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.
