. There are photos of a hooker getting arrested on one of them, I'll post those.
>>4520311From what I've been told, it's temperature that matters the most. I had some film that had been exposed and then passed expiry by 3 years and it looked completely fine when I developed it, I didn't need to push it or any of that shit. So just keep it cool and it can last a good amount of time.I think the only thing that is affected no matter what is shadows after some amount of time, so you'll end up with lost details in really dark parts of the image. So maybe develop night photos ASAP in that case.
>>4520311Store your exposed film in the freezer -> It will last as long as you want. Many Many years. Store your film in a cupboard... Could last a few years and be fine. It all depends how hot your cupboard gets and how long you want to heat cycle it your film over many summers...I store all my film, exposed and unexposed in the freezer.
>>4520311i had a disposable camera roll sit in a cupboard for like 7 years before they got developed and most of them turned out fine with a couple that were just color splotches, which was cool in its own right. pic rel
its not fucking milk, just do it whenever you canstill works after a few years, just wont be as good, and if its a disposable. it was never going to be good apart from the memories
Bought a Ektar 100 in 2021 ish, shot in 2022 and developed in May this year. Apart from the grain and lab fucking up somethings it was still great.
>>4525356Based, I have some Ektar that is roughly the same expiry and I've read it looks shit after expiring so I haven't used it yet.
Do I buy some Lomography LomoChrome cheap? It expired 2017...
>>4525404how cheap? lomography are shit stocks. expired can mean anything depending on storage. I wouldn't bother for more than 5€ a roll. Basically if it's cheaper than black and white.
>>45254055 rolls, $6 each. B&W is around $7-8 a roll. Cheaper than most but processing has a premium tag on it so I lean towards color processed film. Roll of XP2 is fucking $13. Because japan.
>>4525412then i'd say it's worth it. personally I prefer buying a stock that matches a project so I wouldn't buy expired lomography stocks even for that price, but for Europe where I live it's a very good price.
>>4525414Yeah. Tempted to get some chemicals and just DIY b&w to save money. Cheers
>>4520311Exposed low iso B&W negative film can take moar time than high ISO color slide film in same conditions. And conditions matter a lot. A car glovebox at summer will challenge any film, exposed of not.Cold storage allows exposed film keep for decades in fair state, see for example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9e's_Arctic_balloon_expedition
>>4520349>If it's out and you live in Thailand, it will start to shift in a matter of weeksShit.I've had a roll in my old point and shoot from 2006. I wonder if I have to take it to some specialist place to have developed? I only want one photo from it as it's of sentimental value. Doesn't have to be great quality.
>>4525855I don't think such a specialist exists unfortunately for you. Is it color or black and white? B&W is more stable. The variables that matter are heat and humidity. The effect of heat is exponential once your reach about 30° celsius, but if it was inside and in a relatively stable environment like the bottom of a cupboard it might be still salvageable. The damage also caps with time it seems, so after 20 years it will probably be really blurry and foggy but you may still get recognizable images. In any case if you can share somz images with us along with storage conditions it would be cool.
>>4525858It was in the basement (coolest part of the house) for years. When I got into photography and got a digital I eventually started keeping it in my drycabinet in my room, that fluctuates when the turn the AC on and off etc.I have to find somewhere in Bangkok to finally develop this.
>>4525859overall those seems like good conditions. I would say it's likely the photos will be salvageable with some editing.
