Immediate processing?

[TimG]

Hi there

I'm a large-format newbie around here, so don't bite!

I have one basic question and one I seem to find mixed answers for - when going out on a shoot for say 2 or 3 weeks, is it ok to have exposed shots of Velvia 50 knocking around (even if kept cool) for this amount of time, before sending it for processing?

The reason I ask is I'll be going on some longer trips soon, and I need to know the score with the maximum amount of time I have hold onto an exposed piece of film before processing it, without any colour problems.

Would be great if you guys could shed any light.

Cheers
Tim

[Charles Twist]

Hello Tim,
The only proper, scientific answer to your question would come from exposing a stack of transparencies in exactly the same conditions and then developing in exactly the same conditions at regular time intervals. To my knowledge this has never been done. Furthermore, I reckon that if someone tried to do this, they would fall over at the development stage. My impression - and it is only that - is that there is a fair amount of variation at this stage depending on the operator, the weather, etc. I suspect that there is more variation at that stage than would occur by waiting.
So the only answer I can give, is that I am satisfied with the results after holding on to the transparencies for several months after they were exposed (mine were stored at room temperature rather than in the fridge to avoid any problems with water condensating on the film surface). To give you an idea of how rugged Fuji film is: on one trip, my kit got drenched in a downpour and the transparencies in the double dark slide got wet. I put them aside in their own box. By the time, they got to the processing lab two weeks later, they had stuck together. They still came out fine, even after being ripped apart...
Go for it. But don't sue me!
Best regards,
Charles

[TimG]

Hi Charles,

Thanks for that! I normally get my shots processed the day after shooting, but it sounds like they'll be ok. I'm actually tempted to do an experiment by taking 2 shots and having one developed the day after and one a month later, to see the difference.. Maybe i'll report back on my findings in a month!

[jennym]

Hi Tim,
I took my LF camera to Kenya for 6 weeks last summer, and it was two months before I could get any film developed. It was hot and quite humid, and I kept the film (all quickloads)in sealed bags in the fridge before and after exposing the film, risking condensation but avoiding heat. At the end we travelled for a week up the Rift Valley without refridgeration. I had problems with my light meter, but my experience was that there was no discernable problem with having waited that long before developing the film. Of course, I don't know what they would have looked like if I had had them processed straight away. But I think the dogma is that both heat and condensation are best avoided if possible, and that it is better to develop the film sooner rather than later. This also helps identify any problems that can be easily rectified....and I don't know whether quickloads may be slightly better protected against condensation than sheet film once the packet is open.
Good luck and enjoy your trips.
Jenny