Leaving exposed slide film for a few weeks . . .

[CDL]

Hi, I'm sorry if this is in the wrong place or a bit of a stupid question. I'm going travelling in Eastern Europe this summer for about two months and planning to shoot mainly b&w but I would also like to shoot some colour slide.

If I shoot as I go and then keep the exposed slide film with me for the remainder of the trip, processing when I get home, would there be a reduction in quality? I've hear that slide requires fast processing.

Or would it be advisable to use a more 'stable' consumer slide film like sensia which would be able to hold up to this sort of treatment (its gonna be hot too)?

Thanks very much

Chris

[berci]

The heat can be a problem, one of my friends spent a couple of months in New Zealand and there were a couple of rolls that were kept unprocessed for up to 5 months and some of them had some major colour problems.

On the other hand I had a couple of rolls undeveloped for a couple of months and they were fine, I stored them in a cool place.

[CDL]

Ok, I think I'll stay on the safe side and just stick to the b&w, maybe shooting some slide at the end of the trip.

Thanks

[oftheherd]

The moment you expose film, the sensitivity of the exposed silver halides begins to deteriorate. That said, a few weeks shouldn't make much of a difference in what you can see, even in slide film. The heat might however. You might want to consider buying processing envelopes before you go, and sending the film off from wherever you are so it is waiting for you when you return.

[pvdhaar]

Originally Posted by CDL

Ok, I think I'll stay on the safe side and just stick to the b&w, maybe shooting some slide at the end of the trip.

Thanks

This really depends on your choice of slide film. In general, professional emulsions have worse latent image retention characteristics than consumer slide film. Reason is that the manufacturer knows that the average consumer will not finish a roll (whether slide or c41) in a single session, so factors this into the product, while professional film will be more colour consistency oriented.

You should be safe with consumer film that has a long shelf life and doesn't require being kept in a fridge..

[wlewisiii]

Heat is the real killer. If you expect that your bag that you have the slide film in (exposed or not) will get over 100 farenheit/37 celsius, then the mailers suggested by oftheherd is a really good idea.

I guess I'd say to use the film you like, but buy a mailer for each roll you take. It just makes it that little bit simpler in the end.

William

[hth]

I forgot a roll of exposed Velvia in my SLR camera bag for about a year! Since that camera see little use, it was kept at home in room temperature (20). The film developed fine and I could not see any ill effects.

/Håkan

[CDL]

Thank-you all for the useful advice

Chris

[varjag]

Unless it'll be extremely hot, a few weeks should not be a problem.

Originally Posted by varjag

Unless it'll be extremely hot, a few weeks should not be a problem.

I agree wholeheartedly.

I think a few of the posts here are a little over-cautious. Yes, you should keep the exposed (or unexposed for that matter) film out of extreme heat and direct sunlight - but otherwise it will be fine for several weeks or even months.

I do like the idea of mailers, however, for a different reason - it avoids x-rays if you are flying to your destination and need to go through a security scan. Also, if you time it right - you will be greeted when you get home with developed slides ready for viewing or scanning!